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development is to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life, without compromising the quality of life of future generations
(Defra, 2005)
Statement from ICE, ACE, CECA, CIRIA and the Construction Products Association
ICE, ACE, CECA, CIRIA and the Construction Products Association are committed to the principles enshrined in this strategy and to working together to undertake the actions outlined in the accompanying action plan. We will monitor our progress and review milestones, priorities and actions as necessary to help ensure continuous improvement in the sustainability performance of the civil engineering sector.
Steering group
Ashley Bateson
Member of the Association for Consultancy and Engineerings Sustainability Sector Interest Group and Principal Sustainability, Hoare Lea
Ian Nicholson
Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers Environment and Sustainability Board and Managing Director, Responsible Solutions Ltd
Dr Tony Parry
Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers Environment and Sustainability Board and Senior Lecturer, University of Nottingham
Rita Singh
Environment & Industry Performance Director, Construction Products Association
John Wilson
Technical and Environmental Officer, Civil Engineering Contractors Association
Coordinating author: Dr Chrissie Pepper Senior Policy Executive, Institution of Civil Engineers, One Great George Street, London SW1P 3AA Tel +44 (0)20 7665 2221; Email chrissie.pepper@ice.org.uk Thanks also to: Andrew Crudgington, Senior Policy Manager, Institution of Civil Engineers Ruth Dennett, International Development Manager, Institution of Civil Engineers Annie Hall, Member of Institution of Civil Engineers Environment and Sustainability Board and Director, GainPerspective Ed Horton, Senior Marketing Communications Executive, Institution of Civil Engineers Professor Paul Jowitt, Vice President, Institution of Civil Engineers and Professor of Civil Engineering Systems, Heriot-Watt University Professor Roger Venables, Chief Executive, CEEQUAL Ltd
achieve a better balance between social, environmental and economic progress across the civil engineering industry and profession.
It provides us with a framework for refocusing our efforts on building sustainable communities, because, at its heart, sustainability is about making improvements to our quality of life both now and in the future. I am greatly encouraged by and committed to the partnership approach of this strategy and action plan to addressing both the challenges and opportunities presented by sustainable development.
Producing and implementing this strategy and action plan is not an end in itself. It is part of our journey towards sustainability. By its very nature, this will be a living document. Our approach will be developed, tested and improved over time. And very importantly, it will require the active, continuous and meaningful engagement of the engineering community and the wider construction industry both in the UK and internationally.
Executive summary
This document contains our strategy and plans to build on past achievements in supporting civil engineerings contribution to sustainable development. It has been prepared by a steering group comprising the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the Association for Consulting and Engineering (ACE), the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA), CIRIA and the Construction Products Association. It brings up to date the first strategy and action plan Society, Sustainability and Civil Engineering, produced in 2002. Acting in a coordinated way, we will help to lead the civil engineering sector towards a more sustainable future and to enhance still further its contribution to a more sustainable built environment. Our vision is for the civil engineering industry and profession to play its full role in the creation and maintenance of sustainable communities in harmony with their natural environment. Underpinning this vision are four strategic aims which will guide our approach to pursuing sustainable development in civil engineering:
A number of actions along with a timescale for delivery are set within each of the above aims and related objectives and include, inter alia: promotion of the Civil Engineering Environmental Quality Assessment and Awards Scheme (CEEQUAL) to clients, designers and contractors to encourage environmental excellence in civil engineering projects investigation of the challenges and opportunities to achieve sustainability and their impact on civil engineering organisation of a series of climate change workshops and subsequent reports to identify priority actions for the civil engineering sector in addressing the challenges posed by climate change production and dissemination of a rolling programme of case studies to demonstrate good practice around the social aspects of corporate responsibility active participation in the formulation of relevant government strategies, e.g. the Government/industry Sustainable Construction Strategy Members of the steering group and their organisations are committed to working together to deliver on this strategy. We will regularly monitor achievements against the action plan and publish an annual progress report.
