Lean integrated circular economy in the Sri Lankan construction industry: a qualitative Delphi study

The construction industry is known for its significant environmental impact and waste generation. To address this issue, the concept of Circular Economy (CE) has emerged, aiming to minimise waste and maximise resource utilisation. However, there are several barriers which impede the implementation of the CE concept in the construction industry. Therefore, this research aims to incorporate the lean concept to overcome the barriers of CE implementation in the construction industry. Therefore, this research develops a framework for a lean-enabled CE in the construction industry. The qualitative approach is used for this paper, and the Delphi technique was adopted. Purposive sampling was used to select the experts for the study, and data were analysed through manual content analysis. The findings revealed 10 benefits from CE and 12 benefits from Lean were identified, along with 8 benefits of CE and Lean integration. Furthermore, 19 barriers were identified towards this integration, and 12 strategies were identified to overcome these barriers. This study also provides a comprehensive mapping between CE and Lean implementation benefits, their integration benefits and barriers, and strategies. In addition, integrating lean and CE for the construction industry can lead to many significant benefits, such as cost savings, improved environmental performance, and enhanced stakeholder engagement.