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Sustainable Construction

Sustainability is of increasing importance to the efficient, effective and responsible operation of business. This is especially true for construction.

Construction has a huge contribution to make to everyone's quality of life and in enabling the positive impacts of its work to be achieved in a more sustainable manner. Construction outputs can alter the nature, function and appearance of the towns and countryside in which we live and work.

Pollution has major sources in the construction process: waste materials; noise, vehicle emissions, contaminant release into atmosphere, ground & water. Energy produced from non-renewable sources & consumed in building services accounts for approx 50% of UK CO2 emissions, contributing to climate change, consuming non-renewable resources and adding to pollution. This needs to change if we are to achieve the Government's target of a 60% reduction in (the 1990 level of) emissions by 2050.

DTI/Construction Sector Unit works closely with other Government Departments including Defra, who take the lead in government on sustainability issues and DCLG on Building Regulations, in improving the sustainability of construction.

Two key issues are:

Code for Sustainable Homes

Sustainable Construction Strategy: The DTI Construction Sector Unit (CSU) is co-ordinating development of a Government industry Strategy for Sustainable Construction.

For more information on the work of CSU on sustainablity please see the Sustainable Construction Brief on the right of this page.

Details on the Site Wate Management Plans (SWMP), the DTI's voluntary guide to managing and reducing construction waste are available from the link on the right.

Discussion papers:

Queries on this subject may be referred to David Hughes