1 promote strong leadership within civil engineering 2 embed the principles of sustainable development into everyday work activities and decision making 3 build capacity for sustainable development in the industry and profession 4 create and influence a policy framework that demands more socially and environmentally responsible behaviour
Introduction
Despite some excellent improvements in the environmental performance of civil engineering in recent years, and progress towards improving the quality of many peoples lives, the current approach to development adopted by most organisations remains essentially unsustainable. Collectively, we are consuming the earths natural resources beyond its ability to regenerate them and creating waste at a rate that cannot be sustained. In addition to the environmental impact of our actions, the needs of societies around the world are not being met. Civil engineering delivers the infrastructure on which modern life depends clean water, wastewater treatment, transport systems etc. However, there is a strong sense of imbalance in the delivery of civil engineering, the positive and adverse impacts of what we do, and the social benefits that accrue from our work. As members of the built environment community, our goal is to rectify this imbalance by the creation of sustainable communities in harmony with their natural environment.
This strategy is for everybody working in and with the civil engineering sector whose actions and decisions affect sustainable development, whether locally, nationally or internationally. It comprises a vision for civil engineerings contribution to sustainable development and our approach in pursuing this vision. The associated action plan sets out a series of practical actions we propose to take within the parameters set by the strategy.
products and processes becoming increasingly complex, engineers need to integrate consideration of whole-life environmental and social impacts positive as well as negative with the mainstream and commercial aspects of their work
Lord Broers FREng FRS, Past President, Royal Academy of Engineering
Quality of Life
To achieve this, we need to strengthen markedly how we already in part address some of the most profound problems facing humanity, for example climate change and poverty, to name only two. The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE), the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA), CIRIA and the Construction Products Association have prepared this sustainable development strategy and action plan to continue their drive for real and continuous improvement in the performance of the civil engineering sector with respect to sustainability. It defines our commitment to help industry deliver more sustainable civil engineering and the actions that we will undertake in pursuing this goal. There is a role for professional bodies and trade associations to encourage and promote good practice and a role for individuals and organisations working within the civil engineering sector to take responsibility for adopting and exceeding it. This strategy and action plan will be updated and extended over the coming months and years, the partners having committed themselves to review it at least annually.
Best Practice
Actions for all organisations in the civil engineering supply chain:
improve management of impacts and resource productivity, including whole life-cycle assessments engage the supply chain at the earliest possible stages of a project to ensure sustainable development principles are embedded promote the business case for sustainable development to clients and financial institutions be accountable for performance with respect to sustainability
CEEQUAL The Civil Engineering Environmental Quality Assessment and Award Scheme see www.ceequal.com for further details
UK Climate Change Programme (Defra, 2006) ConstructionSkills Strategic Action Plan Build to Last and Sustainability Skills Matrix for the Built Environment (ConstructionSkills, 2005) 2012 Construction Commitments (Strategic Forum for Construction, 2006) Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) Review of Sustainable Construction (2006) UK Government sustainable procurement policy, including the work of the Governments Sustainable Procurement Taskforce (SPTF, 2006) Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and the work of the Public Sector Construction Clients Forum (PSCCF) the work of the Sustainability Forum (a specialist sub-group of the Strategic Forum for Construction) European Construction Industry Federation Principles for Sustainability (FIEC, 2006) the Royal Academy of Engineerings Engineering for Sustainable Development: Guiding Principles (Dodds and Venables, 2005) United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2 The strategy and action plan partners continue to work closely with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to ensure that this document influences and aligns with the Government /Industry Sustainable Construction Strategy, which is currently being developed.
