It is no secret that the climate is approaching turbulent times. Arguably, the decades to come will be the most important time period in human history as it will determine whether or not human civilization can continue to live and evolve on this planet. Those are the bad news. The good news? There is more opportunity than ever to live and thrive sustainably. Particularly in the construction industry.
Pursuing sustainable construction practices in your company has never been this accessible and comes with benefits that far outweigh the initial investment. It is no longer an expensive PR stunt. It is a viable investment in your commercial business with a measurable ROI. To shed some light on this, we have decided to highlight 5 key benefits of sustainable construction:
- Increased margins
- Improve your productivity
- Build your reputation
- Improve the health of your workers
- Have a social impact
- Increase your margins
Embracing sustainable construction practices allows you to increase your margin in many different ways. It is generally hard for companies to recognize that the sustainable options are cheaper. This is probably because it’s a long-term investment that pays back over time. Taking a sustainable approach today saves companies significant amounts of money in the future. For that reason it may seem like an expensive upfront cost. But it’s not all long-term. Sustainable construction practices can save companies time and resources today. Qflow has helped many different construction projects across the UK save an average of £222,000 per year. For example, by keeping track of material deliveries on your construction site, you always know what is going into the build. By avoiding any mistake in this process, you can save big on avoided cost of rework and delays.
2. Improves productivity
When you focus on applying sustainable practices to your project, you will find that many other aspects of the project workflow inadvertently improve at the same time. By embracing sustainable construction practices, and investing in cutting edge innovations to help you do so, you will streamline projects, minimize delays, minimize rework, significantly reduce maintenance… the list goes on. This will eventually loop back to the first benefit: increased margins.
How to easily procure digital tools in construction!
3. Build reputation
As the climate emergency gets increasingly dire and public awareness grows, the market for sustainable buildings will grow with it. Green construction is on a trend of increasing 2x every 3 years and it is estimated that the market for sustainable construction materials will hit $377 billion by 2022, up from $171 billion in 2015. A market projected to hit that size in that short period of time indicates that demand for sustainable construction is growing at an incredible pace. By being known for sustainable construction practices, your company will garner a strong reputation which will ultimately lead to more business, and once again tie back to benefit number 1, increase your margins.
4. Improve health of workers
According to an article in NBS, two of the top health concerns in construction are poor air quality and noise pollution. Another major issue is the exhaust from diesel engines on construction sites. This is a major cause of cancer in construction workers across the United Kingdom. Both of these risk factors can be mitigated by employing sustainable construction practices. At Qflow, we recently launched our Air Quality module in an attempt to assist construction companies with this exact issue along with the environmental damage poor air quality causes.
5. Have an impact
By committing to sustainable construction practices, you are doing so much more than simply benefitting the operations of your own business or the local environment. You are contributing to a more sustainable environment on a global scale which has a huge benefit to the generations to come. You are setting an example for other companies and governments to follow. You are pioneering an industry and inevitably making history. It is no small feat and definitely an endeavour to be proud of.
How top contractors are dedicated to sustainable construction
The wave of sustainable construction has only just begun. As previously mentioned, It’s not a PR stunt or a fad. This is the future of the industry and if you take action now, not only will you make a huge impact on the environment around you, but you will reap the commercial rewards as well. If you know someone who needs a nudge or could benefit from reading this, please share it with them and help spread awareness of the great benefits that come with sustainable construction. We want everyone to take advantage of them and to take part of this mission.
If you are interested in sustainability in construction, we would love to hear from you! You can book a meeting with our team here or read more about how Qflow supports your construction projects here.
