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Sustainable Buildings and Construction Case Studies - LAC

• Published on November 2, 2021

The building and construction sector is increasingly under pressure from authorities and the public to address environmental and social issues. Nevertheless, sustainable development in the sector remains hampered by limited coordination between different stakeholders throughout a building's life span. This is why it is necessary to create conditions and incentives that address and encourage all stakeholders to promote jointly sustainable building practices.

The sustainable buildings and construction programme developed 21 case studies on projects being implemented in Latin America and the Caribbean, including the impacts, replicability and scalability, and main challenges of each project. 

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About the case study library.

Home Case Study Library About the Case Study Library

Our Case Study Library is the ‘go-to’ resource for certified best practice case studies in the built environment, showcasing some of the world’s most cutting-edge sustainable buildings.

Each case study demonstrates outstanding performance of an operational building that complies with at least one of WorldGBC’s three strategic impact areas: Climate Action ; Health , Equity & Resilience ; and Resources & Circularity .  

Travel the world’s sustainable buildings through our interactive map . 

Whether it be health benefits, regeneration of nature, or achieving net zero carbon, WorldGBC recognises these case studies as global leaders for sustainable built environments. Each case study has been validated by established certification schemes, rating tools or other third-party verification.

Our Case Study Library is continually evolving to highlight the ‘best in class’ buildings that excel in key areas of sustainability, and to recognise the growing market demand for low-carbon, healthy, equitable and circular buildings. 

Submissions are reviewed against the qualification criteria , developed by WorldGBC with input from an advisory committee of development partners. This process ensures that each featured project represents an outstanding example of sustainability in the built environment across our three impact areas.

Sustainability focus areas

The three focus areas include:

1) Net zero carbon case studies of new developments, major renovations, existing buildings or spaces, that demonstrate either the following achievement:

— Net Zero Operational Carbon

For existing buildings or spaces, the case study should demonstrate how net zero operational carbon emissions have been achieved. The building should demonstrate the highest levels of energy efficiency with the use of either renewables generated onsite or renewable energy procured offsite.

The building must be verified and certified as “net zero operational energy and/or carbon” through Green Building Council or third-party certification schemes related to zero carbon and based on a minimum of 12-months data.

Verification of the compensation for residual emissions, if applicable, should also be provided.

— Net Zero Whole Life Carbon  

For new developments and major renovations, the case study should have achieved both net zero upfront embodied carbon and net zero operational carbon. The case study should demonstrate maximised reduction of embodied carbon emissions during the design and construction phase, and optimised for maxmised reductions across the building lifecycle, according to local/regional/international benchmarks or targets. Any remaining residual upfront carbon emissions (A1 – A5) must then be compensated (offset) at the point of practical completion of the project.

The building should have its life cycle assessments (LCA) and whole life carbon data verified and certified under Green Building Council or other third-party certification schemes related to LCA/net zero embodied carbon/net zero whole life carbon. Verification of the compensation for residual emissions at the point of practical completion should also be provided. 

Note: Case studies that have achieved reductions in embodied carbon, but have not compensated (offset) for any remaining residual upfront embodied carbon emissions (A1 – A5) at point of practical completion, should submit under the ‘Resources and Circularity’ category, as well as case studies that have only achieved net zero upfront embodied carbon but not net zero operational carbon.

Find out more about net zero carbon buildings through our Advancing Net Zero programme.

2) Health, equity and resilience case studies of existing buildings or spaces that provide features which enhance one or all of these elements. 

The case study must demonstrate that outstanding performance in these elements can be done through a holistic green building certification scheme, or through achieving specific health or social-based certification or validation. Outstanding performance can also be demonstrated using verified performance data, such as Post-Occupancy Evaluations. 

Find out more about healthy, equitable and resilient buildings through our Better Places for People programme. 

3) Resources and Circularity case studies of buildings or spaces that illustrate the principles of the circular economy in an exceptional way. 

This includes efficient use of natural resources, such as water, and the regeneration of nature. Reducing embodied carbon through efficient and low carbon design, materials and construction processes is important to start reducing whole life carbon across the built environment. Circularity principles must be demonstrated across the entire asset (individual product-level assessments cannot be used to verify an entire asset), and commitment to circular economy practices across the entire lifecycle must be demonstrated. 

Find out more about circular and resource efficient buildings through our Circularity Accelerator programme.

What is the Case Study Library?

WorldGBC’s Case Study Library is an online tool showcasing buildings globally that are elevating their response to the climate emergency through leading certification schemes. This will enable us to fulfil our mission of communicating and educating on industry best practice, specifically in relation to healthy, circular, and net zero carbon buildings.

By keeping track of these projects, WorldGBC is able to share insights and provide solutions to these critical issues. Our aim is to inform policymakers, designers, and developers about the feasibility and best practices to advance sustainable building performance.

What buildings are eligible for the Case Study Library?

Relevant certification is required for buildings to be featured in the Case Study Library, and buildings must undergo a third party verification process and adhere to performance requirements of the appropriate schemes. 

The schemes used should represent the highest market performance level in the focus areas of healthy, circular, and net zero carbon buildings, and can be any building typology or location.

Please refer to the criteria for each category.

What information is required?

To see the list of questions in the submission form required for the Case Study Library,  click here .

How long does my project stay on the library?

Your project can stay in the library for as long as the performance level is maintained. This should be reviewed every five years, but may be reviewed as per the certification scheme pursued, for example, if the scheme requires recertification every two years. If the performance level is no longer achieved, please contact the relevant programme lead for each category. 

What if my project meets the criteria of more than one category? e.g. “Net Zero operational carbon and Resources and Circularity” or “Whole Life Carbon and Health, Equity and Resilience”

These projects will demonstrate exceptional sustainability performance, and will be pioneers in the industry, showing what the sector can and should achieve, whilst inspiring others to elevate their ambition for the benefit of people and planet.

When submitting your project via the form , there is a section called “Performance Area” where you will see the categories presented. Here, you can select the categories that your project falls under and you can fill in the required fields for each category. 

Case studies may be accepted, but not necessarily for all categories chosen. The teams responsible for each category will review your project and provide feedback. 

How will I know if my project has been accepted?

Following a review by WorldGBC, the submitter will receive an email confirming if the submission has been accepted or not. In some cases, we will contact you to clarify information if unclear and to avoid the submission being rejected. 

If your building is to be featured on our social media, you will be contacted by a team member to discuss the next steps. 

What if my building is high performance but not certified?

We will review and consider buildings that have not been certified under traditional schemes, but are able to demonstrate the equivalent level of performance via third party verified data, such as a “special pleading case” (see below).

What is a "special pleading" case?

We recognise that not all high performance buildings are certified, for many reasons. The “special pleading” option allows the inclusion of world class case studies that have not pursued a traditional rating tool path, but have externally verified performance as a sustainable building and meet the same performance criteria (and in operation at time of submission).

We will accept projects that are able to demonstrate the equivalent level of performance and maintain the exemplary standards demonstrated by the qualification criteria. The minimum requirement is third party verification of performance data, which is confirmed via the disclaimer in the submission form. Entries will be evaluated for alignment against the criteria.

Over time, we seek to develop metrics and benchmarks against key performance criteria and expand the inclusivity of this initiative.

Can I submit if my project is under construction?

We appreciate that there are many buildings currently under design or construction that are seeking to achieve these performance standards. Our current focus is on buildings that demonstrate how these standards were achieved post construction. This helps us maintain alignment with our project missions. We look forward to including your building in our Case Study Library once its been completed and its performance has been verified. 

My project is "net zero ready", can this be submitted?

In cases where a building operates at an equivalent high performance standard, but for reasons beyond the control of the project team cannot achieve verified net zero carbon status due to legal, energy procurement or other restrictions, these are encouraged to be submitted as “special pleading” projects for consideration.

In these cases, the local GBC will also be consulted.

What are the submission criteria?

Find out more about the criteria required for acceptance into the Case Study Library.

Who can I contact if I have further questions?

For any queries, please contact the respective programme leads:  

Net Zero Operational Carbon/Whole Life Carbon case studies  — Rebecca Dilnot, [email protected]

Health, Equity and Resilience case studies — Sara Kawamura, [email protected]   

Resources and Circularity case studies — Carolina Montano-Owen, [email protected]

World Green Building Council Suite 01, Suite 02, Fox Court, 14 Gray’s Inn Road, London, WC1X 8HN

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How To Guides

What is Sustainable Construction?

By Andrew Biro July 17, 2023

Shildan Group worked with Massey, Fabbrica, Breakthrough Properties, Tishman Speyer, Bellco Capital JV, Payette, Consigli Construction Co., and Front on 105 W. First St. in Boston.

Story at a glance:

• Sustainable construction projects have a low environmental impact and prioritize the use of renewable building materials.
• On average, completed sustainable construction projects have lower operating costs and are more energy-efficient than traditional buildings.
• Common sustainable construction techniques include passive design strategies, life cycle assessments, water conservation, xeriscaping, and more.

Sustainable construction aims to drastically reduce a building’s energy consumption and environmental impact throughout all phases of the construction process. In practice this is achieved by carefully considering site factors, implementing passive design strategies, installing energy-efficient appliances, utilizing sustainable materials, and managing waste effectively.

This in-depth look at sustainable construction explores the importance behind the sustainable design philosophy, its environmental, economic, and social benefits, guiding principles, methods of implementation, and a few practical case studies of sustainable construction in the field.

History of Sustainable Construction

The 5 MLK Boulevard project has been certified for LEED Gold, Salmon Safe, and is the first mixed-use building in the US with a Fitwel certification, according to GREC Architects. Photo by Quanta Collectiv

The basics defining sustainable construction have been around for thousands of years, but sustainable construction is a relatively modern innovation when it comes to being a staunch architectural concept and design philosophy.

The energy crises of the 1970s—which stemmed from oil shortages following the Iraq War—are cited as the impetus behind modern sustainable construction. At the time world leaders were being forced to rethink their countries’ dependency on oil, leading to an increased interest in renewable energy.

Towards the end of the 1980s the idea of sustainable construction was brought back into the spotlight when architect Bob Berkebile petitioned the AIA to adopt more stringent environmentally-conscious measures.

In the early 2000s concerns regarding global warming and greenhouse gas emissions resulted in renewed attempts at transitioning buildings over to clean energy and reducing the amount of carbon produced during the construction and operation of built structures—sentiments that have carried over into our contemporary world.

The Importance of Sustainable Construction

HGA designed the Westwood Hills Nature Center in St. Louis Park, Minnesota to be zero energy. Photo by Pete Sieger

The built environment produces approximately 40% of the world’s carbon emissions, while the construction industry as a whole is responsible for nearly 50% of global resource extraction and produces 30% of the world’s waste, according to a 2019 report issued by the International Energy Agency. 

Increased carbon emissions and the destruction of natural resources are two of the most prominent factors contributing to anthropogenic climate change. Because sustainable construction projects seek to achieve low- or no-carbon status and prioritize ethical resource harvesting, they are considered crucial in mitigating the most harmful effects of changing climatic patterns.

Benefits of Sustainable Construction

CraneBoard Solid Core Insulated Siding has added insulation to reduce energy consumption and its overall carbon footprint. Photo courtesy of Royal Building Products

Predictably, the most important benefits of sustainable construction have to do with the reduced environmental impact of green building projects compared to their conventional counterparts. These aren’t, however, the only advantages, as sustainable construction also boasts a number of economic and social benefits as well.

Environmental Benefits

To start, let’s take a look at a few of the more obvious benefits of sustainable construction—that is to say, the environmental benefits.

Reduced Carbon Footprint

Compared to traditional construction projects, sustainable buildings have a much lower carbon footprint. This is achieved in large part through the implementation of passive design strategies that help naturally regulate temperature, the installation of energy-efficient appliances, and the use of building materials with low embodied carbon.

Conservation of Resources

Whenever possible, sustainable construction projects seek to avoid utilizing our world’s dwindling non-renewable resources by replacing them with ethically sourced renewable alternatives. In the larger sense, however, sustainable construction attempts to conserve resources—be they renewable or non-renewable—by using fewer resources in the first place.

Reduced Waste

Sustainable construction projects often practice source reduction and incorporate recycled or salvaged materials from other buildings, thereby reducing the amount of demolition waste sent off to landfills. Energy-saving features help reduce energy waste and water conservation measures—such as greywater recycling systems—aid in decreasing wastewater production.

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health

Lastly, sustainable construction promotes and encourages the stewardship of biodiverse ecosystems through the inclusion of native plant species. Green roofs and living walls seeded with indigenous plants can help provide sanctuaries for crucial insects like bees and other pollinators, whereas xeriscaping—that is, the practice of planting native plants on site—can help recreate and reinvigorate damaged ecosystems.

Economic Benefits

Sustainable construction projects also have their fair share of economic benefits, three of which are outlined below.