An ICE International Development Policy Group has been established to help facilitate the civil engineers role in addressing the UN Millennium Development Goals
International action
This strategy and action plan recognises the importance of common efforts, global action and collective responsibility for sustainable development, and for fulfilling the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In July 2006, ICE signed a Protocol for Engineering a Sustainable Future for the Planet along with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE). This articulated the organisations continuing commitment to sustainable development and recognised that civil engineers have the knowledge and skills to play a major role in helping to meet the MDGs. The Protocol also committed each of the signatories to produce a sustainability action plan to help articulate and deliver more sustainable development. This document contains ICEs UK action plan for sustainable development. An International Development Policy Group (IDPG) has been established to lead ICEs international development work and take responsibility for coordinating the international element of ICEs sustainable development strategy. ICE is also working to encourage other engineering institutions worldwide to sign up to the Protocol and produce their own sustainability action plans. The IDPG will build on the work of the ICE Presidential Commission Engineers without Frontiers (EwF). The EwF Commission, which ran from 2003 to 2006, focused
on the role of influencing, advocacy and partnerships in delivering effective infrastructure to help meet the challenge of achieving the MDGs (Jowitt, 2006a). The Commission also produced a set of Principles of Engineering for Development and Poverty Reduction (EwF, 2005) to address the challenge of international development and set out the attributes required for successful development engineering projects to alleviate poverty. Emanating from the EwF Presidential Commission, ICEs 6th Brunel International Lecture series, entitled Engineering Civilisation from the Shadows delivered by Professor Paul Jowitt, discussed the role of engineering in addressing the twin spectres of climate change and world poverty and further outlined the potential of civil engineering to continue its major contribution to international development (Jowitt, 2006b). By June 2007, the lecture had been heard in 29 venues in 12 different countries by over 2,902 people. ICE will continue to work with others, such as the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO), towards the achievement of the MDGs. In particular, it will establish a memorandum of understanding with WFEO in order to deliver EwF outputs internationally. In addition, the IDPGs work will focus on embedding international development into mainstream ICE policy, in line with the Institutions new international strategy.
More importantly, a sustainability-driven approach to civil engineering leads to adoption of some key objectives in practice: dramatically reduce the environmental impact of our life and work dramatically improve the environmental quality of what we create maximise the utilisation of materials and their reuse maximise appropriate use of secondary and recycled materials minimise waste in design, construction and use minimise energy and water use minimise pollution from all our activities focus on increasing peoples quality of life through good urban design ensuring respect for people; that is, showing care towards the workforce and the surrounding community. This should be reflected in everything from health and safety, to site and welfare conditions, providing training opportunities, promoting equality and work-life balance and in encouraging job satisfaction Other concepts used throughout the document are defined below.
development is to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life, without compromising the quality of life of future generations
(Defra, 2005)
Social
Bearable
Sustainable
Figure 1
Equitable
Economy
Environment
Viable
Economic
Society Environment
Research has highlighted that if everyone in the world lived the way we do in Europe we would need three planets to support us.
Unsustainable development also creates social problems which are exacerbated by the inequalities in health, wealth, education and employment which accompany it. It is now almost universally accepted that global climate change is a reality and that human emissions of greenhouse gases are a contributory factor. The Stern Review (Stern, 2006), on the economics of climate change, outlined the costs of inaction in addressing the problem of climate change. It forecast that spending one per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP) now on tackling climate change would help preclude a loss of up to 20% global GDP and avoid almost certain global economic disaster. The report also outlined the human cost of massive social upheaval caused by climate change, and the environmental legacy for future generations.
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The role of ICE, ACE, CECA, CIRIA and the Construction Products Association
We are committed to using our influence to encourage and support the civil engineering sector to deliver sustainable development. We have made a commitment that, as representative bodies of the industry, individual professionals and the industry owned research body we will specifically provide: leadership education and training knowledge transfer a voice of the industry and profession to Government and the public support for research and innovation Acting in a coordinated way, we will use our influence to continue to lead the civil engineering sector into a more sustainable future.
