#TRACE: Transforming Resources and Advancing Circular Economy Developing a Digital Marketplace for Construction Material Reuse Hubs
-About the Research Scotland faces a significant sustainability challenge: we operate at only 1.3% circularity, leaving a staggering 98.7% circularity gap. The construction industry alone accounts for nearly 50% of Scotland's material consumption, relying heavily on virgin materials rather than reused alternatives. TRACE addresses this critical issue by developing a prototype digital marketplace for reuse hubs. Our research focuses on creating a trustworthy, real-time tracking system that connects stakeholders across the construction material reuse ecosystem. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies including blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), material passports, and QR codes, we aim to make construction material reuse more accessible, reliable, and economically viable. The project responds to key challenges identified by industry stakeholders: limited availability of reuse hubs across Scotland and a lack of timely, trustworthy information needed to incorporate reused materials into new construction projects.
#Research Team & Partners Lead Researchers
- Dr Michele Victoria - Lecturer, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen
- Dr Theodoros Dounas - Associate Professor, Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh
- Stirling Reuse Hub (SRH) - Providing operational insights and real-world testing environment
- Adventurous Systems (AS) - Digital marketplace, Technical smart contract development and prototype hosting expertise
- BE-ST - Stakeholder engagement and industry connections
- Zero Waste Scotland - Policy guidance and dissemination support
This collaboration brings together academic expertise, industry knowledge, and policy implementation experience to ensure our research addresses real-world needs and can scale effectively.