Lower Operating Costs

Becase sustainable building projects are typically designed with energy efficiency in mind, they tend to have significantly lower operating costs than traditionally designed buildings. This is especially true if the finished project incorporates some form of on-site renewable energy generation.

Higher Property Values

As a general rule, real estate ventures that boast sustainable features or certifications have higher property values than those without. Sustainable buildings sell for an average of 2.7% higher than their non-sustainable counterparts—and they typically sell faster, too, according to the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation. 

Social and Health Benefits

Sustainable construction projects offer a few social and health benefits, too including:

Improved Occupant Health and Comfort

Generally speaking sustainably designed buildings produce fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs) than traditional construction projects, thereby reducing the likelihood of occupants developing certain respiratory illnesses and cancers over time.

Sustainable buildings are typically more comfortable than their non-sustainable counterparts due to the fact that they regulate interior temperatures better and emphasize proper ventilation.

Community Benefits

When implemented correctly sustainable construction projects have a beneficial impact on the communities they’re built in. Ideally these projects help improve air quality by producing fewer carbon emissions, reduce soil and water pollution by limiting the amount of toxic materials and waste produced throughout the building’s life cycle, and foster a greater connection between humans and nature through the inclusion of green spaces.

Education and Awareness

As sustainable construction projects become more commonplace, it becomes easier to spread awareness and educate people on why sustainable design is crucial in mitigating the negative effects of  climate change . As awareness grows it becomes easier to secure funding for future construction projects and can even make it easier to approve sustainable construction projects in the first place.

Core Principles of Sustainable Construction

The Candela villa rises up in a pyramidal formation to minimize the jungle footprint and follow strict building and construction practices. The project also follows set limits for the distance of freighted materials. Water treatment facilities and strict waste management protocols are also in place. Photo by César Bejar

Sustainable design manifests in many ways; there is no one standardized approach to building green structures. That being said, these are a few core principles that underlay the basic philosophy of sustainable construction, as outlined below.

Energy Efficiency

First and foremost, sustainable construction strives for energy efficiency wherever possible, as this helps to reduce a building’s overall carbon footprint, lowers operating costs, and helps decrease air pollution. Energy efficiency is often realized in the form of low-energy appliances and systems but also through the application of passive design strategies that reduce the need for mechanical heating, cooling, ventilation, etc. in the first place.

Water Efficiency

Similarly, sustainable architectural projects are often designed to minimize water usage and wastewater production. This is achieved in part by installing water-efficient taps and fixtures but often includes additional measures like rainwater collection, greywater recycling, blackwater treatment, and so on.

Use of Sustainable Resources and Materials

Tantimber is great for cladding, decking, flooring, beams, and more. Photo courtesy of G Wood Products

Predictably, sustainable construction projects also emphasize the use of sustainable resources and materials wherever possible. Ethically sourced renewable resources (timber, bamboo, stone, etc.) with low embodied carbon are favored over materials like concrete and steel. In situations where the use of concrete is necessary, sustainable construction projects typically use a green or low-carbon variety that incorporates construction waste byproducts like fly-ash.

Recycled and reclaimed materials—particularly lumber and steel from demolished structures—are also used in sustainable building design whenever possible to mitigate waste production and curtail further resource extraction.

Ensuring Healthy Living Conditions

As previously mentioned, a healthy indoor environment is another integral component of sustainable construction projects, especially when it comes to the occupant’s exposure to toxic chemicals. A healthy indoor space goes hand-in-hand with the use of eco-friendly materials, which typically produce lower levels of VOCs than traditional building materials.

Waste Reduction and Management

Finally, sustainable construction projects seek to reduce waste wherever possible and develop efficient management plans for the waste that is produced. This helps keep construction waste out of landfills, encourages recycling, and reduces the likelihood of soil and water pollution.

Techniques and Methods for Sustainable Construction

Now that we’ve explored the key principles of sustainable construction, let’s take a look at the techniques and methods used to implement them.

Green Building Certifications

Gensler designed the Department of Homeland Security offices in Omaha—a design/build with Harwood Development that achieved LEED Gold. Photo courtesy of Kessler

When it comes to designing for sustainability, green building certification programs—such as LEED in the United States and BREEAM in Europe—can help provide a guiding framework.

LEED, for example, has specific guidelines for various types of construction projects (healthcare, data centers, school, warehouses, etc.) and offers a variety of credits that projects can earn based on certain sustainability features.

In order for a project to become LEED certified, it must earn at least 40 credits.

Passive Design

One of the most important techniques used in sustainable construction is that of passive design . Passive design strategies are heavily informed by a project site’s immediate climatic and geographic conditions and help keep a building’s interior comfortable without excessive use of mechanical systems.

The Thunderbird Global Headquarters , designed by Jones Studio and Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners, for example, makes use of a high-efficiency building envelope, solar shading, trees, and windows that allow sunlight while blocking solar heat to passively regulate temperatures in the Arizona desert.

In an effort to make the structure’s outdoor spaces more comfortable, Thunderbird features rain gardens and strategically placed shades to passively cool select spaces. “Those rain gardens are creating cooler spaces underneath deeply shaded, outdoor patio spaces,” Shawn Swisher, an architect at Jones Studio, previously told gb&d .

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

A life cycle assessment (LCA) is a scientific tool used by architects to determine a building’s environmental impact and energy use throughout all stages of its life cycle, including the procurement of building materials, construction, operation, and eventual demolition.

This is an invaluable tool when designing sustainable construction projects that aim to achieve carbon-neutral or net-zero carbon status and conducting a LCA is crucial to obtaining LEED or BREEAM certification.

Energy Techniques

Solar arrays and other alternative energy systems helped the Cope Environmental Center achieve net positive energy usage, producing more energy than it consumes. Photo courtesy of HEAPY

Generally speaking sustainable architectural projects seek to be as energy-efficient as possible, both during the initial construction phase and throughout the completed project’s operational lifespan.

Renewable Energy Sources

While not necessarily a requirement for sustainable construction, renewable energy sources are typically integrated into a project’s design from the very beginning. Of these renewable energies, solar is the most popular, but geothermal, wind, and hydropower are also viable alternatives.

Sustainable construction projects also look to source building materials from companies who utilize renewable energy to manufacture their products, as this helps reduce a building’s overall carbon footprint.

Energy-Efficient Appliances and Systems

E nergy-efficient appliances and systems play an important role in sustainable construction projects. In our contemporary world energy-efficient alternatives exist for just about any major appliance imaginable, from refrigerators and dishwashers to washing machines and light fixtures.

In the US any appliance with an ENERGY STAR label is considered energy-efficient according to standards set by the US Department of Energy and the EPA.

Water and Waste Management Techniques

Sustainable construction projects also seek to manage water use and waste as efficiently as possible.

Water Conservation

The most sustainable building projects reduce their water consumption through a variety of techniques. Water-efficient fixtures and plumbing systems are the simplest methods, but many projects take water conservation to the next level by installing rainwater catchment systems—which can be used to supply water to irrigation lines or appliances—and on-site greywater recycling systems.

Waste Management

In order to effectively manage the waste that is produced throughout a building’s life-cycle, sustainable construction projects typically practice source reduction, or the practice of eliminating waste before it’s even created. This is achieved through effective planning, modeling, and ethical resource procurement.

Of course, even the most sustainable construction projects will still produce waste, which is why green building design focuses heavily on using natural, renewable materials that can either be recycled or composted after reaching the end of their operational lifespan.

Land and Ecosystem Conservation Techniques

South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verde Peninsula, California. Photo courtesy of Greenscreen

Finally, sustainable construction projects employ a number of strategies to promote land and ecosystem conservation. This helps reduce the structure’s impact on the local flora and fauna to ensure a healthy, functioning ecological community.

Site Selection and Development

In order to make the most efficient use of available land and lessen a project’s overall environmental impact, architects must conduct a thorough site assessment. This gives better insight into how to design in collaboration with existing ecological features rather than against them, reducing the severity of any habitat disruption the completed structure may cause.

Sustainable construction projects also practice ecosystem conservation by limiting the size of development sites. This is often achieved by building upwards or by adapting existing buildings rather than clearing a new site.

Landscaping with Native and Drought-Resistant Plants

Landscape design creates a comfortable public space in the arid downtown of Phoenix at the Thunderbird Global Headquarters , designed by Jones Studio and Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners. Photo by Inessa Binenbaum

In order to preserve a site’s natural biodiversity, sustainable construction projects utilize indigenous plant species wherever possible in landscaping. In most cases native species form deeper, stronger root networks than the traditional grasses used in landscaping—two characteristics that help mitigate topsoil erosion and promote a healthy soil microbiome.

Similarly, drought-resistant plants are often employed in regions that receive little rainfall. This helps reduce water usage and encourages sustainable water conservation practices.

Common Sustainable Construction Materials

As green architecture becomes more and more popular—and necessary—the amount of sustainable construction materials continues to grow. Some of the most common materials include:

The Green School in Bali, sometimes referred to as the bamboo school, is a private, international school that teaches pre-K through high school. The campus highlights the natural environment and teaches sustainable practices. Photo by Tommaso Riva

Unlike timber, bamboo has an extremely quick regeneration rate. Bamboo culms may be harvested once every five to seven years, as opposed to the 20 years required for hardwoods and softwoods.

Bamboo also absorbs twice as much carbon, requires less water, and requires no fertilizer to grow. Traditionally, whole, halved, or split bamboo poles have been used in construction, but bamboo can also be shredded into fibrous strands and woven back together to form strong planks for flooring or panels.

Straw Bales

In the United States—and particularly in the Midwest—straw bales have been used in construction since the late 1800s in one of two ways. In most cases straw bales are stacked atop one another between a wooden framework and utilized as insulation, as compacted straw has a very high R-value.

Similarly, straw bales can be used to form the walls of a house themselves, in which case they act as both insulation and structural framework. In these instances the bales are covered with a layer of plaster after they are stacked to protect them from the elements.

Straw—which is typically either dried oats, wheat, rice, or rye—is a natural material. It sequesters carbon and grows rapidly, having a low environmental impact.

Lustrous flooring made largely of cork creates a cozy feeling. The cork is not only a more sustainable option; it is a natural sound insulator. Photo by Ivo Tavares Studio

Unlike wood or bamboo, cork does not require that the entire plant be harvested—rather, only the bark of cork oak trees is used to create building materials. When collected sustainably cork oak bark can be harvested without harming the tree and using very little energy. Once harvested cork bark sufficiently regrows within a nine-year timespan, meaning a single cork tree can be harvested multiple times throughout its natural life cycle.

After it is collected cork bark is shredded, compressed into sheets, and baked in a kiln to form planks or sheets—of which are then used to create flooring or insulation panels.

As a naturally renewable resource—one that sequesters carbon throughout its growth cycle—wood is one of the most common environmentally friendly building materials used in sustainable construction.

Not all wood, however, is considered to be sustainable, as certain forestry practices—particularly those used to harvest exotic hardwoods—can actually have an extremely detrimental impact on the local ecosystem. To ensure the wood you’re using is sustainable and ethically harvested, verify that it has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

Recycled Steel

Despite the fact that steel production is responsible for a not-insignificant amount of greenhouse gas emissions, existing steel is still considered to be sustainable because it can be recycle almost infinitely. Depending on the project recycled steel may be used as is or melted down and reformed into some other building component—the latter of which still produces fewer emissions than manufacturing new steel altogether.

Reclaimed Wood or Brick

Raw and unfinished authentic reclaimed barn wood planks. Photo courtesy of Woodstock Architectural Products

Similar to recycled steel, reclaimed wood and bricks are sustainable in that they prevent construction waste and do not require further emissions be produced before they can be used.

On average reclaimed wood is usually stronger than fresh lumber and is less resistant to warping due to having a lower moisture content. Reclaimed bricks, on the other hand, can be used as is, chipped for landscape use, or even crushed to form aggregate for new bricks.

Recycled Plastic

It’s estimated that, on average, the US produces roughly 40 million tons of plastic waste each year. Approximately 85% of that waste ends up in landfills, where it then sits for years without breaking down. Fortunately a large portion of that plastic can be recycled and used for construction purposes: It can be formed into shingles, mixed into concrete, incorporated into roads in place of asphalt, molded into bricks or tiles, and even used to make recycled-fiber carpets.

Rammed Earth

Created by gradually pouring and tamping down layers of a damp aggregate mixture (usually sand, silt, gravel, clay, and dirt) in between wooden panels or in a flooring mold, rammed earth is an incredibly durable material with a high thermal mass, high compression strength, and an extremely long lifespan.

Due to its widespread availability, ease of procurement, and inherent renewability/recyclability, rammed earth is one of the most sustainable building materials there is.

