Companies across all industries face rising pressure from governments and consumers to become more environmentally friendly.

The construction industry is no exception and it has a huge opportunity to increase the sustainability of building projects. In 2018, the sector accounted for 36% of global energy use and 39% of energy and process-related carbon dioxide emissions. Construction and demolition projects also generated 600 million tons of debris, which is more than double the municipal solid waste that year.

With construction and demolition debris — concrete, wood, asphalt — accumulating in landfills, there is mounting pressure on the construction industry to recycle and repurpose waste. According to Construction & Demolition Recycling, by 2025, the volume of construction waste generated annually is expected to double to 2.2 billion tons.

So what can the industry do to produce sustainable buildings, green buildings, eco-friendly building materials, and overall sustainable construction practices?

We’ve broken down some key topics of sustainable construction to help your company get started.

What is Sustainable Construction?

Sustainable construction means building with renewable and recyclable resources and sustainable building materials. During construction projects, care must be taken to reduce waste and energy consumption where possible and protect the natural environment around the site. The result of a sustainable construction project must be an environmentally friendly building or environment.

According to Professor Charles J. Kibert, sustainable construction focuses on six principles: “conserve, reuse, recycle/renew, protect nature, create non-toxic and high quality.” The goal is to reduce the industry’s impact on the environment by utilizing sustainable building practices, employing energy efficiency, taking advantage of green technology, and using eco-friendly building materials.

Sustainable construction impacts the environment because of the materials used, technology that produces greenhouse gas emissions, and the management of the infrastructure that can cause harm to the surrounding area. Economically, sustainable construction involves:

• Renewable energy generation.
• Sustainable building material and waste recycling.
• Water harvesting and preservation.
• Cloud-based technologies. 

The construction industry is unique because it can significantly affect the way these practices are applied. This is because of the large amounts of materials and energy that the industry uses.

Not only can the industry affect the environment through building materials and equipment, but construction also can benefit from green building with the proper green certifications. Here are the top two green certifications, LEED and Energy Star, that your team members can obtain and showcase to prospective clients.

Construction techniques, resources, and building practices have evolved over the years. With the increased interest in sustainability and energy conservation, new methods of construction that focus on sustainability have been developed. Sustainable construction uses green building methods that enhance renewable and sustainable efforts to produce sustainable buildings for the environment. Some of these methods include:

• Constructing green buildings
• Cutting materials precisely to reduce waste
• Selecting sustainable and recycled materials, and
• Managing construction sites to improve the environment.

While it’s clear something has to change, it’s less evident how you can do that. Thankfully, there are a few relatively straightforward ways you can make your operations more sustainable.