A lack of economic incentives, unclear legal frameworks and a lack of understanding of circular value creation are currently preventing high-quality reuse in construction from becoming the rule. At the same time, pressure is growing: The construction sector accounts for over 60 percent of Germany's waste generation every year, while high-quality recycling only takes place to a small extent.
A major bottleneck is the lack of information about the materials used. Without transparency about the type, quantity and quality of raw materials in buildings, reuse and recycling strategies remain unused. This is where building material registers come in: They systematically record the “urban mine” and make it visible which raw materials are in buildings and how they can be used circularly. Examples from Baden-Württemberg, Heidelberg and Munich show how such cadastres make dismantling volumes predictable and provide valuable information for future material cycles.
The analysis for Baden-Württemberg revealed a material inventory of around 2.6 billion tons, 89 percent of which were mineral building materials. For the first time, these findings enable a nationwide view of regional raw material stores and provide cities and municipalities with a basis for strategic decisions. Digitally supported platforms such as Madaster provide additional insights into CO2-Footprint and residual values of materials — a decisive factor for making the economic potential of building resources visible.
However, in order for high-quality materials to be returned to the cycle, functioning infrastructures are needed. This is where secondary resource centers come into play, which function as regional hubs. They collect building materials, prepare them and make them available for new construction projects. These centers exist in stationary, temporary or digital form. They enable shorter transport routes, strengthen regional added value and create new business models in line with the circular economy.
Research projects — for example at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology — show that such centers are ecologically and economically viable, particularly larger plants. They can provide high-quality recycled materials, reduce CO2 emissions and open up new investment prospects. At the same time, it is clear that for a successful resource transition, the infrastructure must be systematically expanded, political governance instruments must create clear framework conditions and the digitization of material information must be pushed forward.
Overall, it is clear that the transition in resources is technically possible and ecologically necessary. With a combination of material registers, efficient secondary raw material centers and political incentives, circular construction can become the new norm — and the construction industry can make a significant contribution to climate and resource protection.
The article of DBZ German Construction Magazine From issue 04/2026, you can here Read it in full length.