As a more sustainable alternative to traditional concrete, hempcrete is created by mixing hemp with lime, pozzolans, or sand. Like any plant, hemp absorbs carbon throughout its natural growth cycle and then continues to store said carbon once it has been processed into hempcrete, making it an extremely environmentally-friendly product. Unlike concrete, hempcrete is fairly lightweight and has high thermal insulation capabilities, making it an excellent material for constructing non-load-bearing walls.

Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT)

A type of engineered wood , CLT is formed by gluing together at least three layers of solid-sawn lumber and is often used as an alternative to concrete.

Due to the perpendicular orientation of the layers, CLT has improved structural rigidity compared to traditional timber and is similar in strength to reinforced concrete despite weighing far less. As long as the wood used to create CLT panels is sourced from ethically-managed forests—such as those certified by the FSC—it is considered to be a sustainable material.

Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs)

In 2016 the ICFMA commissioned an independent scientific study comparing a wood-framed cavity wall to a standard six-inch core ICF wall. Photo courtesy of IFCMA

Quick to manufacture, durable and easy to install, insulated concrete forms are manufactured by pouring concrete into insulated polystyrene foam blocks. After the concrete cures the polystyrene blocks are left in place instead of removed—ultimately, this gives the wall improved insulating properties compared to traditional timber-frame walls.

ICFs are incredibly strong are expected to last over 100 years, provided they are properly maintained—they also have no trouble withstanding strong winds, which makes them extremely useful in areas where tornadoes or hurricanes are common.

Low-E Windows

According to the Department of Energy , the average building loses 25 to 30% of the energy it utilizes through poorly installed, leaky, or just plain inefficient windows. To combat this low-energy windows may be installed.

These windows typically feature special glazes or coatings to help block solar heat from entering while still allowing natural light to filter through.

Innovative Technologies in Sustainable Construction

Emerging technologies like integrated cloud monitoring, 3D printing, and preconstruction software make achieving sustainable construction goals easier. Photo courtesy of Sage

As the sustainable construction sector continues to grow, emerging technologies like 3D printing, preconstruction software, and integrated cloud solutions can aid architects and designers throughout every phase of the building process.

3D printing, for example, can help reduce material waste by creating extremely precise building components, either off- or on-site. Preconstruction software, on the other hand, gives architects the ability to develop 3D building models that provide accurate estimates of waste production, energy use, and water consumption.

Integrated cloud technologies—such as those offered by Sage —provide an easy way to manage project data in one place, reducing the possibility of errors or miscommunication. Other integrated cloud solutions can even use automated systems to track a project’s energy consumption (amongst other metrics) in real time, making it easier to adjust conditions to meet sustainability goals.

“Advances in preconstruction, cloud, and emerging technologies have opened up a new world of possibilities when it comes to increasing efficiencies and reducing project waste and rework,” Dustin Stephens , vice president of Sage’s construction and real estate practice, previously wrote for gb&dPRO . “As technology continues to advance we will see even more opportunities to optimize the project lifecycle and further minimize construction’s environmental impact.”

Case Studies and Examples of Successful Sustainable Construction

Now that we’ve familiarized ourselves with the basics of sustainable construction, let’s take a look at a few of the most inspiring examples.

Rain Harvest Home

Outside the Rain Harvest Home. Photo by Jaime Navarro

The Rain Harvest Home is an inspiring example of sustainable construction in action. Located in Temascaltepec, Mexico, this beautiful house was designed by Robert Hutchison Architecture (RHA) and Javier Sanchez Arquitectos (JSA).

Rather than build with masonry or concrete, RHA and JSA elected to build the entire Rain Harvest Home out of sustainably sourced wood. “This choice was made with the intention of building as light on the ground as possible and to reduce the carbon footprint of the project,” Robert Hutchison, founder and lead architect of RHA, previously told gb&d .

As the name implies, the three-structure Rain Harvest Home features a gravity fed rainwater-catchment and treatment system that supplies the main residence, studio, and bathhouse with water. A green roof further serves to absorb rainwater and helps regulate interior temperatures.

Westwood Hills Nature Center

Designed by HGA, the Westwood Hills Nature Center in St. Louis Park, Minnesota factors sustainability into every element of its design.

“The building is oriented in plan to take advantage of solar angles and prevailing winds; its roof form opens the building up to views and maximizes daylight to reduce energy use,” Glenn Waguespack, senior project designer at HGA, previously told gb&d . “From a systems standpoint, the biggest contributor to energy reduction is the geothermal wellfield, which uses the earth as a heat source for our radiant and forced air systems; heating loads are dominant in a cold climate like ours.”

In order to reduce the building’s environmental impact even further, HGA planned from the very beginning to make the Westwood Hills Nature Center a zero-energy facility—that is, a building that generates as much power as it uses annually.

Key Challenges and Barriers in Sustainable Construction

Of course, sustainable construction isn’t without its challenges. Some of the most common barriers include:

• Higher upfront costs . Due to limited availability of industry professionals and high competition for sustainable materials, most sustainable construction projects have higher upfront costs than their non-sustainable counterparts.
• Zoning limitations . Use-based zoning regulations can hinder the development of mixed- or multi-use sustainable construction projects.
• Lack of expertise . Despite the growing popularity of sustainable construction, few architects, builders, and contractors have experience with its design principles.
• Lack of awareness and understanding . Within the construction sector as a whole, there is very little awareness as to the benefits of sustainable construction—and to make matters worse, there is very little incentive to learn about them.
• Building codes and regulations . As it stands, there exist very few building codes and regulations for sustainable construction projects, which can make the planning and permit processes difficult.

Role of Government and Policy in Sustainable Construction

There are a few ways in which the government and policymakers can encourage the widespread adoption of sustainable construction practices, such as providing financial incentives, revising national design standards, and requiring that all new construction projects meet LEED (or an equivalent organization’s) standards.

The European Union, for example, is requiring that all public buildings be renovated for improved energy efficiency in order to meet Europe’s long-term net-zero carbon goals. India and the United States, amongst other countries, currently offer tax incentives for buildings that meet LEED certification requirements. The US also provides financial assistance in the form of loans and grants for certain projects that seek to implement renewable energy sources.

Sustainable Construction and the Future of Urban Planning

Historically urban planning has been at odds with sustainability, largely due to cities being designed around automobiles and single-use zoning standards. Sustainable urban planning requires that cities and towns do the following:

• Prioritize pedestrian infrastructure . In order to reduce carbon emissions and urban air pollution, new development projects must be designed with walkability in mind.
• Offer multiple public transit options . Similarly, interconnected public transit networks reduce dependency on private vehicles and drastically reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.
• Preserve green spaces . Green spaces like parks, hiking trails, and the like help regulate temperature, absorb carbon, and improve people’s mental health.
• Encourage mixed-use projects . Making it easier to approve and construct mixed-use buildings helps limit urban sprawl and makes adaptive reuse projects more feasible.
• Transition to renewable energy . By requiring that new development projects implement renewable energy, urban centers can reduce their carbon emissions and conserve resources.
• Incentivize energy efficiency . Cities and towns can further encourage sustainable construction practices by incentivizing energy efficiency and providing financial assistance for energy-efficient upgrades to existing buildings.

The Road Ahead for Sustainable Construction

Due to an increased understanding of how the built environment contributes to anthropogenic climate change, the adoption of sustainable construction practices has become increasingly necessary. Governed by five key principles—energy efficiency, water efficiency, use of sustainable materials, healthy living conditions, and waste management—sustainable construction offers a variety of environmental, economic, and social benefits.

Moving forward world governments, policymakers, and urban planners have an important role to play in removing the barriers around sustainable construction so that green building projects are easier to realize on a large scale. Emerging technological innovations such as preconstruction software and cloud data management can also help to simplify the sustainable construction process.

All in all, sustainable construction is an important component in mitigating the worst effects of climate change and helps create a healthier world both for ourselves and future generations.

is a freelance journalist based in the Raleigh area. They specialize in writing articles on sustainable design, architecture, and the long-term effects of our built environment.

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BREEAM case studies from our clients - BREEAM

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Using the BREEAM framework, our clients embed sustainability into their projects from the very beginning. BREEAM-certified buildings are some of the most sustainable in the world. Read on to see how organisations are using BREEAM to make a difference, like Vesteda, who used BREEAM In-use to certify their entire portfolio of 27,000 properties.

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Expo 2020 dubai.

Expo 2020 Dubai completed eight BREEAM Infrastructure assessments in their bid to become one of the most sustainable world expos of all time. Find out the full details here.

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CitizenM Sets Standard for Sustainable Hospitality

Stockholm Metro Nacka Project Awarded Excellent

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10 Fenchurch Avenue in London achieves BREEAM rating of Excellent

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Strategic Advisory Sustainability Blackbrook Capital

Urban development project at Sege Park gains CEEQUAL Excellent rating

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BREEAM rating of Very Good for waterfront tech campus in San Francisco

BREEAM In-Use rating of Very Good for four WashREIT properties

Fulfilment center achieves BREEAM certification for continued progress

2840 Junction in Silicon Valley, USA, achieves a BREEAM rating of Good

Center for Sustainable Landscapes is a historic garden for the future

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A collection of case studies from the UK Alliance for Sustainable Building Products, featuring examples building materials and practices with high sustainability credentials.  These include:

• Accsys' Accoya wood, a carbon sequestering material with increased durability and dimensional stability, as a result of the acetylation process. 
• Housing and care provider GreenSquareAccord's CHARM development of virtually plastic-free homes,  transforming the site of a former factory carpark into one bedroom apartments for local people.
• The RMF Eco range - a reused raised floor panel that has been saved from landfill, cleaned, tested and re-installed into offices
• The Squash creative food enterprise in Liverpool, with timber frame and cladiding, cellulose insulation, recycled glass aggregate, and re-used materials in its fit-out
• Re-use of a steel frame warehouse by Cleveland Steel and Tubes Ltd

Sustainability for concrete production and construction

Innovative methods for reducing emissions during concrete production and construction work

CamIn works with early adopters to identify new opportunities enabled by emerging technology.

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What opportunities are there to decarbonise the construction sector?

At the heart of the problem lies concrete, the second most widely used material on Earth, second only to water. In 2022, the total volume of cement (the key ingredient of concrete) produced worldwide amounted to an estimated 4.1 billion tons.

Concrete is everywhere. And the production of it contributes upwards of seven percent of global greenhouse gas emissions every year. The growing focus on carbon accounting and reporting requirements is putting the sector increasingly in the spotlight.

Are there more sustainable alternatives to concrete available?

While stakeholders agree it’s necessary, decarbonising the construction sector is challenging. Concrete is not an easy material to replicate and any material used for construction must behave like concrete.

There is not enough wood in the world to do the job of concrete, nor is it strong enough. And while some hope to substitute concrete for other materials such as plastic or glass, it is not that straightforward.

Project Output Examples

Can concrete production be decarbonised.

Our client, a professional services firm, wanted to understand if there were opportunities for supporting companies in the construction sector in their decarbonization journey.  

The project was split into two halves. First, we assessed 10 broad emerging technology categories and gauged their suitability as concrete substitutes and analysed 26 companies developing emerging technologies.

Secondly, we worked with specialists to build up a detailed picture of the concrete value chain, mapping the key points in the production process where carbon is generated.

After looking at existing tools, we identified areas where they could be improved for our client’s needs and created a new tool that mapped the concrete value chain. The goal was to ensure the tool was as flexible and bespoke as possible. It needed to include what goes into a concrete mix and all the transport and was customized to their clients.

Our custom tool generated nine possible use cases for our client and a further eight more with suggested enhanced functionalities in the future. In total, it created over 60 tunable parameters for bespoke modelling which generated quantitative results within +/-1% of existing tools and expanded functionality.

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Sustainable materials for wind turbine blades, commercialising sustainable materials for wind turbines, synthetic fuels for mobility, welcome to camin, are you ready to improve your innovation roi.

Sustainable Construction: Analysis of Its Costs and Benefits

David William Dobson, Amr Sourani, Begum Sertyesilisik, Ashley Tunstall

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2 School of Built Environment, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK

3 Faculty of Architecture, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey

4 Bechtel Corporation, Prishtina Kosovo

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1. Introduction

2. literature review, 3. research methods, 5. discussion, 6. conclusions and recommendations, appendix: questionnaire and raw data.

Sustainability has become the most important issue concerning the construction industry in the 21st century. The objectives of this paper were: to establish if there is an opinion within the industry that sustainability means increased cost; and to investigate whether using sustainable construction methods save money by reducing a buildings carbon output and running costs. Following the literature survey, a questionnaire survey has been carried out to canvas opinions within the industry. Furthermore, comparison of a traditionally built structure (the original college) against a sustainably built one (the structure being built to replace the original building) has been carried out as a case study with respect to the running costs and carbon outputs. The findings revealed that there is an opinion within the industry that sustainability means increased cost and complicated build ability and that using sustainable construction methods save money by reducing a buildings carbon output and running costs. This paper will benefit clients and developers as they can see how incorporating sustainability into new buildings will enable big savings on utility and maintenance costs once the building is operational.

