The Transition to Circular Economy in Transport Infrastructure - CERCOM and LIAISON Progression

To achieve climate neutrality, synergies between circular economy (CE) and carbon reduction need to be established in the context of transport infrastructure. Implementation of the circular economy and resource efficiency (RE) policies have the potential to facilitate decarbonization targets, while using fewer natural resources, maintaining or enhancing biodiversity and providing regenerative design for generations to come. This paper presents the interpretation of RE and CE within transport infrastructure in the context of the CERCOM and LIAISON projects. As part of CERCOM, a strategic review of current practice was carried out to develop a definition of CE within transport infrastructure, and provide the successes and barriers for further transition from a linear to a circular economy. A Risk Based Assessment Framework (RBAF) and associated software tool were developed to provide a means to evaluate the impacts of certain measures and prioritize areas that require further research or investigation. LIAISON will provide further progression in this regard, and develop a methodology, support tools and close to market technological solutions to transform EU Transport Infrastructure into a more sustainable and low carbon economic activity.