What Gets Measured, Gets Done: Development of a Circular Economy Measurement Scale for Building Industry

Pedro Nuñez-Cacho, Jarosław Górecki, Valentín Molina-Moreno and Francisco A. Corpas-Iglesias
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Pedro Nuñez-Cacho: Polytechnic School of Linares, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain
Valentín Molina-Moreno: Faculty of Business and Management, University of Granada, 18010 Granada, Spain
Francisco A. Corpas-Iglesias: Polytechnic School of Linares, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 7, 1-22

Abstract: The construction industry is among the sectors that need closer attention due to their environmental impact. The Circular Economy (CE) model promotes the transition to more sustainable production models, which are based on careful management of resources and the reduction of negative externalities generated by such businesses. Its application in this industry can foster significant improvements in sustainability. However, the measurement of the degree of implementation of CE is difficult, owing to an absence of psychometrically sound measures. In this paper, the development of the CE scale for the building industry was described, treated as an instrument that allows for a direct measurement of the importance of CE for companies. The processes used to generate items by applying the e-Delphi research technique were explained in the article, and the developed scale was tested and validated through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The final construction is composed of seven different weighted dimensions: four related to Resource Management: 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle), Efficient Management of Energy, Water, and Materials; two dimensions regarding environmental impact: Emissions and Wastes generated; and, one providing indicators of transition to the CE.

Keywords: circular economy; Building sustainability scale; industrial ecology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (35)

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