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Keywords: sustainable construction, benefits of sustainable construction, cost of sustainable construction

American Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture , 2013 1 (2), pp 32-38. DOI: 10.12691/ajcea-1-2-2

Received December 29, 2012; Revised February 06, 2013; Accepted April 03, 2013

Cite this article:

• Chicago Style
• Dobson, David William, et al. "Sustainable Construction: Analysis of Its Costs and Benefits." American Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture 1.2 (2013): 32-38.
• Dobson, D. W. , Sourani, A. , Sertyesilisik, B. , & Tunstall, A. (2013). Sustainable Construction: Analysis of Its Costs and Benefits. American Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture , 1 (2), 32-38.
• Dobson, David William, Amr Sourani, Begum Sertyesilisik, and Ashley Tunstall. "Sustainable Construction: Analysis of Its Costs and Benefits." American Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture 1, no. 2 (2013): 32-38.

The construction industry is a significant contributor to the UK economy. Its output is over £100 billion a year and it accounts for 8% of the UK’s Gross Domestic Product providing employment for around 3 million workers in the UK [ 1 ] . However, buildings are responsible for nearly half of the countries carbon emissions, half of the nation’s water consumption and account for around one third of all waste sent to landfill [ 1 ] . Over the past 20 years the construction industry has come under a great deal of criticism as there has been a growing understanding that the current model of development is not sustainable. As a result of this, there has been a massive drive towards promoting sustainable construction.

The government has set out a vision to drive towards a sustainable construction industry. The report “Strategy for Sustainable Construction” [ 1 ] illustrates how serious the government is taking the promotion of a sustainable construction industry. The report signifies the UK government’s aim to lead the world in sustainable construction. The “Strategy for Sustainable Construction” report represents a joint commitment from the government and the construction industry to work towards a more sustainable construction industry. Its core aims are: to reduce the construction industry’s carbon footprint and consumption of natural resources; and to create a safer and stronger industry by training and retaining a skilled and committed workforce. It highlights specific actions taken by industry and government to achieve the targets covered by the UK government’s sustainability agenda. Its vision is to structure and regulate businesses, to ensure that buildings and infrastructure are delivered in a more resource efficient and sustainable manner. With increasing energy and waste costs, tougher environmental legislation increased stakeholder expectations, major organisations within the industry are increasingly focussing their efforts on improving construction practices to enhance performance and demonstrate responsible behaviour. It is important that contractors harness the benefits of acting in a sustainable manner in order to become more efficient organisations and take advantage of the financial benefits, as well as having a more positive impact on the environment and society in general. Whilst there is a massive amount of literature available on sustainable construction, there is a limited amount of the research on the effect sustainable construction has on capital costs e.g.: [ 2 ] and [ 3 ] . For these reasons, the objectives of this paper are: to establish if there is an opinion within the industry that sustainability means increased cost; and to investigate whether using sustainable construction methods save money by reducing a buildings carbon output and running costs.

In 1992 the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) [ 4 , 5 ] acknowledged that the change in the earth’s climate and its adverse effects are a common concern of mankind. As a result of this global convention, a treaty was formed to tackle the issue of climate change. At the outset, the treaty did not enforce any mandatory limits on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for individual nations, therefore making the treaty legally non-binding. However, the treaty allowed provisions for updates called ‘protocols’. The most significant update to the treaty to date is the Kyoto Protocol which sets binding targets for reducing GHG emissions to an average of 5% against 1990 levels over the five-year period 2008-2012. The Protocol places a heavier burden on developed nations under the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” [ 4 , 5 ] . In 2007, a draft Climate Change Bill was published. The Bill aims to put in place a framework to achieve a mandatory 60% cut in the UK's CO 2 emissions by 2050 (compared to 1990 levels). In 2008, the Climate Change Act became law setting up a target of 80% reduction over 1990 [ 6 ] . The UK is the first country to set up such a long-range and significant carbon reduction target into law [ 7 ]

With the construction industry being one of the UK’s leading industries [ 1 ] , it was vital that the Government targeted the construction sector to ensure the maximum effect in terms of reducing carbon emissions and becoming more sustainable. The government has produced “The Strategy for Sustainable Construction” having two fundamental objectives, namely: to provide industry with a single, easily understood document that covering all main government policies and initiatives in the field of Sustainable Construction; and to stimulate organisations within the industry to uphold the ideology of sustainable construction and become proactive by setting their own targets, rather than merely complying with government legislation. In order for the vision for a sustainable construction industry to be fulfilled, the organisations operating within it need to be prepared to adhere to the vision. To achieve this, the UK Government created the “Sustainable Construction Task Group” tasked with identifying specific and cost-effective improvements in the quality and environmental performance of buildings, together with further actions that Government could take to facilitate faster progress. To ensure that the UK reaches its targets for emission reductions, the Government has introduced its own energy policy which outlines strategies in relation to carbon savings and usage of renewable energy sources. This legislation has since helped devise changes to existing building regulations such as those in “Part L–Conservation of Fuel and Power” and has advocated the need for assessment of building performances under Building Research Establishment (BRE)’s Environmental assessment methods. The UK government understands that it must take a lead role if sustainable development is to be successful and the targets set regarding sustainability are met. To further promote sustainable construction the government produced the report “Sustainable Procurement and Operations on the Government estate” designed to enforce sustainable procurement. Due to the fact that around 40% of the construction industry output stems from the public sector [ 8 , 9 ] , it is important that the government promotes and enforces sustainable construction.

The UK construction industry is governed by a massive amount of legislation. The Building Act 1984 [ 10 ] is the enabling act under which the Building Regulations have been made. As a result of the government’s aim of cutting down GHG emissions in line with the Kyoto Protocol and in general, with “Part L Regulations: Conservation of fuel and power” were introduced in 2001. As a result of these regulations, Architects and Engineers were tasked with designing and engineering more sustainable structures. Furthermore, Quantity Surveyors have found themselves looking for cost effective solutions to meeting the CO 2 targets set out in Part L. Part L regulations make contractors take reasonable measures to reduce heat loss through the building fabric and to improve the efficiency of services to the structure, such as mechanical ventilation, heating and lighting. Under Part L regulations, maximum CO 2 emissions have been set for buildings. The regulations apply to construction of all new buildings, and the refurbishment of existing buildings with a useable floor area of over 1000m 2 . For new buildings, it is forecasted that Part L will cut carbon emissions by 25% from 2002 standards, which had already cut emissions by 15%. The net reduction of 40% from pre 2002 is often used as a benchmark of progress [ 11 ] . Part L regulations are split into Part L1 and Part L2. Part L1 is concerned with domestic buildings, whereas Part L2 is concerned with non domestic buildings. Whilst the regulations obviously differ depending on the section in question, the principles are the same. Part L regulations are designed to make buildings more efficient and reduce carbon emissions. Examples of measures include: new performance standards for avoiding solar overheating; improving boiler efficiency, certain types of light fittings, display lighting systems; improving buildings that are air-conditioned or mechanically ventilated and the installation of energy consumption meters and sub-meters. Under Part L, energy performance of a building must be checked at the inception stage to ensure that it complies with the regulations and then be carefully monitored throughout its design and construction phases to make sure that it complies upon completion.

BREEAM (Building Research Environmental Assessment Method) was launched in 1990 [ 12 ] . Since its inception, BREEAM has become widely accepted as the benchmark for measuring environmental performance of buildings, becoming formally adopted by the UK Government. BREEAM provides guidance on how to minimize adverse effects of buildings on the environment, locally and globally by reducing energy usage in the construction and management of a building whilst encouraging a healthy and comfortable environment for end users. BREEAM's success stems from its unique ability to cover a wide range of environmental issues within one assessment, and to present the results in a way that is widely understood by those involved in property procurement and management [ 12 , 13 ] .

Challenges to Sustainable Construction : Since the inaugural international conference on sustainable construction, in Tampa, USA in 1994, sustainable or “green” building has become a significant global issue [ 14 ] . A large number of pioneering projects have proved that green buildings can provide a far more comfortable, healthy, living and working environment for their end users, as well as having greatly reduced utility and maintenance costs due to increased efficiency. The primary barriers to implementation, are the misconceptions that by adopting a more sustainable design and construction, higher capital costs will be incurred, without a worthwhile benefit to market value [ 3 ] . It is critical, therefore, to evaluate the capital costs of sustainable building, against those of traditional buildings and prove their worth, in order to motivate stakeholders to consider and use methods of sustainable construction. Furthermore, it is important to compare the carbon output of traditional buildings against those built with sustainable features, to highlight the increased efficiency and reduced carbon output and running costs. The UK construction industry is responsible for around half of the total CO 2 emissions, 90% of all surface mineral extraction and over a quarter of all waste sent to landfill [ 15 ] . Despite of these challenges, sustainable construction can be a strategic advantage for the contractors. [ 16 ] ’s study revealed a positive relationship between sustainability performance and business competitiveness and highlighted that implementation of sustainable construction practice contributes to the improvement of contractors’ competitiveness [ 16 ] .

The Cost of Sustainable Construction: Sustainable Construction requires a long term view, considering initial capital cost, against running costs of the structure. The major economic benefits of sustainable construction are reduced operation and utility costs, reduced maintenance costs, and an overall improvement in the buildings performance and efficiency [ 14 ] . It is also perceived that the short term costs of sustainable practices are too high to justify their application in a highly competitive market. Despite of the substantial advances in best practice, there is a lag in the application of sustainable practices that improve building performance. This lag is mainly due to: the lack of client demand; and the belief that sustainable methods are more expensive than traditional construction methods. Cost consultants can add a significant margin of 10% to capital costs to allow for more sustainable solutions [ 3 ] . As stated by [ 2 ] , the construction industry has long behaved in a secretive manner. Clients, contractors and stakeholders are generally reluctant about revealing information on costs. As a result, information on the costs of sustainable building has emerged slowly. It is increasingly being realized, that some requirements that were once assumed to increase costs, are actually proving to be cost neutral or better. One such example is sustainable urban drainage schemes, where clear savings are evident from the reduced costs of pipes and hard drainage [ 2 ] . [ 17 ] highlighted that there are a large number of economic benefits to constructing greener buildings and that the benefits include: energy cost savings; water cost savings; mechanical equipment downsizing. [ 18 ] stated that the business benefits of sustainable construction include: capital cost savings; reduced running costs; increased investment returns; increased productivity, staff recruitment and retention; more efficient resource use; major corporate image / marketing spin offs. [ 19 ] , using two case studies, demonstrated that energy efficient designs could be achieved at a lower cost than conventional design. Achieving higher EcoHomes or BREEAM ratings can be achieved at little extra cost, and that a number of items are available at no additional cost or even a saving [ 3 ] . [ 20 ] have emphasised the need for a change in the feasibility studies. Their research revealed that the current practice of project feasibility study gives priority to the economic performance neglecting the social and environmental performances and [ 20 ] suggested the need for shifting the traditional approach of project feasibility study to a new approach that embraces the principles of sustainable development. Similarly, people should consider environmental and social sustainability of housing when they assess the housing affordability. [ 21 ] ’s study emphasized this point and their study revealed that considering a range of social and environmental criteria can greatly affect the calculation of an areas affordability, in comparison to focusing solely on financial attributes.

The objectives of this research were: to establish if there is an opinion within the industry that sustainability means increased cost; and to investigate whether using sustainable construction methods significantly reduces a buildings carbon output. With these objectives, the research methods consisted of: literature review; a questionnaire survey; and a case study.

• A closed multiple choice questionnaire has been applied to construction professionals. 40 questionnaires have been sent out to professionals within the industry. The questionnaires were kept anonymous in order to further increase the probability of a high response rate. Of the 40 questionnaires sent out, 24 were returned giving a response rate of 60%. In order to gain further qualitative insight into perceptions and opinions within the industry, the respondents were encouraged to make further open comments at the end of the questionnaire. The questionnaire and raw data are presented in the Appendix. As only 24 construction professionals answered the questionnaire, the findings can not be generalized for the whole construction industry. The findings, however, provide an insight on the tendency within construction industry.

• The case study consisted of comparison of a traditionally built structure against a sustainably built one. The original college has been compared against the structure being built to replace it. This comparison has been carried out with respect to the running costs and carbon outputs.

(Q1) The majority of respondents are of the opinion that the majority of construction personnel are unaware of the fact that around 52% of the UK’s CO 2 emissions are created by the construction and usage of buildings. Only a minority were of the opinion that many people are aware of the environmental impact of the industry in terms of its carbon footprint.

(Q2) Majority of respondents were of the opinion that sustainable construction methods result in increased capital costs. Only 1 respondent was of the opinion that sustainable construction could be achieved without increased capital costs.

