Ireland should aim to perform better at recycling and the reuse of materials in the construction sector, according to the Fine Gael Policy Lab.

New Construction is Ireland's largest user of materials, and particularly those with high environmental impact such as cement, metals, and glass. New buildings embody 7m tonnes of carbon emissions. However, the sector has the worst record in recycling and reuse of materials.

By setting a target to halve such emissions, we could make positive gains in protecting our environment. Some of the changes needed include:

• A Wood First strategy for building

• Salvage Construction and Demolition Waste

• Consider Refurbishing before demolition

• Design buildings for flexible use and high utilisation of space

• Create a market for the reuse of salvaged materials.

The Fine Gael Policy Lab found there is enormous potential for the application of circular principles in construction, but this will require developing a framework of policies to support transformation in better protecting our environment.

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In Ireland the construction sector annually uses at least 2 and a half tonnes (2,5000kg) of material for every person in the country. Emissions embodied in new buildings account for one tenth of all greenhouse gas emissions, but we neglect better choice of materials like timber, and the lower impact opportunities of refurbishment rather than demolition.

The ambition for the sector suggested is to halve the embodied carbon which goes into the typical newly built unit and to achieve a 25% reuse of recovered materials

The report highlights the need to change our thinking on the way: public bodies and regulators interact with construction sector, careful segregation of materials on building sites, our buildings are designed, better utilisation of the buildings that we have.

Deputy Richard Bruton, Chairman of Fine Gael’s Parliamentary Party said: "The policy lab process has shown there is real capacity and appetite for change. Construction stands out as the sector using more materials than any other and generating more waste for disposal. It embodies carbon in what it builds but also shapes our lifestyles which can have a huge impact on the lifetime emissions associated with the building.

"It has a particularly complex supply chain from the original person who commissions the building through finance, design, regulation, procurement, and construction, which all need to be aligned to deliver better outcomes.

"Progress has already been achieved through the requirement that new and substantially refurbished buildings have 'near zero energy use', in addition to the national retrofit scheme and new measures to address vacancy dereliction and town renewal. All these measures offer an opportunity to apply the learnings from a circular approach."