< Go Back

Impact of the global “green” focus on the construction industry

Attend any industry conference or networking opportunity today, and you’ll find a great deal of conversation and coverage on the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns of those who work in construction jobs. This is because the wider building and construction profession has a significant impact on the environment around us; the communities we live in; and the ways in which global economies are best run. Here’s a look at the importance of thinking green as industry tools and technologies are developed.

Role of technology in a greener future

The building and construction industry is synonymous with “significant resource use”, writes digital technology strategist Mykola Striletskyi for LinkedIn Pulse. Through his work in helping to create new business opportunities through digital technology, he believes that software can help construction companies to adhere to ESG approaches, in the following unique ways:

• building dashboards can help companies to collect data on their electricity and water consumption, together with their waste-product generation, to keep them on track with their green targets;
• reporting tools can simplify the process of documenting and displaying their ESG efforts, such as on the company website;
• real-time tracking of resource usage and waste generation can help companies to uncover inefficiencies, and to find ways to optimise their performance going forward;
• software can be regularly updated to ensure a company remains compliant with ESG laws and standards, because these tend to change fairly regularly;
  and
• stakeholder engagement can take place in a streamlined digital fashion, to keep all relevant parties informed regarding a firm’s sustainability goals and the necessary actions to be taken.

Role of equipment in a greener future

Expert Jackie De Burca from Constructive Voices, a global communications channel set up to assist the built environment at this critical time, advises that “Zero-emission construction equipment is a crucial component in the journey towards a greener, more environmentally sustainable building industry. Through a combination of eco-friendly construction machines, sustainable infrastructure solutions, and innovative clean-energy construction machinery, it will be possible to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of, and improve air quality on, construction sites.”

So, just as consumers are expressing an interest in switching to a New Energy Vehicle (NEV) for their own personal use, so construction companies can begin to investigate the rental or purchase of electric, hybrid, or alternative fuel-powered vehicles, to help reduce the environmental impact of their construction projects. While many options are still in the R&D phases, once ready for use their benefits will include the likes of:

• improved air quality on sites;
• less noise pollution for the surrounding communities;
• reduced carbon emissions, when fossil fuel vehicles are swopped for electric and other vehicles;
  and
• a contribution towards achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly climate action, responsible consumption and production, and sustainable cities and communities, in the run-up to the year 2030.

For those entering construction jobs, or other work opportunities in the built environment, it is important to take note of these two burgeoning industry niches, i.e. both the technology and the tools/equipment that is going to continue to facilitate the move to a more sustainable future construction industry.

These are areas deserving of ongoing in-house and external courses of study, together with investment and collaboration with other firms, and government departments – from both an ESG-compliance and a profitability point of view.

By Vanessa Rogers, on behalf of Executive Placements.

About the author

Guest Contributor

VUKA Group

VUKA Group serves as Africa’s central nexus for conferences and media publications across key sectors. With 20 years of expertise as a trusted media partner, we allow those with valuable insight to contribute to building a platform of collaboration to shape Africa’s future for the better