REVIEW Developing strategies for managing construction and demolition wastes in Malaysia based on the concept of circular economy Mohd Reza Esa 1,2 • Anthony Halog 1 • Lucia Rigamonti 3 Received: 7 March 2016 / Accepted: 23 May 2016 Ó Springer Japan 2016 Abstract Construction and demolition (C&D) waste is a pressing issue not only in Malaysia, but it is also a worldwide concern including the developed countries as well. C&D waste should be managed throughout the con- struction cycle. The concept of circular economy (CE) is an emerging notion that has the potential to be utilized as waste minimization approach. This paper aims to assess the potentials of incorporating the CE concept as an approach to minimizing C&D wastes, by developing a CE-based theoretical framework for C&D waste management in Malaysia. In line with this objective, a systematic review has been conducted to determine how CE can be opera- tionalised as a strategy to minimize wastes, while consid- ering it as a key factor for mitigating the environmental impacts. Based on the literature review, a CE-based theo- retical framework has been proposed using Malaysia as a case study. The framework has been developed following a three-layer approach namely micro-, meso-, and macro- levels. Waste minimization strategies have been identified for each level taking into account the main stages in the construction industry, i.e., planning, designing, procure- ment, construction, and demolition. The different stake- holders involved at each stage and their interactions in the stages have also been identified. Keywords Circular economy Á Systematic review Á C&D waste minimization Á Theoretical framework Á Malaysia Introduction The world’s urban population is expected to surpass 6 billion by 2045, with cities in Asia and Africa registering the largest growth [1]. The growing urban population has become a catalyst for economic growth, making substantial impact particularly on the construction industry. The increasing amount of construction and demolition (C&D) wastes is a pressing issue in many countries due to rapid economic development and growing populations. For example, in India, 14.5 million tonnes of C&D wastes are being generated annually. This puts a lot of pressure on the already severely limited spaces at landfills [2]. Similarly, 26,000 tonnes of C&D wastes were generated daily in Malaysia [3]. Furthermore, 40 % of industrial wastes in the world come from the construction industry [4]. Hence, the rapid growth of construction activities has influenced the waste generations and pressurized the already over-stret- ched landfills, especially in urban areas [5]. The inefficient waste management process has led to too much waste being directed to landfills, including the waste that could be recycled [6]. Evaluating the amount of waste generated and developing strategies to minimize waste are, thus, imper- ative to achieve a sustainable future. C&D wastes are constantly being generated throughout the construction cycle. C&D wastes are generated even at Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10163-016-0516-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. & Mohd Reza Esa m.esa@uq.edu.au 1 School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia 2 Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia 3 Environmental Section, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy 123 J Mater Cycles Waste Manag DOI 10.1007/s10163-016-0516-x