(Q3) Most of the respondents were of the opinion that sustainable construction is important enough to warrant paying increased capital costs. However, 4 respondents stated that thought that if un-sustainable methods could be used to do the same job for a cheaper price they should be used. Furthermore, two respondents were unsure of what should be done in this scenario.

(Q4) Most of the respondents were of the belief that sustainable construction methods are as buildable as traditional methods. However, as with Q3, there was sizeable minority (5 respondents) who thought sustainable methods compromise ease of construction and two respondents were not sure.

(Q5) Majority of the respondents feel that regulations relating to sustainability, such as part L, have had a big effect on the industry. Of the 24 responses, 15 were of the opinion that government regulations have had a big effect. However, there were a number of respondents who thought government regulations have not had a big effect. 5 were of the belief that figures on energy usage, CO 2 emissions etc. can be manipulated simply to pass regulations and this may account for these responses. One of the respondents was unsure of their effect.

(Q6) Three respondents believe there is much awareness of government incentive schemes on sustainability. Majority of the respondents were of the opinion that there is little awareness of such incentives.

(Q7) Most of the respondents were of the opinion that designers are paying more attention to products used in the construction process. Only three respondents were of the opinion that this was not the case, and with two unsure respondents.

(Q8) Most of the respondents were of the opinion that the drive towards sustainable construction is having a positive effect on the industry and suggests that the workforce in general is supportive of sustainability. However, there were a minority of respondents who did not think it was having a positive effect and smaller minority was not sure.

(Q9) The majority of the respondents feel that enough is being done in terms of law and legislation to enforce a sustainable construction industry

(Q10) Additional comments of respondents are as follows:

“Obviously sustainability inflates overall building costs due to the new technology and products that are required to meet the criteria required. However, design teams and contractors should play a lead role in educating clients (public and private) in the reduction of CO 2 generated by sustainability and how in the long run, sustainability issues reduce the Life Cycle costs of building in terms of maintenance, heating and running costs.”

“I believe a number of companies are trying to lead the way. However enhanced education and communication are needed to ensure compliance by all parties. Government needs to be strong in its legislation to enable all parties to adhere to the same rules. More work needs to be done by manufacturers to ensure 'green' products are commercially viable.”

“ The knowledge of funding for sustainability has more awareness within the industry where public funding is used.”

“The cost of sustainability needs to come down. As the governments target to make schools zero carbon by 2016 approaches, it is hoped that the current underdeveloped market of renewable will become more developed and in turn bring down the cost of sustainability through greater competition between suppliers and subcontractors.”

“I believe that the public sector construction industry is striving to achieving sustainable developments, however from what I have seen of the private sector there seems to be very little put forward to enhance sustainable construction. It always seems to be a token gesture which ticks the boxes for regulations but does not really go any further than this. The building regulation change in 2006 has helped with starting designers to think about energy conservation and efficient building design, however it is very easy to make a building design work and pass building regulations but still be an in-efficient building if you know how the calculations are put together.”

“Sustainable construction tends to cost more, but it does not have to. If the building is designed well at the start of the job (taking account of orientation etc), then a sustainable solution can be delivered at a more reasonable cost.”

The original college was built in the 1940’s, of cavity brick construction, and was added to in the 1990’s with further cavity brickwork structures. It is a secondary school for 1200 children aged 11-16 years old. It has a gross useable floor area of 12,828m 2 . The school’s main heating fuel is natural gas through a one way flow radiator system. The building is naturally ventilated. The buildings electricity usage comes off the national grid and there are no energy management systems in place for electricity and lighting. Everything is turned off or on manually. The internal ceiling heights are on average around high from finished floor level. The roof is a pitched roof with 100mm of insulation. The windows are metal framed with double glazing. The building has no on site renewable energy sources.

A report was carried out on 25/11/08 to examine the buildings energy efficiency under “The Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates of Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007”. The report showed that the building was highly inefficient, achieving a “G” rating, the worst possible. A number of options to improve the efficiency were detailed in the report. These options included introducing energy management techniques and improvement of the loft insulation. However, these options have been ignored as under the Government’s BSF (Building Schools for the Future) scheme the school was due to be replaced by a new secondary school. From the information made available by St Helens Council, the buildings CO 2 emissions per m 2 is presented in the Table 1 .

Table 1. The original college’s CO 2 emissions per m 2

Whereas the original college was built in an era long before the Kyoto Protocol, the new college is being constructed in an era where sustainability is a primary concern in the public sector. The building is being constructed to conserve energy over its life span and limit its CO 2 emissions. The following are a number of the sustainable features in place on the building:

• Thick Insulated Walls - The walls are made up of Structural Insulated Panels which are factory engineered and brought to site for erection with almost zero waste. The panels are sealed together so that the joints do not leak preventing air and heat loss.

• Mechanically Operated Windows – When the classrooms get too hot or there is a build-up of CO 2 the windows will automatically open allowing fresh air in. Air vents on the back walls of each classroom allow air to circulate from the rooms into the corridor and out through windows at the top of the corridor atria. Having this natural ventilation means everybody gets the right amount of fresh air without the need for air conditioning.

• Spacious Classrooms – High ceilings of the classrooms enable the large windows to let in natural light reducing the need for lighting.

• Low energy computer systems – Low energy computer systems reduce electrical consumption and heat output.

• Solar Panels – Solar panels are situated on the roof and will provide 70% of all hot water demand for washing hands, etc.

• Highly Efficient Lighting – The building has dimmable daylight controls and occupancy control sensors.

• Recycled Rainwater – Rainwater from the roof is used to flush the toilets. Special tarmac in the car park allows water to soak through it into the ground avoiding unnecessary water entering the sewers.

• Biomass Boiler – Biomass boiler uses wood chips to provide hot water for the under floor heating and it is carbon neutral.

Using a calculation called SBEM (Simplified Building Engineering Model); a building’s energy use and CO 2 emissions can be accurately predicted. SBEM computer program provides an analysis of a building's energy consumption [ 22 ] . SBEM calculates monthly energy use and CO 2 emissions of a building given a description of the building geometry, construction, use and HVAC (Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning) and lighting equipment [ 22 ] . An SBEM analysis was done by Gill Massey Consulting Engineers on the new college, taking into account all aspects of the building such as the U-Values of the external envelope and the heating and lighting systems. The results showed that the predicted carbon output per m 2 of useable floor area will be 14.55kg/m 2 , as presented in Table 2 .

Table 2. The new college’s CO 2 emissions per m 2

Table 2 shows that the new college will omit 34.45kg/m 2 of carbon per annum less than the original college. If this is calculated over the next 25 years, it is seen that new sustainable building methods used to build the new school will save 861.25kg/m 2 of CO 2 as seen in Figure 1 . This highlights how modern building methods have vastly increased the efficiency of buildings and in turn reduced CO 2 emissions.

There are incentive schemes available to contractors operating in the public sector to gain extra funding by hitting certain targets on sustainability. One such scheme offers extra funding of £50.00 per m 2 of useable floor area if a 60% reduction on 2001 baseline emissions is achieved on a typical secondary school. A typical secondary school built in 2001 would on average emit 36.80kg/m 2 of CO 2 per annum. A school built to comply with 2006 Part L regulations would have to emit no more than 30.50kg/m 2 of CO 2 per annum. If a secondary school built now can achieve a 60% reduction on the baseline figure set in 2001 (14.756kg/m 2 per annum), then the government offers extra funding of £50.00 per m 2 of useable floor area as an incentive. As the new Cowley will emit 14.55kg/m 2 CO 2 per annum; which is less than the 60% reduction figure of 14.756kg/m 2 CO 2 per annum, as a result it qualifies for this incentive and receives the extra funding.

It is estimated that incorporation of all sustainability features in the new college has come at a cost of £35.21 per m 2 (SBEM analysis and department for schools children and families carbon calculator tool). The extra funding is £50.00 per m 2 , so there is benefit of £14.71 per m 2 gained by achieving the target set by the government. This equates to a clear benefit of £132,681.10 when multiplied out by the 8,972m 2 of useable floor area on the school. This highlights how by hitting government targets, clients and contractors can build more sustainable buildings without having to pay the increased capital costs and that they can actually make a greater profit by qualifying for benefits offered by the government.

The questionnaire survey highlighted the tendency within the industry to perceive that sustainable construction methods cost more than traditional methods. However, there is a common belief that sustainability is important and that the problem of increased cost must be addressed. As majority of respondents are unaware of the fact that around most of the UK’s CO 2 emissions are created by the construction and usage of buildings, more needs to be done to educate employees of the construction industry on the environmental impacts of the industry. Majority of respondents were of the opinion that: sustainable construction methods result in increased capital costs supporting [ 3 ] and [ 18 ] ; and that sustainable construction methods are as buildable as traditional methods. Most of the respondents were of the opinion that regulations relating to sustainability have had a big effect on the industry. Majority of the respondents highlighted that: there is little awareness of government incentive schemes on sustainability; designers are paying more attention to products used in the construction process; private sector clients are not concerned by sustainability to the same extent as public sector clients; the drive towards sustainable construction is having a positive effect on the industry; enough is being done in terms of law and legislation to enforce a sustainable construction industry. The questionnaire survey findings revealed that:

• the perception of high capital costs emerging due to sustainable construction can obstacle widespread

• the government needs to do more to market incentive schemes across the construction industry in order to increase the awareness of the parties.

• the government is doing its part in driving sustainable construction in terms of law and legislation to enforce a sustainable construction industry and that it is up to the contractors operating in the sector to operate in a sustainable manner.

• as designers are perceived to paying more attention to products used in the construction process, the drive towards sustainability is having an effect on the construction and the environmental impacts and life cycles of materials used are considered more due to the sustainable construction ethos.

• following points should be paid attention to enhance sustainable construction: stricter government legislation, enhanced education and communication to ensure compliance by all parties; greater care at design stage to deliver sustainable solution at a more reasonable cost; more competition between manufacturers to reduce cost associated with sustainability; and need for more work to make sustainable practice become common practice.

The case study compared the original college with the new college. The findings revealed that the new building is expected to omit 34.45kg/m 2 of carbon per annum less than the original college. The new school is expected to save 861.25kg/m 2 of CO 2 over the next 25 years. This highlights how modern building methods can increase the efficiency of buildings and reduce CO 2 emissions. Furthermore, the new college is expected to qualify for the incentive and receives the extra funding of £50.00 per m 2 of useable floor area as an incentive. This reveals that the capital costs of sustainable buildings can decrease by hitting government targets. In this way, clients and contractors can build more sustainable buildings without having to pay high capital costs and they can benefit the extra funding by qualifying for the incentive. The case study revealed economic benefits of sustainable construction and supported: [ 2 , 14 , 17 , 18 , 19 ] .

The objectives of this paper were: to establish if there is an opinion within the industry that sustainability means increased cost; and to investigate whether using sustainable construction methods save money by reducing a buildings carbon output and running costs. With these objectives the research methods consisted of: the literature review; questionnaire survey; and a case study which compared the original college against the structure being built to replace it with respect to the running costs and carbon outputs.

The questionnaire survey results suggest that the majority of the respondents is of the opinion that sustainability does generally mean increased capital costs. However, the results also showed that most respondents were of the opinion that sustainable construction techniques should be used even if the capital costs are greater. The onus is on the suppliers and contractors within the market to drive the costs of sustainable construction through competition and more economic production. On the other hand, there are many measures that can be taken to make a building more sustainable without inflating capital costs, for example, taking into account building orientation to maximise the natural light and energy captured. Case study revealed that sustainable methods are effective and produce far more efficient buildings. The new building is expected to be more carbon output efficient than the older one. Moreover, the case study highlighted that by hitting a government target on CO 2 output, £50 per m 2 of useable floor space can be gained in extra funding. This showed how increased capital costs incurred for producing a more sustainable building can be recouped. However, questionnaire survey results showed that most of the respondents are of the opinion that there is little awareness of such schemes. This can hinder widely adoption of sustainable construction across the industry.

In conclusion, this study highlighted the tendency that: there is an opinion within the industry that sustainability means increased cost; using sustainable construction methods save money by reducing a buildings carbon output and running costs; construction personnel recognise the importance of sustainable construction and support its implementation even if capital costs are greater; sustainable construction can make a huge impact in terms of reducing buildings carbon output and running costs. Therefore more should be done, particularly at industry level to ensure all new buildings are built with sustainable construction methods.

Following recommendations have been identified to enhance sustainable construction:

• stricter government legislation, enhanced education and communication are needed to ensure compliance by all parties;

• greater care at design stage should be paid to deliver sustainable solution at a more reasonable cost;

• Competition between manufacturers should be increased to reduce cost associated with sustainability; and

• more work is needed to make sustainable practice become common practice.

• people’s awareness on government incentives should be increased so that they can be motivated for more sustainable construction.

