Eight ways your construction business can practice sustainability

Did you know customers are around four times more loyal to eco-friendly businesses? As a society, we are becoming ever more conscious about protecting our planet…it was once considered a unique selling point, but now sustainability within all businesses is not only necessary but increasingly critical across all industries.

We have complied 8 sustainability suggestions, some are office-based ideas that can be generalized to all businesses and the rest are specific to the construction industry. Either way, all should be being implemented where possible and all are equally helpful to ensuring sustainability. 

Go totally paper-free in the office and on the field.  

You may need to invest in relevant technology like tablets and devices but think of how much you will save on printer repairs and ink costs.  

Consider changing suppliers 

You need to work with other businesses who align with your ethics and prioritize sustainability and green practices too. 

Incentivize your staff to car-share, cycle or use public transport to travel to work. 

Sometimes people just need a little encouragement. You could use official sustainability statistics to motivate people for example, lead researcher Dr Christian Brand, from the University of Oxford found that “If just 10% of the population were to change travel behaviour, the emissions savings would be around 4% of lifecycle CO2 emissions from all car travel.” 

Be smart about waste, re-use it or sell it.  

If you have waste from one project, then use it for the next or sell it to a similar company who requires those materials. Make it a priority to transport waste from one site to another, don’t take the easy or potentially cheaper route. 

Make sure every single site and office are equipped with colour coordinated and fully labelled recycling bins.  

This includes one for general waste, one for plastics, glass and tins, one for paper and cardboard recycling and one for food and compostable waste. Although this seems like an obvious sustainability practice you’d be surprised how many small- medium businesses operate with just one or two types of bins. 

Use Management Tech to Reduce Waste 

Invest to make a real difference and save yourself lots of £££ long-term. The majority of construction firms still operate traditionally. However, with new construction technology platforms like MDiG emerging, a shift from the physical to the digital world is extremely likely to create a new era of construction that all will eventually embrace.  

Opt for greener materials 

Ensure your quantity surveyors choose suitable, durable, and more eco-friendly materials to build with. You can also ensure that smart appliances and renewable energy devices i.e. solar panels are planned into all your builds.  

Utilize Zoom & schedule appointments efficiently 

Let staff work from home if they can and ensure all meetings are virtual unless the meeting is in the same building or within a walkable distance. If you must attend a site or travel for a meeting, then block in multiple meetings in the same place on the same day so your schedule remains efficient and sustainability-focused.  

Here at Tall Zebra, we take a sensible approach to waste and unnecessary travel. We are based in a digital hub shared with other businesses where we all recycle! If you’d like to work with us for your construction digital marketing, get in touch.