Advancing circular economy transition in the Nigeria construction industry through digital twin technology adoption

Despite the environmentally detrimental consequences of the prevailing traditional linear project delivery model, research on the influence of digital twinning (DT) in facilitating the transition to a circular economy (CE) within the construction sector of developing nations has garnered limited att...

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Main Authors: Imoleayo A. Awodele, Emmanuel C. Eze, Angel M. Gento Municio, Molusiwa S. Ramabodu, Nathaniel A. Olatunde
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2025-07-01
Series:Green Technologies and Sustainability
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949736125000351
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author Imoleayo A. Awodele
Emmanuel C. Eze
Angel M. Gento Municio
Molusiwa S. Ramabodu
Nathaniel A. Olatunde
author_facet Imoleayo A. Awodele
Emmanuel C. Eze
Angel M. Gento Municio
Molusiwa S. Ramabodu
Nathaniel A. Olatunde
author_sort Imoleayo A. Awodele
collection DOAJ
description Despite the environmentally detrimental consequences of the prevailing traditional linear project delivery model, research on the influence of digital twinning (DT) in facilitating the transition to a circular economy (CE) within the construction sector of developing nations has garnered limited attention. This research examines the role of digital twinning (DT) in advancing the circular economy (CE) within the construction industry, with the aim of accelerating progress towards achieving sustainable development goals. A comprehensive literature assessment was conducted to ascertain the impact of digital transformation on the transition to a circular economy and the advantages of this digital twinning (DT) in the construction industry’s efforts towards circular economy transition. A survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to construction professionals utilizing convenience sample methods. The collected data, exhibiting a response rate of 57.76% and a reliability of above 0.750, were analyzed utilizing frequency and percentage, mean item score, normalization value, Kruskal–Wallis H-test and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. This study identified seven major benefits of adopting Digital Twinning to enhance the circular economy transition efforts in Nigeria’s construction industry. These are: waste reduction and recycling, supporting circular economy transition, customer insights, asset management and efficiency, new business opportunities, advanced monitoring and prediction and boost production and profits. Also, Kendall’s W test indicated a significant statistical consensus among survey participants for the advantages of enhancing digital twins in the construction activities’ circular economy transition. Research on the incorporation of digital twinning (DT) in the circular economy transition is limited, particularly in the Nigerian setting. This study represents a pioneering investigation into the role of Digital Twinning in facilitating the transition to a Circular Economy in Nigeria, a domain where research is limited.
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spelling doaj-art-647973b8c0ca4e7c910fa959cba858322025-08-20T03:24:03ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Green Technologies and Sustainability2949-73612025-07-013310020110.1016/j.grets.2025.100201Advancing circular economy transition in the Nigeria construction industry through digital twin technology adoptionImoleayo A. Awodele0Emmanuel C. Eze1Angel M. Gento Municio2Molusiwa S. Ramabodu3Nathaniel A. Olatunde4Construction Management and Quantity Surveying Department, Durban University of Technology, Durban, 4001, South Africa; Corresponding author.Architecture and Built Environment, Northumbria University Newcastle, United KingdomOrganizacion de Empresas y CIM, University of Valladolid, SpainConstruction Management and Quantity Surveying Department, Durban University of Technology, Durban, 4001, South AfricaConstruction Management and Quantity Surveying Department, Durban University of Technology, Durban, 4001, South AfricaDespite the environmentally detrimental consequences of the prevailing traditional linear project delivery model, research on the influence of digital twinning (DT) in facilitating the transition to a circular economy (CE) within the construction sector of developing nations has garnered limited attention. This research examines the role of digital twinning (DT) in advancing the circular economy (CE) within the construction industry, with the aim of accelerating progress towards achieving sustainable development goals. A comprehensive literature assessment was conducted to ascertain the impact of digital transformation on the transition to a circular economy and the advantages of this digital twinning (DT) in the construction industry’s efforts towards circular economy transition. A survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to construction professionals utilizing convenience sample methods. The collected data, exhibiting a response rate of 57.76% and a reliability of above 0.750, were analyzed utilizing frequency and percentage, mean item score, normalization value, Kruskal–Wallis H-test and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. This study identified seven major benefits of adopting Digital Twinning to enhance the circular economy transition efforts in Nigeria’s construction industry. These are: waste reduction and recycling, supporting circular economy transition, customer insights, asset management and efficiency, new business opportunities, advanced monitoring and prediction and boost production and profits. Also, Kendall’s W test indicated a significant statistical consensus among survey participants for the advantages of enhancing digital twins in the construction activities’ circular economy transition. Research on the incorporation of digital twinning (DT) in the circular economy transition is limited, particularly in the Nigerian setting. This study represents a pioneering investigation into the role of Digital Twinning in facilitating the transition to a Circular Economy in Nigeria, a domain where research is limited.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949736125000351Circular economyDigital twin technologyConstruction industryNigeriaSustainability
spellingShingle Imoleayo A. Awodele
Emmanuel C. Eze
Angel M. Gento Municio
Molusiwa S. Ramabodu
Nathaniel A. Olatunde
Advancing circular economy transition in the Nigeria construction industry through digital twin technology adoption
Green Technologies and Sustainability
Circular economy
Digital twin technology
Construction industry
Nigeria
Sustainability
title Advancing circular economy transition in the Nigeria construction industry through digital twin technology adoption
title_full Advancing circular economy transition in the Nigeria construction industry through digital twin technology adoption
title_fullStr Advancing circular economy transition in the Nigeria construction industry through digital twin technology adoption
title_full_unstemmed Advancing circular economy transition in the Nigeria construction industry through digital twin technology adoption
title_short Advancing circular economy transition in the Nigeria construction industry through digital twin technology adoption
title_sort advancing circular economy transition in the nigeria construction industry through digital twin technology adoption
topic Circular economy
Digital twin technology
Construction industry
Nigeria
Sustainability
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949736125000351
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