Limitation to this study is the low response rate to the questionnaire. For this reason, the findings can not be generalized for all construction professionals in the UK. The findings, however, provide an understanding of views and perceptions within the UK construction industry.

Further researches can be carried out on: the reasons why private sector clients are perceived not to be concerned with sustainability; and how much the leading organisations within the industry are doing to adhere to the government vision.

1. Around 52% of the UK's CO 2 emissions are created by the construction and usage of buildings. Do you think that many personnel within the construction industry are aware of this fact?

[ 3 ] Yes; [ 20 ] No; [ 1 ] Not Sure

2. Sustainable construction methods can significantly reduce C0 2 emissions and wastage. Do you think the use of these methods generally results in increased capital costs?

[ 19 ] Yes; [ 1 ] No; [ 2 ] Not Sure; [ 2 ] Missing

3. In your opinion, should sustainable building methods be used even if the capital costs are greater?

[ 15 ] Yes; [ 4 ] No; [ 2 ] Not Sure; [ 3 ] Missing

4. In your opinion, with the focus on sustainability, is the ease of construction compromised?

[ 5 ] Yes; [ 14 ] No; [ 2 ] Not Sure; [ 3 ] Missing

5. The UK Government has set out a number of detailed regulations to enforce sustainable construction, for example Part L: Conservation of Fuel & Power. Do you think government regulations such as this have had a big effect on the industry?

[ 15 ] Yes; [ 5 ] No; [ 1 ] Not Sure; [ 3 ] Missing

6. The UK Government have a number of incentive schemes in place offering additional funding if certain sustainability targets are met. Do you think there is much awareness of this within the industry?

[ 3 ] Yes; [ 16 ] No; [ 2 ] Not Sure; [ 3 ] Missing

7. With the industry’s drive towards sustainability, do you think designers generally are paying more attention to materials used in the construction process, to ensure the most efficient products are used?

[ 16 ] Yes; [ 3 ] No; [ 2 ] Not Sure; [ 3 ] Missing

8. Do you think the drive towards a more sustainable construction industry is having a positive effect on the industry as a whole?

9. Do you feel that enough is being done to enforce a more sustainable construction industry?

10. Do you have any additional comments?

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Top 10 Sustainability Case Studies & Success Stories in 2024

Cem is the principal analyst at AIMultiple since 2017. AIMultiple informs hundreds of thousands of businesses (as per Similarweb) including 60% of Fortune 500 every month.

Cem's work focuses on how enterprises can leverage new technologies in AI, automation, cybersecurity(including network security, application security), data collection including web data collection and process intelligence.

AIMultiple team adheres to the ethical standards summarized in our research commitments.

Environmental and social practices have a significant impact on the long-term success of businesses. Some businesses outperform others in this area, giving them a competitive advantage. We will present ten sustainability success stories to executives searching for methods to close the sustainability gap between themselves and outperformers. 

We take a holistic approach to sustainability when presenting these case studies, seeing environmental and social challenges as a part of maintaining a sustainable business (see Figure 1). We also recognize that, while technology can aid in the improvement of corporate sustainability, changing business processes can be just as successful. As a result, we will provide a variety of scenarios that fully demonstrate the ESG framework .

1. UPS ORION: Improve transportation efficiency

Transportation activities accounted for almost 30% of US greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. (See Figure 2). For a company like UPS, which distributes goods across regions, transportation activities make up the bulk of GHG emissions. As a result, enhancing transportation efficiency is crucial for organizations like UPS to remain sustainable.

As a solution, UPS adopted an AI system called ORION which is a route optimizer that aims to minimize the number of turns during the delivery. Initiation began in 2012 and up today UPS has been working on developing it.

ORION saves UPS 10 million gallons of fuel per year, which means that in addition to the financial benefits, it decreases UPS’s carbon footprint by 100,000 metric tonnes per year, or the equivalent to removing more than 20,000 cars from the roads.

There are public cloud route optimizer systems which businesses can deploy without building hardware. These tools help firms to use their software as a service by paying a subscription cost.

To learn more about ensuring supply chain sustainability with technology you can read our Top 5 Technologies Improving Supply Chain Sustainability article.

Figure 2: US GHG emissions.

2. IKEA IWAY: Make business with ESG oriented corporations

Supplier code of conducts are established guidelines that require other businesses to demonstrate their operations’ social and environmental impacts. The objective is to reward companies that meet strong ESG standards. It is also one of the positive governance indications for organizations, as we highlighted in our ESG metrics article .

IWAY is the supplier code of conduct of IKEA forcing suppliers to meet certain environmental and humanitarian qualities to work with. The initiative has been in place for over 20 years, and over that time, IKEA has refined it based on their prior experiences. IWAY six is the most recent version of IKEA’s supplier code of conduct, which evaluates:

• Core worker rights.
• Safety of the working place.
• Life-work balance of employees.
• Water and waste management of potential suppliers.
• Prevention of child labour. 

3. General Electric digital wind farm: Produce green energy efficiently

Wind turbine productivity varies greatly depending on the design, weather conditions, and geography of the location it is deployed. Using IoT and digital twins to collect data on each wind turbine and simulate possible modifications such as adjusting the direction of the wind turbine can assist corporations in locating their wind turbines in a wind farm more effectively (see Figure 3).

Furthermore, the performance of wind turbines declines with time and may require maintenance; employing sensors and digital twins can assist in determining the appropriate time for repair.

Figure 3: How digital twins can optimize wind turbine productivity.

The General Electric’s (GE) digital wind farms are based on these two elements. GE optimized over 15,000 turbines using sensors and digital twins technologies. Each wind farm can create up to 10% more green energy as a result of the digital wind farm initiative, which helps to enhance our worldwide green energy mix.

4. Swire Properties green building: Minimize GHG emissions

Swire Properties is a construction company that operates in China and especially in the Hong Kong area. In 2018, the company built One Taikoo Place which is a green building that aims to reduce GHG emissions of Swire Properties in order to align with sustainability goals of the company’s stakeholders.

Swire properties use 3D modeling techniques to optimize the building’s energy efficiency. Reduce electricity consumption by using smart lighting systems with sunshine and motion sensors. A biodiesel generation system has been installed in the building, which converts waste food oil into biodiesel. Swire Properties additionally uses low carbon embedded materials and a lot of recycled materials in their construction.

Swire Properties was able to cut GHG emissions intensity throughout their portfolio by nearly 20% because of the usage of digital technologies and low carbon integrated materials.

5. H&M Let’s Close the Gap: Deposit scheme for gathering raw material

In 2021, we consumed 1.7 times more resources than Earth generates annually because our economic outlook is based on production, use and disposal. Such an economy is not sustainable and that is the reason why the concept of circular economy (CE) is trending nowadays.

The most basic principles of CE is to use trash as a raw material for production through innovation, recycling, or repairing and reusing existing products.

H&M’s “Let’s Close the Gap” project began in 2013 as a CE best practice that collects and categorizes discarded clothing from customers. If the garment is in decent condition, they will restore it and find a new owner for it. If a garment reaches the end of its useful life, H&M will recycle it and reuse the material in new goods.

Customers who bring in their old clothes are rewarded with tokens that can be used to get a discount at H&M shops. Incentivizing customers creates a complete CE loop.

In 2019, 57% of H&M’s raw materials were sustainable, according to Forbes. By 2030, the company hopes to improve it 100 percent.

6. Gusto: Hiring female engineers to close gender inequality gap

Gender inequality remains a major social issue despite all the improvements. There are two common types of gender disparity in the workplace. The first is gender pay disparity, which occurs when companies pay male employees more and provide better working conditions than female employees in the same position. 

The second is occupational segregation, in which women are hired for non-technical jobs while men hold the majority of leadership roles. This was the situation at software firm Gusto, where female engineers made up slightly more than 5% of the engineering team at the beginning of 2015. 

Julia Lee , one of Gusto’s first female engineers, claimed that other engineers did not accept her ideas because she was a “female engineer.” Gusto initiated an HR drive to reduce gender inequality by prioritizing the recruitment of female engineers, prohibiting female workers from scrolling, and deleting masculine job ads like “ninja rockstar coder.”

Gusto was able to improve its female engineer ratio to roughly 20% by the end of 2015 thanks to the campaign. The average ratio among software businesses’ engineering teams was 12% in 2013, therefore this was a significant improvement in a short period of time.  

7. HSBC: ESG concerned green finance

Finance companies can help speed up the transition to sustainable business practices by supporting initiatives run by responsible businesses. By the end of 2025, HSBC has committed to investing $100 billion in sustainability projects. HSBC already has funded sustainability projects that require more than $50 billion in investment as of 2019, indicating that the corporation is on track to meet its objective.

HSBC created an ESG risk evaluation framework to assure funding for green projects in 2019. Since then, the framework has been improved. In 2021, HSBC’s ESG practices were rewarded with an AA rating by MSCI.

HSBC is also working toward a goal of using 100% renewable energy as their source of electricity by 2030. Company reduces its consumption of paper, and single used plastics for coffee and beverages.

For more information about best ESG practices you can read our Top 6 ESG Reporting Best Practices article.

8. Signify light-as-a-Service: Enhance production stewardship

The product-service system ( PSS ) is a business model in which producers acquire a product over its lifetime and rent or lease it to the users. PSS ensures product stewardship since the product always becomes the asset of the company. It encourages producers to provide high-quality, repairable items in order to extend the product’s useful life. As a result, it helps to close the circularity gap by ensuring better use of natural resources.

Signify, a luminaire producer, adopts such a business strategy where it demands a subscription fee according to usage period of their lightning systems. PSS allows Signify claims that PSS allows them to produce 0 luminaire waste and drops maintenance costs around 60%.

9. Airbus additive manufacturing: Manufacture lighter planes with 3D printing

AIMultiple expects that additive manufacturing will disruptive for the airplane manufacturing since:

• It speeds up the manufacturing of parts compared to traditional molding techniques.
• It is cheaper due to effective use of raw materials and time reduction of production.
• It enables the manufacturing of lighter parts by up to 45% , resulting in lighter planes that burn less fuel. According to Airbus, additive manufacturing technology can reduce an A320 plane’s annual GHG emissions by around 465,000 metric tons, which is roughly the same as eliminating 100,000 automobiles from the road for a year. (An average car emits 4.6 tonnes of GHG per year). 

To effectively use 3D printers Airbus partnered with Materialise , a Belgium-based technology company  that specialize in additive manufacturing.

For more information regarding improving corporate sustainability by digital transformation you can read our Top 4 Digital Technologies that Improve Corporate Sustainability article.

10. Tata Power: Solar plants on the roofs

Rooftops offer a lot of empty space that can be used to install solar panels. Such initiatives have been taken in various parts of the world. Tata Power does it in India and generates green electricity by using idle places of buildings.

In 2021, Tata Power was able to spread their program throughout 90 Indian cities, producing 421 million watts of electricity, which is equivalent to nearly 40 thousand homes’ yearly electricity use in the US. (The average annual power usage for a residential utility customer in the US was 10,715 kWh in 2020, according to the EIA .).

We expect that in the near future the cooperation between energy and construction companies will enhance the use of idle places in buildings in a more effective way. Such an industrial symbiosis reduces both sectors’ ESG risk.

For more information on the top carbon footprint calculators, check our article, Top 7 Carbon Footprint Calculator Software/Tools for Businesses .

To learn more about corporate sustainability you can contact with us:

This article was drafted by former AIMultiple industry analyst Görkem Gençer.

Cem's work has been cited by leading global publications including Business Insider, Forbes, Washington Post, global firms like Deloitte, HPE, NGOs like World Economic Forum and supranational organizations like European Commission. You can see more reputable companies and media that referenced AIMultiple.

Cem's hands-on enterprise software experience contributes to the insights that he generates. He oversees AIMultiple benchmarks in dynamic application security testing (DAST), data loss prevention (DLP), email marketing and web data collection. Other AIMultiple industry analysts and tech team support Cem in designing, running and evaluating benchmarks.

Throughout his career, Cem served as a tech consultant, tech buyer and tech entrepreneur. He advised enterprises on their technology decisions at McKinsey & Company and Altman Solon for more than a decade. He also published a McKinsey report on digitalization.

He led technology strategy and procurement of a telco while reporting to the CEO. He has also led commercial growth of deep tech company Hypatos that reached a 7 digit annual recurring revenue and a 9 digit valuation from 0 within 2 years. Cem's work in Hypatos was covered by leading technology publications like TechCrunch and Business Insider.

Cem regularly speaks at international technology conferences. He graduated from Bogazici University as a computer engineer and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.

