Sectoral Deep Dives on the Circular Economy

  

Buildings contribute to carbon emissions not only through their day-to-day operations—such as lighting, heating, and cooling—but also throughout their entire lifecycle, from design and construction to operation and eventual demolition. Traditionally, decarbonisation efforts in the built environment have focused on operational carbon, such as energy use, while largely overlooking embodied carbon (the carbon emissions associated with materials and processes throughout the building's lifecycle, including material extraction, manufacturing, transportation, construction, and eventual disposal or recycling). However, embodied carbon is projected to account for up to 50% of the carbon footprint of new buildings by 2050 if left unaddressed. Tackling embodied carbon is essential not only for reducing emissions but also for enhancing resource efficiency, promoting material circularity, and fostering innovation in construction practices. Despite its importance, whole life carbon has often been a blind spot in global climate policy. This session will discuss framework conditions and good practices to adopt a whole life-cycle approach, addressing both operational and embodied carbon to minimise the total carbon footprint of buildings. Mayors, governments and stakeholders will be invited to discuss their respective strategies to achieve net-zero emissions in buildings.

  

Water is one of humanity’s most precious resources, yet growing demand, pollution, and climate change are placing immense pressure on existing water systems worldwide. The circular water economy offers a transformative framework for managing water as a resource — focusing on reducing waste, increasing efficiency, and creating sustainable solutions across the entire water cycle, producing energy and secondary material. This session will explore the principles of the circular economy applied to water, from reducing consumption and preventing water pollution to optimising wastewater treatment and enhancing water reuse. Building on the findings of the new report The Circular Water Economy in Latin America, mayors, governments and stakeholders will be invited to share best practices on regulatory frameworks, financing mechanisms, and capacity-building to transition from a linear to a circular water economy. The session will also discuss innovative policies for sustainable use and regeneration of water resources, including collaboration between governments, businesses, and local communities to drive solutions at scale.