Nibletz Staff
The world is becoming more environmentally conscious, and the business world has latched onto this knowing that having a green motif will be good for profits as well as the earth. This is certainly true in the construction industry where going green from the ground up is becoming an industry-wide motto.
Whatever your big selling point used to be, whether it be meeting deadlines or coming in under budget, the big selling point of 2017 is being more sustainable. As such, we have come up with a list of ways in which your construction business can become that much more eco-friendly.
1. Materials
A huge chunk of energy consumption happens in the earliest stages of all, the manufacturing of materials. That is why it is so important that you make a conscious effort to use low-impact building materials, including recycled and repurposed materials. Insulation made from blown-paper, hempcrete to make exterior walls, these are all becoming common within sustainable construction.
2. Equipment
Using more energy efficient equipment is a great way to reduce your on-site carbon footprint, and the manufacturing side of the industry is making huge strides on this front. This isn’t all you should consider, however, because using equipment such as the jaw crusher from Weir Minerals will allow you to recycle old concrete better, much improving your onsite recycling abilities. These are the sorts of approaches you should consider. Ones that address every aspect and make your process more eco-friendly.
3. Local
This is going to become a huge trend across a lot of industries, especially construction because locality is becoming a big thing. Using locally sourced timber, local employees, local bricks and visiting local quarries are all going to reduce your transportation and fuel costs, both of which have a huge impact on your environmental footprint.
4. Modular
In terms of industry trends, modular homes and prefabricated buildings are all the trend and this is partly because it allows the construction industry to be much greener. The reason being you can streamline almost every aspect of your business operations, from design time to waste, transport costs to manufacturing equipment. The world is going on-demand, and the chance to have a home made to specification in a fraction of the time and for a fraction of the carbon output is a big hit.
5. Waste
We touched on it above, but it deserves to be delved into much deeper because for every square foot of house there are five pounds of waste. Drywall, roofing, bricks, sand, insulation, glass; all of these add up to create a horrendous amount of waste that is not only bad for the environment but awful for profit margins too. To counter this, a lot of building companies are looking at ways to better store their materials, while others are even going as far as finding ways to reuse old materials. On the manufacturing and production side, a lot of companies are trying to pull their weight too by limiting the amount of packaging that is used, which is something that you should take into consideration, and even ask your suppliers about.
