Sustainability seems to be the "it" word of the century, but what does it really mean for kiwi builders? This is the first in a series of stories in Building Business to highlight the key things you can do to build a more positive future for your business.
So what is Sustainability?
So let's start with a simple definition: Sustainability means making choices and adopting practices that balance environmental, social, and economic considerations to ensure a healthier life for people and the environment now and for generations to come. For builders, sustainability means choosing environmentally friendly materials, building systems that minimise waste, and adopting design principles that reduce the carbon footprint of a building and facilitate the most efficient use of natural resources, energy and water. Sustainability also encompasses social responsibility, including how you treat your employees, suppliers and sub-contractors.
All these factors are included in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which New Zealand has embraced as a roadmap for building a sustainable future in this country.
A worldwide blueprint
Developed by the UN in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future, with longterm benefits for people, the economy and the environment. They address critical global challenges of poverty, inequality, climate change and environmental degradation.
The UN monitors these goals to gauge progress and action across member countries. In New Zealand, the goals have been incorporated into much of the legislation relating to building and infrastructure development.
A good example is the Green Star and Homestar rating systems, whereby many government buildings, residential developments and local authority buildings must have verifiable environmental, energy and sustainability ratings.
In many cases, builders who work on these projects must only use materials and labour where a chain of custody can be verified. This shows that the materials have been produced, manufactured and distributed sustainably, and everyone employed in the supply chain is treated fairly with no discrimination
Seeing the wood for the trees
There is a vast amount of information available about sustainability in building, and it isn't easy to distil it down to practical steps builders can take to embrace the sustainable drive.
Of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, five are most pertinent to builders and building companies in New Zealand. In future articles, we will focus on each and provide a breakdown of the key things relevant to you.