What is sustainable construction?
What is sustainability?
Sustainability is defined as ‘meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. It is comprised of a triple bottom line; Planet, People and Profit.
What is a Corporate Carbon Footprint?
The corporate carbon footprint includes all emissions that are influenced by a company’s decision. This means that in addition to direct emissions, all indirect emissions are also included (scope 2 and scope 3 emissions).
What is sustainable construction and why is it important?
The built environment contributes to roughly 40% of the UK’s total carbon footprint. Sustainable construction focuses on reducing the industry’s impact on the environment by using recyclable and renewable materials in building projects whilst minimising energy consumption and waste production.
Sustainable construction methods include:
- Using renewable and recyclable materials
- Reducing the embodied energy in building materials
- Reducing the energy consumption of the finished building
- Reducing on-site waste
- Protecting the natural habitats post-construction
As a fit-out contractor, our primary focus when it comes to sustainable construction is reducing on-site waste and engaging with subcontractors that use renewable or energy efficient materials during construction.
The construction industry, by nature, is a big user of natural resources and contributes a significant impact on the environment, from emission to energy consumption. With growing concerns over climate change and the finite nature of natural resources, increasing pressure is placed on construction firms to reduce their environmental impact. Sustainable construction does not end after the completion of the building project; the design of the building should have minimal impact on it’s surrounding environment, over the structure’s lifespan.
How is the construction industry currently tackling sustainability?
There are a number of initiatives set by the UK government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050. Construction plays a huge role in this, forcing a clear strategy to improve sustainability in the industry, with a clear difference made in the very near future.
Alongside the initiatives set out in the Government’s Sustainable Construction Strategy are standards and certifications that should be met in the industry in order to remain compliant and meet targets.
BREEAM
BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) is a global sustainability standard helping to improve the environmental performance of buildings.
ISO14001 Certification
The ISO 14001 standard aims to reduce waste management costs and shows commitment to protecting the environment, with a focus on helping resource efficiency.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Sustainable construction can help your organisation’s reputation by demonstrating a sense of corporate social responsibility which is how businesses conduct themselves in order to have a positive impact on society.
How do ODGroup measure the sustainability of projects?
Our sustainability strategy is comprised of four pillars;
- Carbon footprint: A focus on measuring and reducing our carbon impact, on our journey to Net Zero
- Waste: A focus on waste reduction and the prioritisation to reuse and recycle when possible
- Environmental Impact: A focus on implementing measures to safeguard sustainability and wellbeing
- Procurement: A focus on ensuring our value chain is sustainable, ethical and responsibly sourced
In 2023, we adopted the use of SustainIQ, an all-in-one Sustainability and ESG reporting software. SustainIQ allows us to measure, monitor and report on our ESG and sustainability performance. Collecting greenhouse gas data across all of our sites and head office allows us to measure our carbon footprint and better understand our impact, ultimately reducing our emissions. We currently use SustainIQ to measure and collate the following data;
- Electricity usage
- Water usage
- Mileage of deliveries to site & office
- Personal travel to sites, office and business meetings
- Fuel used for plant and equipment
You can learn more about our approach to sustainability here.
