Construction is typically dirty business for the environment. Building construction and operations combined account for almost 40% of all carbon emissions worldwide, making it the single most polluting sector, according to the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction. Mitigating these emissions is an opportunity to have an enormous impact.
The majority of construction-related CO2 emissions — about 11% of the global total — are associated with manufacturing building materials, transporting materials to construction sites and the actual construction process, according to a UN Environment Global Status report. A key area where contractors can build more sustainability into a project is in the procurement process.