CEEQUAL assesses performance in 12 areas of environmental concern, including, inter alia the use of water, energy and land, ecology, landscape, archaeology, waste management, and community amenity. The assessment framework provides a checklist of appropriate actions for project teams to embed into their projects development. To date (July 2007) sixteen awards have been made, the most recent ones being Norton Fitzwarren Dam, M60 widening, Rushall Canal improvement and Carran Hill Water Treatment Works in Northern Ireland. Details of projects that have achieved an award can be viewed on the CEEQUAL website, www.ceequal.com. Currently, a further 83 projects are being assessed and the total value of projects that have been or are being assessed has exceeded 2.5billion. Scheme development is a major element of the work programme for CEEQUALs Scheme Managers alongside day-to-day operation of the scheme. The present Manual (Version 3.1) is now called the Projects Version and has recently been updated. Recent progress in industry practice will be reflected alongside new assessment questions in later versions. A Term Contracts version is under development, thus allowing the CEEQUAL ethos, approach and methodology to be applied to the substantial proportion of civil engineering undertaken through long-term, geographically-based contracts, rather than discreet individual projects. The website www.ceequal.com provides further details. Clearly CEEQUAL provides a valuable mechanism for delivering this strategy. The partners in this strategy and action plan thus remain committed to supporting the further development of CEEQUAL and to encouraging and promoting its greater uptake by the civil engineering sector.
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answer (to global sustainability challenges), because engineering is the link the absolutely essential link between science and business... If you want to change the world, be an engineer
Lord Browne, FREng, President, Royal Academy of Engineering
Leadership
Accordingly, ICE will circulate the document to its Country Representatives worldwide so that they may consider its relevance for promoting more sustainable development where they live and work. Similarly, the document will also be circulated by the other partners in this project to their international counterparts. This plan is organised around the four sustainable development aims identified in the strategy. Where champions have been identified in the table below, this does not preclude other partners from actively contributing to the delivery of the actions as well as the aims and objectives more broadly. Indeed, the partners have committed to working together to fully implement the strategy and action plan and will seek to involve other construction bodies and organisations where appropriate.
1
ICE
2008
1. To encourage clients,
particularly government and major clients, to take a lead in driving forward sustainable development
ICE
Ongoing
All partners
Ongoing
. To take the lead in promoting the role of civil engineering in addressing climate change
3 4
See Hawkins et al, 2006 The ENGAGE-CONSTRUCT website contains practical guidance on how to be a socially responsible construction client, for more information go to www.engageweb.org
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ICE
October 2007
ICE
Ongoing
ACE
January 2008
4. To develop and/or provide access to tools and guidance on incorporating sustainable development into all aspects of civil engineering
CIRIA
April 2008
CIRIA
June 2008
Ongoing
1
ICE
December 2007
All partners
Annual
Ongoing
Ongoing
ICE
Annual
16
Champion ICE
Timescale Ongoing
ICE
June 2008
ICE
June 2008
ICE
September 2008
ICE
ICE
ICE
September 2007
ICE
Ongoing
All partners
Ongoing
Developed by the Skills Working Group of the Sustainability Forum for Construction now owned and promoted by ConstructionSkills, SummitSkills and AssetSkills for wider dissemination and use The G15 are a group of major engineering institutions in the UK SCOSS the Standing Committee on Structural Safety
6 7
1
Ongoing 2008
. To engage with stakeholders in developing research activity to address key topics on sustainable development
December 2007
ICE, CIRIA
2008
2008/09
Ongoing
All partners
Ongoing
CIRIA CIRIA
Annual Ongoing
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Aim 4 Create and influence a policy framework that demands more socially and environmentally responsible behaviour
