PERSIMMON PUSHES CIRCULAR CONSTRUCTION INTO THE MAINSTREAM WITH GROUP-WIDE MATERIALS PLATFORM NEXUS REGEN
Persimmon Homes has taken a decisive step towards large-scale circular construction, becoming the first major UK housebuilder to mandate a digital materials reuse platform across its entire business.
The FTSE-listed developer has signed a group-wide agreement to deploy Nexus ReGen, an AI-driven materials exchange designed to enable the reuse of construction materials at scale. The national rollout began in November, with all Persimmon regional businesses now required to list material import and export requirements on the platform.
The move signals a significant shift in how construction materials are managed within the housebuilding sector, where surplus soils, aggregates and other heavy materials have traditionally been treated as waste rather than assets. Under the new approach, hundreds of Persimmon developments across the UK will use shared data to identify reuse opportunities earlier in the project lifecycle, reducing landfill use, haulage miles and the need for newly extracted materials.
The agreement underpins Persimmon’s wider sustainability strategy, supporting its target to reduce operational carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2045. Industry observers say the scale of the rollout makes it one of the most comprehensive adoptions of circular construction technology seen in UK housebuilding to date.
Persimmon said the decision followed a successful trial period that delivered both environmental and commercial benefits. On one project, the reuse of surplus topsoil was credited with cutting costs by 43 per cent, highlighting the financial case for a reuse-first approach alongside the environmental gains. The company believes the model has the potential to divert millions of tonnes of material from landfill over time.
Dean Wigley, Group Engineering & Utilities Project Director at Persimmon Homes, said the partnership was designed to embed sustainability consistently across the business.
“This partnership is ultimately about sustainable outcomes,” he said. “We want to actively reduce carbon, minimise landfill reliance and make better use of the materials we already have. Nexus ReGen enables us to do that consistently, at scale, across every region.
“With housing-market uncertainty, rising costs and increasing scrutiny on how materials are managed, we need smarter, data-driven solutions. Nexus ReGen’s industry expertise, technology and data made them the clear choice to support our goals.”
For Nexus ReGen, the agreement represents a landmark endorsement of digital materials reuse by a major national housebuilder.
William Rundle, chief executive of Nexus ReGen, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Persimmon Homes as the first UK housebuilder to adopt the platform exclusively across their entire Group. This is a defining moment for the sector, showing how one of the UK’s leading developers is taking a proactive, sustainability-led approach to carbon reduction and material stewardship. Persimmon’s commitment reinforces the momentum behind material reuse becoming standard practice in UK construction. We look forward to working with them.”
The partnership comes as the construction industry faces growing regulatory and investor pressure to address embodied carbon and waste. With margins under strain and planning scrutiny increasing, developers are being forced to demonstrate not only environmental ambition but also credible, scalable delivery models.
Persimmon’s decision to mandate a single materials exchange platform across its national operations suggests that circular construction, long discussed at policy level, is beginning to move into operational reality for large housebuilders.
