Executive Summary
Commercial strip-out—the systematic removal of non-structural elements before a refurbishment or change-of-use—sits at the nexus of three critical pressures: tighter programmes, rising material costs and escalating sustainability targets. The United Kingdom generated 193 million t of waste in 2022, and construction, demolition and excavation (CD&E) activities accounted for 62 % of that total and 32 % of all landfill gov.uk5865761.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net.
Meanwhile, the demolition sector contributes £1.2 bn in annual revenue in the UK and forms part of a global excavation-and-demolition market forecast to reach $560 bn in 2025 ibisworld.comresearchandmarkets.com. Against this backdrop, high-performance strip-out is emerging as an enabling discipline that can compress programmes by weeks, cut embodied-carbon emissions by double-digit percentages and in some cases generate six-figure salvage rebates.
This paper distils current evidence, defines the core service modules and offers a practical roadmap for asset owners, developers and Tier-1 contractors who need to de-risk early-stage projects and deliver measurable sustainability gains.
1. Market & Regulatory Context
Indicator
Data point
Source
CD&E share of UK waste
62 %
DEFRA/Qflow 5865761.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net
Average diversion-from-landfill on construction projects
87 % (industry mean)
Qflow analysis of 90,000 WTNs 2023 5865761.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net
Non-compliant waste tickets
1 in 3
Qflow 5865761.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net
Waste generated by a typical office interior lifecycle
77 kg m² and 190 kg CO₂e m²
RESET/Constructive Space 2024 constructivespace.com