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Sustainability Has, In The Past, Not Been Well Understood By The ...


Sustainability has, in the past, not been well understood by the construction industry but now the industry is now seeing ‘sustainability' as a business opportunity as it, as a whole, realises that incorporating sustainable business practices could result in fewer losses and higher profit levels. Construction companies wishing to begin to build sustainably need to assess their operations in four key areas: energy, materials, waste and pollution. In terms of energy, energy consumption needs to be reduced, in terms of utilising renewable energy sources at the site of the build, within the build and also whilst building. In terms of materials, constructors need to choose, re-use and recycle materials during every stage of the build i.e., during the manufacturing process, during the design process, and during building and maintenance. In terms of waste, constructors need to produce less waste, in general, and to learn the value of recycling: it is, for example, estimated that around 70% of the packaging material at a building site could be recycled (and is currently not recycled). In terms of pollution, constructors need to think of producing less toxic waste, of polluting any nearby waters less, and of any potential noise pollution that may be caused by the build. In these ways, constructors can become less environmentally damaging, cause less of an environmental footprint and can build sustainably. Best practice models could be developed for each of the four categories, which constructors should ideally follow when building. This would lead to higher levels of sustainable construction being achieved.
In terms of implementing these sustainable aims, construction firms, as we have seen, will need to develop best practice routines, and will need to develop other plans and strategies for the implementation of sustainability. Obviously, any short-term costs of developing such plans would be cancelled out by the long-term increases in profitability. Constructors will, in future, need to report on their levels of sustainable building to government, and some performance indicators have been devised and other, global, initiatives are present in order to provide pointers for assessment and performance indication.
How does the construction industry impact the environment?
In terms of how the construction industry impacts the environment, as we have seen, this is in four main areas: energy, materials, waste and pollution. These will be discussed in further detail now. In terms of energy, 50% of the energy that is generated in the UK is used in some connection with buildings: 45% of this energy is used to power and maintain buildings, and 5% is used to construct these buildings. The vast majority of the energy that is currently used in connection with buildings is not derived from sustainable sources, and rather is derived from fossil fuels, damaging the environment.


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