THE PATH TOWARDS THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND SUSTAINABILITY IN HE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY: A CASE STUDY OF SERBIA

Abstract

The construction industry is one of the greatest contributors to pollution, waste, emission of greenhouse gases, and other forms of negative environmental damage. The construction industry by its nature is not sustainable, taking into account the procurement of materials, continuing with the resources that are consumed, all the way to the overall effects on the environment. The harmful nature of the construction industry has to be retained by introducing more sustainable approaches and developing strategies that can reduce the harmful effects of construction. Taking into account that the building sector is one of the greatest contributors to resource consumption it is clear that is very important to develop ways in which negative impacts could be limited. One of the most acknowledged approaches is a circular economy that has aim to find other paths to reconcile the development of states, constant building activities, and limited natural resources that are jeopardized due to these activities. Each state must put an effort towards achieving this balance. This paper analyses the position of Serbia on the path towards sustainability in the construction industry and practices of circular economy that are acquired. This paper is based on the literature review and analysis of official data about construction activities in Serbia. This approach was chosen as it can help establish the position of Serbia toward arising requests that address activities in the construction industry and the current level of compliance with them. Sources were searched using the keywords „circular economy “; “construction industry“; „sustainability“; etc. Most information was withdrawn from the Republic Institute of Statistics and from governmental documents made to support circular economy practices. Data was gathered with a focus on the most recent statistics and changes in trends so that the current position of Serbia is most accurately presented. In addition, clients of the construction companies from Belgrade were asked about their opinions on the importance of sustainability of the construction projects, with a focus on circular economy solutions. Results show that Serbia has a very low application of circular economy strategies despite the great potential that is acknowledged by several sources. Moreover, the research has shown that clients still don’t have developed awareness of the importance of sustainable construction and don't have the sensibility to acknowledge and support measures of the circular economy.