Circular economy applied to construction

🔍 This article was co-created with Manuel Laredo Grupo Mamut Bolivia, CEO of a pioneering company in recycled materials for the construction industry in Latin America.

🎙️ Keru Podcast is a product created by Globalita, featuring a series of conversations (in Spanish) with industrial leaders from Latin America about management, technology and decision-making in complex environments.

01The problem: Rethinking construction processes from the ground up

The construction industry in Latin America faces a structural tension: it needs to respond to population and urban growth without deepening the extractive model that has caused environmental degradation, massive emissions and inefficient use of resources. In that context, Manuel Laredo Grupo Mamut Bolivia emerges as one of the most consistent benchmarks of a radically different approach: redesigning construction from the logic of the circular economy in Latin American construction.

His proposal challenges the traditional notion that sustainable recycled materials are mere low-cost substitutes. In Manuel’s words:

“In Bolivia, recycled material is still seen as a cheap substitute. We present it as an asset of innovation and performance.”

Grupo Mamut works with waste from used tires to manufacture pavers, flooring, urban elements and industrial solutions. But its proposal is not only technical: it is conceptual. It means questioning the linearity of the traditional model and proposing a systemic vision, where the life cycle of materials is considered from design through post-use.

02Unlearning linearity: regenerative innovation in construction

One of the keys to the approach of Manuel Laredo Grupo Mamut Bolivia is distinguishing between opportunistic recycling (reusing what is left over because it is convenient) and systemic circularity (designing so that there is no waste from the start). His inspiration draws on frameworks such as Cradle to Cradle, which redefines the purpose of industrial design.

Following that logic, Grupo Mamut builds its proposal on three pillars:

1. Sustainable recycled materials with technical performance equal to or better than that of traditional materials.
2. Sustainable construction processes, with lower emissions, water efficiency and low energy consumption.
3. Full traceability, from the origin of the waste to the application of the final product.

Beyond manufacturing products, the company drives a paradigm shift. Laredo’s vision aims to position recycled materials as superior both technically and operationally.

“We have to stop selling sustainability as a sacrifice. We have to show it as innovation and performance.”

03Redesigning the product from the origin: applied circular engineering

To achieve a truly sustainable model, Manuel Laredo Grupo Mamut Bolivia focuses on applying circular design principles from the very beginning of the process:

• Every paver, floor or tile they produce is designed to be dismountable, reusable and recyclable.
• They use recycled polymers that can be reintegrated into the system over multiple cycles.
• Batches are traced so the product can be followed from the origin of the tire to the final installation.

This approach means the products are not seen as “second-rate,” but as solutions with applied engineering, high technical performance and added benefits in elasticity, durability and safety.

“Our paver is not a product with garbage inside. It is a technical system with a purpose.”

04Sustainable manufacturing: operational control as a driver of circularity

One of the central ideas that Manuel Laredo Grupo Mamut Bolivia firmly upholds is that the circular economy in Latin American construction cannot rest on narrative alone: it needs metrics, indicators and operational control.

Grupo Mamut has developed a sustainable manufacturing system based on Lean Manufacturing principles, applied with an environmental focus. Some of the variables they measure:

• kWh per ton produced
• Water consumption per batch
• Mold reuse rate
• % of waste reintegrated into the process

These indicators make it possible to sustain an industrial operation aligned with the principles of energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact, something Manuel Laredo Grupo Mamut Bolivia considers non-negotiable in order to scale the model without compromising its principles.

“There is no circular economy without operational control. You have to measure everything.”

05Fighting prejudice with data: technical education for the customer

One of the biggest challenges of sustainable recycled materials is not technical but cultural. The perception of low quality still persists, especially in traditional sectors such as public construction or social housing.

To address this bias, Manuel Laredo Grupo Mamut Bolivia has implemented a technical education system aimed at its customers. Architects, engineers and public buyers receive:

• Comparative technical data sheets
• Certified strength and durability tests
• Extended warranties
• Validated use cases

The goal is to build a narrative of trust supported by technical evidence. It is not just about “believing” in sustainability, but about proving that it can outperform the conventional.

“The greatest enemy of recycled materials is prejudice, not technical data.”

06Extended social model: circular economy networks with local impact

Unlike centralized models, the approach of Manuel Laredo Grupo Mamut Bolivia prioritizes operational decentralization and the integration of social actors throughout the process. Instead of importing waste, Grupo Mamut relies on local collection and transformation networks that include:

• Informal collectors of used tires
• Mechanic workshops and small transport businesses
• Local entrepreneurs for logistics and sales

This model responds to two key principles of the circular economy in Latin American construction:

1. Shared value: income and formalization are generated in sectors excluded from the traditional economic circuit.
2. Logistics efficiency: operating costs and carbon footprint are reduced by avoiding unnecessary transport.

“If you don’t integrate social actors into your model, it isn’t circular. It’s just luxury recycling.”

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07Certification, technical evidence and regional expansion

One of the pillars that sets Manuel Laredo Grupo Mamut Bolivia apart in the ecosystem of the circular economy in Latin American construction is its commitment to technically validating every product and process before going to market. This logic is inspired by the principles of life cycle assessment (LCA), and it has been essential for entering demanding markets such as Colombia and Peru.

