On January 22, 2025, a meeting was held at IGTIC focused on the project Circular Economy: Policy and Partnership in the Construction Sector, which is part of the SWITCH-Asia program. The event was attended by representatives from IGTIC, including CEO Didar Karimskov and Managing Director Assylkhan Aitzhanov, alongside experts and consultants from the SWITCH-Asia program: Project Leader Florian Johannes Beranek, Senior Expert on Responsible Business Development and Technical Advisor for the project Ferhat Karaca, Associate Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering at Nazarbayev University, and Alexandr Belyy, Executive Director of the Kazakhstan Green Building Council.

The project aims to create a foundation for integrating sustainable consumption and production (SCP) principles and the circular economy into the construction sector, with a focus on transitioning to sustainable practices. This is particularly important in addressing the global climate crisis, as the construction industry accounted for 37% of global CO2 emissions in 2022, including emissions from energy consumption and the production of building materials.

During the meeting, participants discussed reforming the construction sector to reduce carbon footprints through the adoption of energy-efficient, circular building solutions, the use of eco-friendly materials, and renewable energy sources. Potential pathways for advancing sustainable practices in Kazakhstan’s construction industry were also explored.