Paris La Défense Strengthens Its Commitment to Circular Construction
On the occasion of SIBCA, Paris La Défense signed the Metropolitan Charter for Circular Construction on Wednesday, September 2, 2026. This new commitment reinforces its position as a leader in reuse and circularity.
The Greater Paris Metropolitan Charter provides stakeholders in the construction and renovation sectors with a framework and a shared vision for the transition to a circular economy. By signing this charter, Paris La Défense is continuing an approach it has already adopted in its development operations and real estate projects.
A Charter for the Transition to a Circular Economy
The result of a collaborative effort, the Charter was adopted by the Greater Paris Metropolitan Council on July 1, 2022. It aims to bring together and support stakeholders in the construction and renovation sectors so that they adopt common goals and a shared vision for the transition to a circular economy.
The general principles include, in particular:
- incorporating the key principles of the circular economy into the organization’s objectives and operations;
- engaging in cooperative initiatives to promote the region’s resilience;
- implementing a process of continuous improvement in practices;
- experimenting with and developing new methodologies and solutions;
- contributing to the allocation of land dedicated to circular economy platforms and supporting the development of economic activities.
This work has thus led to the emergence of a set of common commitments, proposed to various stakeholders in the construction and renovation sectors, such as specifiers, project owners, and construction companies.
An initiative already underway in the region
For Paris La Défense, this agreement builds on the initiatives and programs implemented over the years. “Building, operating, and developing better” is, in fact, the first pillar of its mission. The organization stands out not only for its public space projects but also for its support of local stakeholders.
Renovations of Public Spaces Behind Closed Doors
Several projects led by Paris La Défense already demonstrate the organization’s commitment:
- Michelet: 50% of the paving materials will be reused. The existing pavers are being removed, cleaned, and then reused in the new design of public spaces;
- Le Parc: This large-scale project calls for the reuse—either on-site or in other areas—of street furniture (streetlights, benches, tables, lounge chairs) and paving slabs from existing facilities. Soil and substrates found on the site will also be preserved and reused when their quality permits;
- Les Groues: Excavated soil is recycled and reused as part of the urban development project. More than 50% of the backfill materials thus come from the site.
In general, during the renovation of public spaces, when the paving slabs in the business district can no longer be preserved, they are crushed in Nanterre to produce new slabs.
Supporting local real estate stakeholders
Since 2023, the institution has partnered with A4TM to support more than 10 projects as part of its “Reuse Booster” initiative. The goal of this program is to increase the use of reused materials and foster synergies among projects in the region. As a result, the exchange of materials between renovation projects and new construction projects has expanded, particularly for facades and restrooms. For the organization, this approach is one of the tools enabling it to meet the RE2020 standard ahead of schedule—a key requirement of all environmental specifications mandated for real estate projects in the region.
These Environmental Specifications, which serve as a reference framework for construction and renovation projects in the business district and in the Seine-Arche and Groues urban development zones (ZACs), incorporate the organization’s goals regarding carbon reduction, material circularity, nature in the city, and quality of use from the very earliest stages of a project.
Circularity also depends on the ability to preserve and transform the existing built environment.
Several real estate projects in the region exemplify this, such as Lightwell, the redevelopment of CB3, and the VERSA project. For building owners, developers, and architects, this approach aims to make environmental performance a key design criterion, on par with programmatic, architectural, and economic considerations. The signing of the Metropolitan Charter for Circular Construction thus reinforces a regulatory framework already in place in the region.