New CIOB president Professor Mike Kagioglou starts his term in office with a call for construction to measure its impact against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“The SDGs provide a framework that can help the industry become more innovative and sustainable – they are relevant to all the major issues construction is facing,” said Kagioglou, who is pro-vice-chancellor for research and business innovation at De Montfort University (DMU).
The 17 SDGs were created through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations members in 2015. They highlight the connections between the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development.
“I think the big construction companies, who already do great work in areas like social value and environmental sustainability, would be interested in mapping their organisations against the SDGs to see what their performance is,” Kagioglou said.
“I would like to get a group of champions together from the industry, representatives from 10 or 20 companies initially, and create a task group for construction. It would allow them to showcase the excellent work they’re doing, gain a competitive advantage with clients, plus these examples can help others learn and drive the whole sector forward. So, I’m keen for any construction companies interested in the SDGs to get in touch with me.”
Higher education model
The higher education sector provides a model that Kagioglou believes construction could follow.
“The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings are global performance tables that assess universities’ performance against the SDGs,” he says. “Institutions submit evidence each year about their progress, and they are ranked in the table. Importantly, universities are measured on their activities and output – how they impact the environment and society as a whole.
“Construction has an impact on everyone around the globe – all eight billion of them! – the people we employ, those in supply chains, the end users of buildings we construct. So wouldn’t it be sensible to find a way of measuring and reporting that?”
Kagioglou says all the UN SDGs have relevance to construction but particularly:
- Goal 9: build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation; and
- Goal 11: make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable; and
- Goals 13, 14, and 15, which are about climate change, conservation and biodiversity.
