Strategy for Sustainable Construction

Strategy for Sustainable Construction
Taken from Green Building Magazine, Summer 2009

It is almost a year since the Strategy for Sustainable Construction was released to the world. This joint industry and government initiative intended to promote leadership and behavioural change, as well as delivering benefits to both the construction industry and the wider economy.

A lot has changed in the last year, especially in the wider economy, which has affected construction more than any other industry. In this light, it is likely that some objectives of the Strategy for Sustainable Construction will be significantly more or less challenging than originally planned, depending which one you consider.

There are eleven main areas covered in the strategy with over seventy targets and objectives detailed across these areas.

For waste, the main overarching target relates to the diversion of construction waste from landfill. Specially, by 2012, a fifty per cent reduction of construction, demolition and excavation waste to landfill compared to 2008.

There were six actions identified to help achieve this target. These include the construction waste commitment, developing advice for small builders, developing sector resource efficiency plans, setting an overall target for diverting demolition waste from landfill, extending the Plasterboard Manufacturer's agreement to the rest of the supply chain, and a twenty per cent reduction in construction packaging waste.

The Construction Waste Commitment is led by WRAP (Waste and Resources action Programme), who have asked individual construction companies to sign up to halving waste to landfill. To date one hundred organisations have signed up to this voluntary commitment.

Developing guidance for small builders on waste reduction is being led by the National Federation of Builders, with help from others. It has also recently published a waste saving guide that could help reduce waste disposal costs by up to forty per cent for small builders following its advice.


Strategy for Sustainable Construction