Construction is one of the sectors where decisions made early remain locked in for decades. Once a material is specified, manufactured, and built into a structure, its performance, cost profile, and carbon footprint are largely fixed for the life of the asset. This is why sustainability in construction cannot be treated as an afterthought or a reporting exercise. It has to be addressed at the point where materials are chosen and systems are designed.
For years, the sector has prioritised speed, availability, and cost, often out of necessity. India’s development has depended on it. But as the scale of building increases, so do the long-term consequences of those choices. Materials are no longer just inputs; they represent commitments that shape maintenance cycles, resource consumption, and embodied carbon over decades. This is where circular economy thinking becomes relevant, not as a principle, but as an operating approach.
In construction, circularity is often misunderstood as a future ideal or a niche concept. In practice, it is far more grounded. It asks straightforward questions: How long does a material perform? How much waste does it generate during installation? How often does it need replacement? What does its lifecycle imply for material consumption and carbon footprint? Can it be reused, recycled, or recovered meaningfully at the end of its life?
When these questions are taken seriously, sustainability stops being abstract. It becomes a matter of efficiency, predictability, and risk management. Materials that last longer and require fewer interventions reduce lifecycle costs and cumulative carbon impact. Systems that minimise waste improve execution certainty while lowering emissions associated with rework, transport, and disposal. Over time, these factors influence not just environmental outcomes, but project economics.
Globally, a substantial share of emissions linked to buildings is embedded in materials used during construction, well before operations begin. Reducing this footprint is less about disruptive change and more about steady improvement in how materials are designed, manufactured, and deployed at scale.
India’s aspiration to become a $10 trillion economy by 2035, alongside its commitment to net-zero emissions by 2070, places construction at the centre of national priorities. Infrastructure expansion, housing, manufacturing, and logistics will all accelerate. There is no realistic scenario in which construction activity slows down.
The real question is how this expansion is supported. A linear, high-waste, high-replacement model carries a growing carbon and resource burden that becomes increasingly difficult to manage at scale. Resource pressure, regulatory scrutiny, and cost volatility will make such approaches less viable over time.
Circular construction materials offer a way to reconcile scale with discipline. By improving durability, reducing waste, and extending asset life, they help lower lifecycle carbon footprint without compromising speed or affordability. These outcomes support both economic growth and climate commitments.
Government policy can set direction, but execution rests with industry. Material manufacturers, designers, contractors, and developers collectively determine how buildings are delivered and, by extension, the carbon footprint embedded into the built environment. Circularity only works when it is embedded across this ecosystem, through manufacturing efficiency, consistent quality, and materials engineered for long-term performance.
From the perspective of material manufacturers operating at national scale, upstream choices in formulation, process efficiency, and quality control have a direct bearing on waste, durability, and lifecycle carbon impact across millions of square metres of construction. Getting these decisions right early reduces downstream risk, both environmental and economic.
This requires investment in process, technology, and capability. It also requires resisting short-term optimisation in favour of long-term value. These are not easy choices, but they are increasingly necessary ones.
Encouragingly, market behaviour is beginning to reflect this shift. Customers are asking sharper questions about maintenance, durability, and lifecycle cost. Financial institutions are incorporating material sustainability and carbon exposure into risk assessments. Standards and building codes are evolving to reflect material impact, not just operational efficiency.
The next phase of construction will not be defined by new terminology, but by what becomes routine. When circular principles are embedded in specifications, procurement decisions, and manufacturing processes, sustainability and carbon discipline stop being exceptional and become normal.
Construction will remain a driver of growth. The materials that underpin it must evolve accordingly. Circular economy thinking, applied pragmatically through sustainable construction materials, provides a credible blueprint to build at scale while managing long-term carbon footprint and avoiding avoidable economic and environmental costs.
That is the discipline the sector will need as it builds for the decades ahead.
This article is authored by Akshat Seth, managing director, CEO, BirlaNu.