In an era where businesses aim to balance profitability with the commitment towards our planet, corporate sustainability stands as the beacon guiding businesses toward a more impactful existence. Incorporating sustainability goals isn’t just a choice; it’s a vital responsibility for companies to embrace. This commitment transcends mere financial gains, embodying a dedication to longevity and ethical leadership in the global economy.
This is when a green or sustainable building comes into the picture. It is designed and constructed to minimise its impact on the environment and be resource-efficient throughout its life cycle. Eco-friendly buildings focus on reducing energy, water, and material used while safeguarding the occupant’s health, avoiding hazardous impacts, and reducing pollution and waste.
Sustainability measures:
- Environmental Management Systems (EMS): An EMS helps organisations systematically manage their ecological footprint by setting goals, measuring performances, and implementing strategies to minimise resource use, waste generation, and emissions. It provides a proactive approach to working towards environmental targets, reducing risks, and improving health and safety practices, all while complying with relevant environmental regulations.
- Reducing Carbon Footprint: Reducing a company’s carbon footprint requires a multi-pronged approach that tackles emissions at their source. This starts with a firm commitment to greenhouse gas reduction by embracing renewable energy like solar or wind power, optimising logistics to streamline transportation, and improving energy efficiency across operations. Implementing smart technologies like LED lighting, motion sensors, and smart HVAC controls can limit energy consumption, further promoting sustainability within the workplace.
- Supply Chain Sustainability: Corporations ensuring supply chain sustainability involve a comprehensive evaluation of suppliers, aiming to collaborate with partners who share similar sustainability values. In this increasingly eco-conscious world, corporate responsibility extends far beyond the office walls. But it’s not just about minimising footprints; it’s about maximising impact. Companies empower suppliers to adopt eco-friendly practices, advocating fair labor conditions and responsible waste management.
- Waste Management Systems: To reduce waste generation, businesses should implement recycling programmes that include providing designated bins for different types of waste and eliminating single-use plastics. Corporations can manage waste through methods like recycling, composting, incineration, and landfills, along with advanced techniques such as bioremediation and waste-to-energy (WTE). They can also reduce waste by implementing strategies like source reduction, going paperless, using digital tools for collaboration, and employing reusable items like mugs, cutlery, and containers, all supported by smart sensor technology
- Ethical Labor Practices: Ethical labor practices ensure fair wages, safe working conditions, and workers’ dignity, fostering a productive, satisfied workforce. This benefits not only employees but also corporations, with reduced turnover and a boosted brand image. Organisations must implement these practices through strong codes of conduct, supply chain audits, and stakeholder engagement, thereby contributing to broader societal progress.
- Circular Economy Practices: To embrace a circular economy model, companies are minimising waste by reusing, recycling, or repurposing materials and products. They are designing products for longevity and offering take-back programs for recycling. This approach fosters cost savings, boosts employee engagement, and cultivates a culture of creativity where waste becomes opportunity. Examples include desks crafted from recycled plastic, carpets woven from discarded fishing nets, printer cartridges reborn, etc.
- Community Engagement and Social Responsibility: In today’s world, corporations are actively engaging with the communities they operate in, building positive relationships, and contributing to their well-being. This engagement takes many forms, from volunteering and financial support to partnering on local initiatives and addressing social issues. Companies can foster mutual prosperity and sustainability by aligning business objectives with community needs, advocating for diversity, equality, and inclusion, and endorsing fair labor practices.
Principles that sustainable construction covers
| Builder’s Perspective | Corporate’s Perspective |
| Energy and resource optimization | Water conservation and efficiency |
| Sustainable material sourcing and usage | Reduced environmental impact |
| Water management and conservation | Comprehensive life cycle analysis |
| Durable and adaptive construction practices | Preservation of biodiversity and ecosystems |
| Waste reduction and management | Commitment to social responsibility |
| Efficient material utilization | Embracing innovation and stakeholder engagement |
| Local resource preservation and utilization | Economical operations and low maintenance costs |
| Environmentally conscious material selection | Upholding environmental responsibility |
Certifications and parameters:
- LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design): Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED has different levels of certification, such as Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, based on the points earned in various categories like energy efficiency, water efficiency, materials used, indoor environmental quality, and innovation.
- IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) Rating: The IGBC is awarded to a project based on the green measures considered during design.
- EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies): EDGE certification is aimed at evaluating the resource efficiency of buildings in emerging markets, particularly in terms of energy, water, and materials.
- BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method): BREEAM measures performance, provides benchmarks for sustainable construction, and guides improvements, fostering buildings that are more environmentally responsible, healthier for occupants, and cost-efficient to operate. Buildings are rated and certified on a scale of ‘pass’, ‘good’, ‘very good’, ‘excellent’, and ‘outstanding’.
- WELL: This is a performance-based building standard for measuring, certifying, and monitoring features of the built environment that impact human health and well-being through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind.
- ENERGY STAR: It evaluates a building’s energy performance using the EPA’s (Environmental Protection Agency) Portfolio Manager Tool, considering factors like energy use intensity and performance metrics.
- GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment): Ranging from one to five stars, this is an indigenous green building rating system that evaluates buildings on various parameters such as site selection, energy consumption, water conservation, waste management, and materials used.
Another key goal of Sustainability is “Net zero” that refers to a state where the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by their removal out of the atmosphere. In the context of carbon emissions, a net-zero goal means reducing emissions as much as possible and compensating for the remaining emissions through activities that remove an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
The journey towards corporate sustainability is an intricate weave of initiatives, principles, and certifications aimed at reducing environmental impact while fostering economic growth and social progress. The above-mentioned initiatives help companies become more efficient, profitable, and socially responsible while also helping to protect our planet’s resources for future generations.