Key drivers of sustainable construction

The construction of any building / project can have a detrimental impact on a local, regional and international environment. Thus, concern for our environs has led to the concept of ‘sustainable development’ and in turn ‘sustainable construction’. Construction companies in many countries are under pressure to align their processes with such an ideology. Pressure from Government legislation and other stakeholder groups have acted as a catalyst for the evolution of the sustainable movement. In construction, the concept of ‘supply-chain-management’ has acted as a catalyst for a deeper analysis of sustainability issues within the procurement process.

This paper discusses research undertaken into one such supply chain in an Irish construction company. The results show some attempt to employ sustainable construction practice, but that this drive was relatively small in relation to what can be achieved overall in sustainability terms. It was also found that most of the sustainable approaches adopted by the different supply-chain groups are in relation to issues like planning/development acts, environmental impact statements, waste management and efficient use of resources, while, only a few suppliers were found to be concerned with the issue of energy efficiency.