“It’s not enough to say it’s green. You have to prove it.”

The certifications Grupo Mamut pursues include:

• Verified origin of the recycled material
• Reports of avoided emissions compared with traditional materials
• Durability tests under real conditions of use
• Traceability reports by batch and supplier

These certifications not only fulfill a regulatory role, they also work as guarantees of sustainable innovation. In markets where sustainable construction is starting to become public policy, such as those of Andean Latin America, this kind of evidence is key to opening doors and gaining access to public tenders or partnerships with companies in the industry.

08Exporting sustainability: an expansion strategy from the periphery

Another fundamental aspect is that **Manuel Laredo Grupo Mamut**Bolivia does not stay in the local market. From Bolivia —historically left out of export chains for industrial products— the Grupo Mamut team has designed a circular expansion strategy based on adapting the operating model to similar contexts in the region.

Instead of growing by replicating a centralized plant, their strategy combines:

• Knowledge transfer in design and quality control
• Remote training for local teams
• Adapting products to local regulations
• Operating licenses with a modular model

This approach has allowed them to open operations in Paraguay and Mexico, always making sure that sustainable construction processes do not lose technical soundness or local meaning.

“Scaling is not copying. It’s knowing which part of the model has to change and which part has to remain unchanged.”

With this strategy, Grupo Mamut becomes an exporter not only of products, but of a culture of sustainability applied to construction.

09Partnerships with governments and academic institutions

A strategic part of the growth of Manuel Laredo Grupo Mamut Bolivia has been building bridges with key actors in the institutional ecosystem. In countries like Bolivia, where the regulatory framework for the circular economy is still incipient, Mamut acts as an agent that anticipates regulations.

They have worked with:

• Municipal governments to use their products in urban furniture
• Ministries of the Environment to develop industrial recycling standards
• Public and private universities to develop lines of research on sustainable recycled materials

“If the law doesn’t exist, you have to get ahead of it. Prove it can be done. And then help write it.”

This positioning makes them not only suppliers, but also benchmarks in the design of public policy aimed at sustainable construction.

10Technology and innovation at the heart of circularity

Grupo Mamut’s circular approach is not limited to the origin of the input: it also covers manufacturing processes and performance monitoring. From its plant in Bolivia, the team led by Manuel Laredo Grupo Mamut Bolivia has invested in technologies that allow it to remain technically competitive without losing traceability.

These innovations include:

• QR-based traceability systems per batch
• Field performance databases by geography
• Accelerated wear simulation to test the service life of recycled pavers
• In-house software for modular floor design

Thanks to these tools, the products are adapted to different climates, types of traffic, regulatory requirements and municipal budgets. This is especially relevant for scaling sustainable construction processes to more vulnerable areas or those with poor infrastructure.

“Circularity needs data. If you don’t measure, you can’t improve.”

11Training as a lever to transform construction culture

One of the biggest barriers to the adoption of sustainable recycled materials is resistance from professionals in the sector. Engineers, architects and public procurement officers tend to operate with conservative criteria. To change that inertia, Manuel Laredo Grupo Mamut Bolivia has developed an intensive training program.

This program includes:

• Technical seminars for universities and architecture institutes
• In-company training for construction companies
• Workshops with local governments on regulation and the use of circular products
• Technical literature comparing them with traditional materials

Thanks to this educational work, Mamut has been able to introduce products such as its recycled rubber flooring in hospitals, parks, schools and even military facilities, sectors where technical resistance to change tends to be highest.

“We don’t want people to buy from us because we’re ‘green.’ We want them to choose us because we perform better.”

12Social and economic impact: beyond the product

The proposal of Manuel Laredo Grupo Mamut Bolivia is not only industrial. It has a deep social dimension. The company works with networks of urban recyclers, small transport businesses and women heads of household in assembly workshops, and promotes the formalization of informal actors.

The impact occurs at several levels:

• Generation of inclusive employment
• Reduction of urban waste without direct state intervention
• Transfer of knowledge about sustainable construction processes
• Improvements in the quality of public spaces with highly durable recycled products

This model connects the circular economy with economic justice, and positions industrial recycling as a vector of productive and social transformation in Latin America.

“There is no sustainable construction without social inclusion. And there is no real circularity if it doesn’t redistribute value.”

13Final reflection: Scaling without compromising principles?

Manuel Laredo Grupo Mamut Bolivia shows that it is possible to grow without betraying the principles of sustainability. It does so with technology, processes, certifications and political vision. But above all, it does so with a firm conviction: that industrial recycling is neither charity nor a trend, but smart innovation.

The circular economy in Latin American construction has in Grupo Mamut a viable model: profitable, replicable, with impact and rigor. A model that redefines what we understand by sustainable infrastructure.

“Circular has to be more efficient, more profitable and more technical. Otherwise, it doesn’t scale.”

So, the big question this story leaves us with is:

🎙️ Keru Podcast is a product created by Globalita, featuring a series of conversations (in Spanish) with industrial leaders from Latin America about management, technology and decision-making in complex environments.