Digitalisation Towards Circular Economy in Construction and Built Environment

Background

According to the World Economic Forum, it is necessary for organizations and businesses to become fully digital to create truly Circular Economy. DT plays an important role in the transition towards Circular Economy by optimizing forward material flows and enabling reverse material flows. However, for ASEAN SMEs, the introduction of DT can be challenging as they have generally limited resources and necessary cognitive assets. This networking research will focus on understanding the readiness of ASEAN SMEs in the adoption of DT to support the creation of Circular Economy. In doing so, a maturity model for measuring digital transformation towards Circular Economy will be developed through the contributions from the core partners and collaborators. The proposed maturity model will serve as a commonly agreed benchmark among ASEAN members to quantify the readiness of their SMEs in utilizing DT to create Circular Economy, and a roadmap of them towards digital-enabled sustainable development.

Objectives

• To understand the circular economy implementations among SMEs in the UK and Thailand
• To understand situations and to identify key challenges and opportunities of the circular economy implementations
• To disseminate the model and gain their feedback through a questionnaire survey to verify and finalize the model
• To conclude the project and to plan for future collaborations

Literature Review

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Methodology

1. Field research to collect data about the metrics and definitions of the maturity model, including shadowing case study, questionnaire survey and interview with SMEs
2. Policy studies to review and evaluate the existing codes and standards from ASEAN members related to digital transformation of Circular Economy, and further to propose suggestions for policy decision-makers

Results

1. Implementing and developing the maturity model in other ASEAN members
2. Jointly applying for other sustainable grants to extend this network established and its impact
3. Research outputs and knowledge transfer, including publications, patents, and academic visiting activities

Analysis

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Recommendations

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Collaboration with Universities and Institutes

1. Loughborough University (UK)
2. Brunel University London (UK)
3. SIIT, Thammasat University (Pathum Thani, Thailand)
4. National Science and Technology Development Agency — NSTDA (Pathum Thani, Thailand)

Knowledge Transfer from Industrial Sectors

1. ARUP (UK)
2. EMR Metal Recycling (UK)
3. SKANSKA (UK)
4. SCG 3D Concrete Printing Concrete Factory (Saraburi, Thailand)
5. MQDC's Forestias (Bangkok, Thailand)

Research Collaboration Activities

Conclusion

The research exchange program focused on advancing Circular Economy within the construction industry through collaboration between Thai and UK institutions, primarily Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT), Loughborough University, and Brunel University London. The activities spanned institutional meetings, laboratory tours, technical workshops, and site visits to prominent companies and projects like Skanska, ARUP, SCG, and MQDC's Forestias. These engagements facilitated extensive knowledge transfer regarding digital transformation, 3D concrete printing, Material Passports, and steel reusability, ultimately aiming to assess and improve the readiness of SMEs in both regions to adopt circular economy practices. The program successfully established a strong foundation for ongoing research collaborations, bridging the gap between academic innovation and practical industrial application to support digital-enabled sustainable development in the construction sector.