AIMultiple.com Traffic Analytics, Ranking & Audience , Similarweb. Why Microsoft, IBM, and Google Are Ramping up Efforts on AI Ethics , Business Insider. Microsoft invests $1 billion in OpenAI to pursue artificial intelligence that’s smarter than we are , Washington Post. Data management barriers to AI success , Deloitte. Empowering AI Leadership: AI C-Suite Toolkit , World Economic Forum. Science, Research and Innovation Performance of the EU , European Commission. Public-sector digitization: The trillion-dollar challenge , McKinsey & Company. Hypatos gets $11.8M for a deep learning approach to document processing , TechCrunch. We got an exclusive look at the pitch deck AI startup Hypatos used to raise $11 million , Business Insider.

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A wonderful collection of case studies on corporate sustainability. I enjoyed the read. I am convicted to delve into promoting sustainability in Africa.

Hello, James! Thank you for your feedback. Awesome! That’s a great cause to pursue.

Related research

Top 6 Supply Chain Sustainability Technologies in 2024

7 Ways to Improve Your Supply Chain Sustainability in 2024

• DOI: 10.54097/4m10de78
• Corpus ID: 270610280

Sustainability Risks and Decision Making in the Construction Industry: A Case Study-Based Approach

• Published in Highlights in Business… 9 April 2024
• Environmental Science, Engineering, Business
• Highlights in Business, Economics and Management

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10 References

The distribution of sustainable decision-making in multinational manufacturing enterprises, consumer behavior and sustainability in the construction industry—relevance of sustainability-related criteria in purchasing decision, sustainability assessment and indicators: tools in a decision-making strategy for sustainable development, an integrated multi-criteria decision making model for sustainability performance assessment for insurance companies, sustainable supply chain management in a global context: the perspective of emerging economy suppliers, toward livestock supply chain sustainability: a case study on supply chain coordination and sustainable development in the pig sector in china, evaluating the impact of building material selection on the life cycle carbon emissions of south african affordable housing, sustainable development agenda: 2030, government regulation strategy, leading firms’ innovation strategy, and following firms imitation strategy: an analysis based on evolutionary game theory, related papers.

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More From Forbes

Righting the path: increasing sustainability in building and construction to benefit businesses.

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Melissa Russell is the executive director of the IEEE Computer Society, a co-sponsor of the SustainTech Leadership Forum .

According to a March 2024 report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from building operations and construction soared to their highest points ever in 2022, making up 37% of total global CO2 emissions . In addition, the sector amassed 34% of global energy consumption for operational needs like heating and cooling, as well as energy for producing construction materials.

When one industry contributes so significantly to a global issue, it should become a priority for business leaders to address it. Yet, by the nature of the work, building and construction are consumers versus generators of natural resources. From the materials necessary to support the built environment to the energy expended in the development and maintenance of its infrastructure, these industries have historically had few ways to address sustainability.

Engineering For Change

But engineering ingenuity is evolving. Cities around the globe are finding creative ways to make sustainable buildings and construction more of a standard for their geographies. For instance, Tampere, Finland, has publicly shared plans to be carbon neutral in six years, with a detailed road map that outlines the path to success. And San Diego, CA, has a Climate Action Plan in place that includes a goal of phasing out 45% of natural gas usage in existing buildings.

However, it sometimes takes private-public partnerships to make an impact, and the companies who design solutions for the built environment have just as important a role to play. For instance, some governments focused on greener technology are seeking alternative means for heating and cooling, such as variable-capacity heat pumps (VCHPs) . Local officials may focus on encouraging businesses to ramp up their use of solar technologies and rainwater collection within buildings. Governments may even seek to provide guidance to building owners to better address energy waste. But I believe none of that can be accomplished without the support of efficient, cost-effective supplies from leading equipment manufacturers.

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I also believe that to fuel lasting change in the global built environment, the engineering community should convene to scope out what is technologically possible in the short term and what can be done on a longer horizon. Sustainability forums and events can be effective for this by acting as places where industry, academia and government representatives can have global discussions of how new research and technology advances can be applied to positively impact building and construction sustainability. (Full Disclosure: My organization runs such a sustainability forum, as do others.)

Whether seeking to decrease costs around sustainable products, create alternative supplies, increase energy efficiency of current systems or reimagine the future of buildings and construction, bringing this community together could result in breakthroughs for solutions that provide better environmental options, support social responsibility and mean good business at the same time.

Business Impacts

While investing in sustainability is just that—an investment—I have witnessed great examples of businesses seeing positive gains after embracing more sustainable practices. Here are a few efforts to consider adopting for your business to achieve the benefits of taking a more environmentally friendly stance.

• Plan for sustainability to cut costs.

According to an analysis from Deloitte , “Sustainable construction doesn’t necessarily have to be more expensive, especially when pricing strategies, program management, and environmental plans are incorporated from the beginning into the development process.” As you move into a more conscious approach to sustainability, you don’t need to retrofit existing elements; consider instead embracing solar panels, energy-efficient heating and cooling, rainwater collection for toilets and so on to better address the future state of "normal" in built environments. These elements can make for future spaces that incorporate more energy-efficient solutions.

• Make the sustainable choice, one element at a time.

It may sound counterintuitive, but shifting to a more environmentally friendly office space can also contribute to the bottom line. Even if your business needs to implement a phased approach to replacing existing systems with more sustainable solutions over time, studies show that investment can pay off: According to a survey from Dodge Data and Analytics , green building owners and investors see, on average, 10% lower operating costs in the first year and over 16% within five years.

But you don't have to swallow the ocean; start with a simple first step, perhaps using more energy-efficient light sources or reconfiguring heating and cooling to align with more energy-efficient practices. And as you need to replace existing infrastructure, make the investment in the most efficient solution available.

• Prioritize sustainability among corporate goals, and respond to customer demands.

A Q4 2023 survey from Honeywell found that sustainability leads all other corporate initiatives, with 75% of executives ranking it as a top priority. What’s more, 92% of organizations report having formal plans in place to track and report on their progress toward goals.

With such a structured emphasis on sustainability, businesses are demanding sustainable solutions. Why? Not only is it the socially responsible approach to take, but customers are insisting on it: Globally, 44% of consumers said they were more likely to buy from a brand with a clear commitment to sustainability. In addition, a Harvard Business Review (subscription required) study found that "when Gen Z and Millennial customers believe a brand cares about its impact on people and the planet, they are 27% more likely to purchase it than older generations are—a clear measure of sustainability’s power to drive buying decisions in this group." Your future customers will likely expect your business to be environmentally focused, so making the change now can support your future growth.

Change On The Horizon

Of course, this sort of evolution occurs not instantaneously, but rather over time. With careful planning and development, businesses can chip away at environmental challenges. Factor in that "about 60% of the buildings that will exist by 2050 have not been built yet and 20% of existing building stock needs to be renovated to zero-carbon-ready by 2030," and global sustainability in the built environment seems much more attainable. Yet those time horizons signal one critical action for businesses: We should be evaluating today where we plan to be tomorrow, making progress toward carbon neutrality one sustainable effort at a time.

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Enhancing Retail Store Construction with Temporary Modular Barricades

Courtney Treffkorn | June 26, 2024

Retail facilities face the unique challenge of needing periodic updates to stay relevant and appealing to customers. These updates can be costly and disruptive without an effective crowd control solution that allows a store to remain open. Storefront barricades and construction barriers provide an excellent solution, enabling retail stores to guide foot traffic, keep dust and construction noise hidden, and continue operating during renovation projects.

The Need for Dust Containment in Shopping Centers

Construction and renovation projects inherently come with certain hazards, such as debris generation, the use of power tools, and the presence of multiple crew members working in a fast-paced environment. Given these risks, a worksite is no place for bystanders. Thus, an establishment that’s already open and wants to update its structure must either close down and lose revenue or find a way to keep customers out of the construction zone.

Additionally, potential liability issues associated with worksites are a significant concern. Patrons, especially those frequenting shopping malls, have high expectations for stores, which often provide a curated experience with brand-specific visuals, sounds, and even smells. The noise and chaos of a construction project can severely disrupt this tailored aesthetic. Dust containment walls in a retail setting offer the perfect solution for operations that wish to maintain their store’s cultivated look and feel while undergoing renovations.

Temporary modular barricades don’t just make the work zone inaccessible to customers; they make it disappear. These attractive, sustainable construction barriers for shopping centers present a smooth, finished-look wall that completely hides ongoing renovations while keeping dust, debris, and excess noise out of shopping areas. Additionally, they allow for customizations like vibrant vinyl graphics to promote the updated experience post-construction.

The Benefits of Shoppable Construction Barriers

Temporary modular barricades feature reusable modular panel systems that are lightweight and portable. These panels can easily be moved and set up by a single worker. They fit into an aluminum track to create a sturdy, seamless wall with an aesthetically appealing finish. These modular retail wall solutions have been utilized by high-end establishments that demand premium visuals for their retail operations.

One of the significant advantages of temporary modular barricades is their sustainability. These containment solutions use recycled materials and continually reincorporate past products to create a system that keeps nearly 100% of waste out of landfills. Modern consumers are increasingly aware of businesses’ commitment to environmental responsibility, and using these retail wall products is a clear way to demonstrate shared values. These panels can be reused multiple times, cutting waste and providing an excellent return on investment.

Temporary modular barricades come in various heights to fit virtually any store configuration and finish requirement, making them versatile and adaptable for different retail needs.

Case Studies of Temporary Modular Barricades in Action

Showroom Creation

A retailer needed to create a showroom to showcase new products to customers. They utilized temporary modular barricades’ clear panels to create a barrier between viewers and the products themselves, with additional loft space to accommodate more in the showroom.

Temporary Exhibits for Product Launches

For a product launch, temporary modular barricades were used to create a temporary exhibit. Graphics were installed to provide information about the various products, and the walls were leased for a short period, demonstrating the flexibility and temporary nature of the solution.

Retail Security During Construction

A high-end store used branded wall panels of temporary modular barricades during a construction phase. The flexibility and height capability of these barricades allowed the entire storefront, including signage, to remain intact, creating a seamless and professional appearance that upheld the brand’s aesthetic.

Arena Dividers

Temporary modular barricades were used to replace cloth wall dividers in an arena due to their durability, cleanliness, configurability, and aesthetic appeal. The cloth walls needed replacement to comply with new regulations requiring surfaces to be cleanable.

Nationwide Retail Rollout

For a nationwide retail rollout, temporary modular barricades were essential in facilitating a fast realignment of product offerings in existing environments. This solution allowed for space utilization and merchandising critical to the retailer’s new growth strategy.

Isolating Construction in Retail Stores

Temporary modular barricades were used to isolate construction areas within retail stores, providing dust and sound barriers that protected both construction teams and shopping customers from the disruptions of renovation work.

Multi-phase Construction Projects

In a multi-phase construction project, temporary modular barricades provided a fast, nearly invisible division of the operational construction site, enabling the retailer to adapt to the dynamic needs of the construction work over an extended period.

Corporate Office Renovations

During corporate office renovations, temporary modular barricades served as dust and sound barriers, maintaining a clean and professional environment despite ongoing construction work.

Standard Temporary Tenant Space Barricades

A dynamic, industry-leading retailer adopted temporary modular barricades as their new standard for temporary tenant space barricades between leases. Additionally, these panels were used in several full store renovations, effectively separating construction spaces from the customer experience and maintaining the optimal environment with minimal disruption.

High-end Dealership Renovations

A high-end dealership undergoing renovations required construction space to be blocked off from the display room. Temporary modular barricades provided a sound and dust barrier while fitting the aesthetic of the high-end dealership.

Mall Graphics

In a mall, temporary modular barricades were used to highlight the mall and block off space of an empty storefront. Graphics were printed directly onto the panels, demonstrating the customization options available with these barriers.

Nationwide Retail Remodels

During nationwide retail remodels, temporary modular barricades were used to separate construction space from the remainder of the store. These barriers provided a dust barrier and maintained a clean aesthetic for customers during normal operations. The configurability of these barricades allowed for quick adjustments to accommodate changes in plans.

Exploring Temporary Modular Barricades for Malls

Temporary modular barricades offer a premium experience for customers in retail establishments by concealing renovation and construction projects. These barriers enable employees and patrons to enjoy a peaceful environment while the facility is being updated, without the costly lost opportunities of downtime.

In conclusion, temporary modular barricades provide an innovative and practical solution for retail store construction and renovation projects. These barriers ensure that businesses can continue to operate smoothly while maintaining a clean and professional appearance. Their sustainability and adaptability make them an excellent choice for modern retail environments, where customer experience and environmental responsibility are paramount. By investing in temporary modular barricades, retailers can enhance their operational efficiency, protect their brand image, and demonstrate their commitment to sustainability.

At ARC, we offer state-of-the-art barricade solutions designed to meet the unique needs of retail environments. Our temporary modular barricades provide an efficient, sustainable, and visually appealing way to manage construction and renovation projects. With ARC’s barricade solutions, you can ensure that your store remains open and inviting to customers while you update and improve your facilities. Trust ARC to help you maintain the perfect balance between ongoing operations and essential upgrades, keeping your business thriving and your customers satisfied.