Creating the right policy and regulatory framework to support and reward sustainable development will be challenging and will require a variety of actions at all levels. The strategy partners will work collaboratively to identify these and promote consistency in policy making. Objective Actions and deliverables 11.1 Active engagement and participation in relevant Government strategies e.g. Government/industry Sustainable Construction Strategy, Defra National Waste Strategy and DfT transport policies and others, including provision of inputs and dissemination mechanisms 11. Work collaboratively across the sector to: advise Government at all levels on the creation of a more efficient and less bureaucratic legislative environment that promotes sustainable development encourage Government to use fiscal incentives to promote sustainable development promote consistency across Whitehall policy on sustainable development provide engineering knowledge and expertise on sustainable development to Government 1.1 Identify opportunities to influence the European Union to embed sustainability in the policy making process 1. Scope out with European construction bodies the possibility of developing a panEuropean action plan to complement this plan for the UK civil engineering sector
Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR.gov.uk, 16/03/07, URL http://www.csr.gov.uk Engineers without Frontiers (EwF), Institution of Civil Engineers Presidential Commission, (2005), The Principles of Engineering for Development and Poverty Reduction, Institution of Civil Engineers, London. European Construction Industry Federation, (2006), The FIEC Principles for Sustainability, Fdration de lIndustrie Europenne de la Construction (FIEC), Brussels. Hawkins, J., Herd, C., and Wells, J. (2006), Modifying infrastructure procurement to enhance social development, Institution of Civil Engineers and Engineers Against Poverty, London. Institution of Civil Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers, Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, (2006), Protocol for Engineering a Sustainable Future for the Plant, Institution of Civil Engineers, London, 15/03/07, URL http://www.ice.org.uk Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the Association for Consulting and Engineering (ACE), the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA), the Construction Products Association and CIRIA, (2002), Society, sustainability and civil engineering, Institution of Civil Engineers, London, 15/03/07, URL http://www.ice.org.uk Jowitt, P. W., (2006a) Engineering without Frontiers, Final Report to Council, Institution
11. Influence the development and delivery of government policy that reflects the right balance of legislative pressure and commercial advantage to positively encourage sustainable development
All partners
Ongoing
All partners
Ongoing
1. Engage more fully with European Union decision-making processes regarding sustainability
All partners
December 2008
References Bourke, K., Ramdas, V., Singh, S., Green, A., Crudgington, A., Mootanah, D., (2004), Achieving whole life value in infrastructure and buildings, Building Research Establishment (BRE), Garston. Brundtland, G. H., (ed.), (1987), Our Common Future: World Commission on Environment and Development, Oxford University Press, Oxford. ConstructionSkills, (2005), Build to Last: Strategic Action Plan, Construction-skills, Bircham Newton. ConstructionSkills, (2007), Sustainable Development, ConstructionSkills, Bircham Newton, 15/03/07, URL http://www.cskills.org/ Communities and Local Government, (2007), What is a sustainable community?, Communities and Local Government, London, 15/03/07, URL http://www.communities.gov.uk/ Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), (2005), Securing the Future: delivering the UK sustainable development strategy, HMSO, London. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), (2006), Climate Change: The UK Programme 2006, HMSO, London. Department for Trade and Industry (DTI), (2006), Review of Sustainable Construction, HMSO, London. URL http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file34979.pdf Department for Trade and Industry (DTI), (2007), The UK government gateway to
of Civil Engineers Council Paper, No. C69-2006, 18 July 2006, Institution of Civil Engineers, London. Jowitt, P. W., (2006b) Engineering Civilisation from the Shadows, 6th Brunel International Lecture, Institution of Civil Engineers, London. Parkin, S., Sommer, F. and Uren, S., (2003) Sustainable development: understanding the concept and practical challenge, Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Engineering Sustainability, 2003, 156, No. 1, 19-26, Thomas Telford, London. Dodds, R. and Venables, R.K. (Eds) (2005) Engineering for Sustainable Development: Guiding Principles, The Royal Academy of Engineering, London. Strategic Forum for Construction, (2006), 2012 Construction Commitments, Strategic Forum for Construction, London. Sustainable Procurement Taskforce, (2006), Procuring the Future Sustainable Procurement National Action Plan: Recommendations from the Sustainable Procurement Task Force, Defra, HMSO, London. World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO), 2002, Engineers and Sustainable Development, 26/04/07, URL http://www.ch2m. com/WFEO/index.htm All website addresses correct when published.
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