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Liu, X.; Xue, X. Construction and Application of a Coastline Ecological Index: A Case Study of Fujian Province, China. Sustainability 2024 , 16 , 5480. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16135480

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AI in sustainable hospitality: Complementing human efforts for optimal results

While AI and technology are often heralded as transformative tools in the push for sustainability, especially in sectors like hospitality, it is crucial to recognise their limitations. AI can optimise energy usage, streamline operations, and provide valuable insights, but it does not physically insulate walls or address the skills gap necessary to design, develop, and construct hotels and buildings sustainably. Implementing sustainability measures, such as installing energy-efficient insulation and reducing embodied carbon, relies heavily on skilled labour and new construction practices. These physical and human elements are indispensable and cannot be replaced by AI.

Moreover, AI does not tackle value drains such as split-incentives, where the benefits of investments in sustainability (like lower energy bills) do not accrue to the party making the investment (often the landlord versus the tenant). These economic barriers often hinder the full realisation of sustainability goals. The performance gap—the discrepancy between ambitious sustainability targets and actual outcomes—is influenced by budget limitations, technical challenges, and stakeholder misalignment.

Human-centric strategies

Bridging this performance gap requires more than advanced technology. Enhancing workforce skills, effective project management, and aligning stakeholder incentives are critical human-centric strategies that complement AI. For instance, training programs and educational initiatives are essential to equip the current and future workforce with the necessary skills to implement sustainable practices effectively. This includes training in the latest sustainable construction techniques and materials, which are crucial for reducing embodied carbon and improving energy efficiency in buildings.

Moreover, effective project management ensures that sustainability goals are met within budget and on time. This involves coordinating various stakeholders, including developers, operators, and policymakers, to align interests and create a more holistic approach to sustainability. An example of a company excelling in this integrated approach is SustainCRE.

Case study: SustainCRE

SustainCRE combines advanced technology, holistic services, and funding assistance to set itself apart from traditional energy audit companies and solution providers. This integrated approach simplifies the retrofit process for customers, providing a one-stop solution. The use of predictive machine learning modelling and proprietary software to deliver accurate and efficient retrofit solutions is a significant differentiator. This technological edge allows SustainCRE to offer tailored solutions that are both cost-effective and time-efficient.

By guaranteeing Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) upgrades and assisting with funding, SustainCRE reduces the financial risk for customers, making the decision to retrofit more attractive and less daunting. This model not only showcases the practical application of AI in sustainability but also highlights the essential role of human expertise and strategic oversight in achieving these goals.

AI applications in hospitality

AI can enhance sustainability in the hospitality industry by optimising HVAC systems, predicting and managing food waste, and automating resource controls. Additionally, AI can personalise guest experiences, encouraging sustainable choices for eco-friendly amenities and services. For example, AI-driven systems can adjust lighting and temperature settings based on occupancy patterns, significantly reducing energy consumption.

In the realm of waste management, AI can analyse food waste patterns and help kitchen staff adjust purchasing and preparation processes to minimise waste. These AI applications, combined with human oversight and operational adjustments, lead to more sustainable practices.

Decarbonising buildings

AI's role in decarbonising buildings and aligning with net-zero targets is crucial. AI can significantly impact whole-life carbon, including embodied and operational carbon. By optimising design, construction processes, and material selection, AI can help reduce the carbon footprint of new buildings. AI-driven simulations and predictive analytics can assess the environmental impact of different construction materials and techniques, promoting low-carbon alternatives.

Low-carbon buildings, aligned with net-zero targets, are increasingly in demand as they mitigate transition risks associated with regulatory changes and market expectations. Such buildings not only reduce environmental impact but also enhance asset value and revenue generation. Investors and tenants are willing to pay a premium for energy-efficient buildings, contributing to higher valuations and better long-term financial performance.

AI is a powerful tool that can significantly enhance sustainability efforts, but it is not a magic bullet. The true value of AI in sustainability lies in its integration with human expertise, strategic oversight, and a systemic approach that combines technology with physical and human-centric strategies. Companies like SustainCRE exemplify how this integration can simplify processes, reduce financial risks, and drive effective sustainability initiatives. Only through this holistic approach can the hospitality industry achieve its ambitious sustainability goals and realise the full potential of AI.

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A rigorous program helps prepare for new regulatory requirements with greater clarity and accuracy

Building toward a brighter future: Transforming Workday’s ESG program

• June 21, 2024

Commitment to sustainability requires more than a routine compliance check — it demands a mindset shift in a continuously evolving environment. As Workday considered its existing ESG program, it knew it needed clearer structure and direction to meet future regulatory requirements. Leaning into its longstanding relationship with PwC, Workday engaged the firm to help assess and improve its ESG reporting efforts. Together, Workday and PwC identified priorities and established a clear, actionable roadmap toward the company’s goals that laid the foundation for compliance with future regulations.

CLIENT  

Technology, media and telecommunication

High-priority ESG issues identified as important to the business and key stakeholders, tracked annually in Workday’s Global Impact Report

Holistic ESG reporting roadmap to guide Workday’s program

Created the roadmap to help Workday comply with three foundational ESG regulations

A clear structure for sustainability reporting can build trust with stakeholders and customers

Taking initiative: A commitment to sustainability

As consumers, investors and other stakeholders demand greater sustainability transparency, companies face a number of challenges. How can they take actions that count? How do they balance voluntary sustainability efforts that help build brand reputation with mandatory disclosures in compliance with government regulations? How can they stay on top of an evolving regulatory landscape without impacting their ability to serve their customers and take care of their people?

Workday, a leading enterprise platform that helps organizations manage their most important assets — their people and money, was driven to answer these questions. When the SEC proposed a new rule around climate-related disclosures, Workday realized that to continue to grow and stay compliant with future regulatory requirements, not only in the US but across the globe, it needed to reassess its ESG strategy. Deeply committed to its sustainability efforts, it set out to re-evaluate its reporting around key stakeholder priorities.

Establishing the right foundation

Workday wanted to refresh its ESG strategy to focus on the company’s critical priorities. To do so, it needed to align its team on the pressing regulatory requirements and build a reporting capability to address them. For guidance in the transition, Workday turned to its longtime strategic advisor, PwC. With PwC’s assistance, Workday wanted to hone its ability to assess ESG priorities and prepare for successful reporting in the future.

Workday approached the new sustainability reporting regulations as an opportunity to raise the bar of scrutiny on its voluntary disclosures as well. The new regulations would require greater confidence in reporting and controller sign-off. Workday aimed to excel among its peers and earn increased stakeholder trust by applying its rigorous standard for ESG reporting across the board.

A roadmap for enhanced ESG reporting

The project involved three key steps to help Workday advance its ESG strategy. The first step was an issue prioritization assessment to determine key ESG considerations, followed by a current state and gap analysis to assess where Workday was and the major gaps it had to fill. The outcomes then led to the final step of developing a roadmap to guide the company along its sustainability journey. The goal was to set Workday up for success by preparing for evolving regulatory requirements.

PwC initiated the project by gathering various perspectives from people involved in Workday’s sustainability efforts, including employees, management and some partners. The aim was to determine, beyond hard numbers, what mattered most to Workday’s stakeholders in terms of ESG and sustainability. Based on these responses, PwC and Workday identified the eight ESG priorities in line with the company’s values: energy and carbon emissions; diversity, equity and belonging; privacy and data security; product innovation and customer satisfaction; talent and culture; workforce development; responsible AI; and corporate governance and business ethics. The team then used these priorities to conduct a current state gap assessment. Leveraging input from the Workday team, PwC worked to gauge the company’s performance within these eight priority areas, determine an appropriate ambition level and evaluate its overall maturity in terms of governance, processes and controls, and technology. Once complete, the teams leveraged the findings to develop an 18-month roadmap for maturing Workday’s overall ESG program and readying for regulatory compliance. The project culminated with an all-day, in-person workshop session to help upskill Workday’s people and align both cross-functional employees and executives on the company’s key priorities and the bespoke roadmap.

Getting ahead of the game

To begin, Workday needed to assess its readiness to report across critical regulatory requirements including:

• The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)
• The SEC’s proposed Climate Disclosure rule
• California’s SB-253, SB-261 and AB-1305 regulating disclosures on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, climate-related financial risks, voluntary carbon offsets (VCOs) and climate-related emission claims.

This readiness assessment helped Workday identify gaps and create an action plan to expand its new ESG program to help meet stakeholder sustainability disclosure expectations.

In addition to helping establish clear ESG priorities and a roadmap to achieve them, the collaborative process with PwC helped open new channels of communication across Workday. As cross-functional teams met to discuss the ESG issues affecting the company, employees gained a better understanding and respect for their colleagues approaching the work from a different angle. This improved communication helps Workday strike the right balance as it weighs bottom-line impact against ideal-state sustainability. The result? Alignment on key ESG priorities and a plan to address them, powered by an energized and enthusiastic Workday team.

Trust in the process

These efforts created meaningful impacts for Workday in many ways. Now, the company has a solid foundation to prepare for upcoming ESG legislation and to better meet stakeholder expectations around disclosures. Prepared with a new understanding of critical sustainability priorities — and a more focused plan to mature its overarching ESG program and achieve its wide range of goals — Workday can communicate about its progress and impact with greater transparency and accuracy, helping to deepen trust among stakeholders. The cross-functional collaboration in the ESG project helped engender trust, fostering better internal communication. Plus, the time and effort invested in upskilling gave leadership the confidence to navigate the often confusing “alphabet soup” of regulations.

Workday’s efforts to redefine its ESG program strategy laid the foundation for continued success. The priorities and roadmap established throughout the project informed the company’s annual Global Impact Report and will continue to help inform Workday’s reporting.

Sustainable action for customer attraction

Beyond regulatory readiness, this initiative is helping Workday transform its relationship with its customers. Demonstrating its own commitment to sustainability reporting serves as a testament to Workday’s integrity as a provider that shares the same goals as its customers, helping to deepen customer satisfaction and trust.

"Our upgraded ESG program gives us a solid foundation to build on. Now when a new piece of legislation crops up, there’s no more ambiguity. Thanks to our work with PwC, we know exactly where to start." Jorja Jackson Vice President, Legal & Regulatory Affairs, Workday

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A review on application of green materials in different construction systems, their processing, surface modification, testing and certification

• Published: 27 June 2024

Cite this article

• Himanshi Saini 1 &
• Lalita Ledwani   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9406-8529 2  

The growing construction activities are one of the largest consumers of natural resources and have significantly contributed to environmental deterioration. The gradual worsening of surroundings has compelled researchers and environmental organizations to look for subtle changes to restore environmental conditions. This has led to a resurgence of earlier used bio-derived building materials. Originating from locally available agricultural and forest resources, these materials ensure low production cost, minimal maintenance cost, reduced carbon emissions, sustainability and renewability. However, the development and life cycle of these green composites faces certain drawbacks and challenges, including structure maintenance, high initial cost, lack of skilled labour, extra clearances and approvals. The present study establishes the underpinning of green construction by categorizing (i) commonly used raw materials, followed by (ii) their installation. Then, it explores how (iii) surface modifications are done for the enhancement of their properties. Finally, addresses the importance of (iv) sustainability testing and region-wise green building rating tools. The study systematically examines existing literature and case studies to identify trends and best practices for the integration of green materials. The results underscore the importance of green materials in sustainable construction practices and offer insights into their integration into different construction systems.

Graphical abstract

This section lists the key findings obtained by reviewing the vast landscape of green building material-related literature. Our observation unveiled a multitude of sustainable solutions, energy conservation and some pressing challenges to accepting green building materials.

A prominent pattern recognized was the incorporation of renewable and recyclable resources. This points towards the growing recognition of sustainable sources. However, the cost, performance variability, durability concerns and limited availability of the resources are still prominent gaps.

These gaps must be addressed by benchmarking the strength of green materials and collaborating with manufacturers, builders, policymakers and researchers.

Standardized and certification systems should be strengthened for policy recommendations and regulations for the upgradation and reliability of green materials.

Researchers, builders, consumers and policymakers should raise awareness by educating the readers about green building materials.

The cost-effectiveness, challenges to reliable supply chain and variations in regulatory frameworks and market incentives remain topics of debate.

The review compares the mechanical strength of green material sourced from agricultural, earthen, industrial and municipal waste and applications in different construction systems.

A summary of green building tools and lab, field and service life testing methods were discussed to advocate reliability.

Some overarching gaps, such as high initial cost, performance variability and awareness issues, were discussed, as needed, for a holistic and realistic approach.

The review discusses possible ways to bridge disparities by providing a comprehensive and integrated framework for sustainable development, performance variability and policy regulation.

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Saini, H., Ledwani, L. A review on application of green materials in different construction systems, their processing, surface modification, testing and certification. MRS Energy & Sustainability (2024). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43581-024-00088-0

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