3.+++Sustainable Development Strategy - Civil Eng (Jul 07)

8/6/2019 3.+++Sustainable Development Strategy - Civil Eng (Jul 07)

1/20

Sustainable Development Strategy

and Action Plan or Civil EngineeringJuly 2007

(Dera, 2005)

The goal o sustainabledevelopment is to enableall people throughout theworld to satisy their basic

needs and enjoy a betterquality o lie, withoutcompromising the qualityo lie o uture generations


2/20

Statement rom ICE, ACE, CECA, CIRIAand the Construction Products Association

ICE, ACE, CECA, CIRIA and the Construction Products

Association are committed to the principles enshrinedin this strategy and to working together to undertakethe actions outlined in the accompanying action plan.

We will monitor our progress and review milestones,

priorities and actions as necessary to help ensurecontinuous improvement in the sustainabilityperormance o the civil engineering sector.

Coordinating author:

Dr Chrissie Pepper

Senior Policy Executive, Institution o Civil Engineers, One Great George Street, London SW1P 3AA

Tel +44 (0)20 7665 2221; Email [email protected]

Thanks also to:

Andrew Crudgington, Senior Policy Manager, Institution o Civil Engineers

Ruth Dennett, International Development Manager, Institution o Civil Engineers

Annie Hall, Member o Institution o Civil Engineers Environment and Sustainability Board and Director, GainPerspective

Ed Horton, Senior Marketing Communications Executive, Institution o Civil Engineers

Proessor Paul Jowitt, Vice President, Institution o Civil Engineers and Proessor o Civil Engineering Systems, Heriot-Watt University

Proessor Roger Venables, Chie Executive, CEEQUAL Ltd

Quentin Leiper,

President ICE

Nelson Ogunshakin,

Chie Executive ACE

Peter Andrews,

Chairman CECA

Bill Healy,

Chie Executive CIRIA

John Colley,

President, Construction

Products Association

Ashley Bateson

Member o the Association or Consultancy andEngineerings Sustainability Sector Interest Group

and Principal Sustainability, Hoare Lea

Mark Broadhurst(Steering Group Chair)Chair o the Institution o Civil Engineers Environment

and Sustainability Board and Managing Director, Powero Cornwall

Owen Jenkins

Director, CIRIA

Proessor Quentin Leiper (Project Sponsor)

President o the Institution o Civil Engineers and Directoror Engineering and the Environment, Carillion Plc

John Newman(Observer)

Department or Trade and Industry Construction

Sector Unit

Ian Nicholson

Member o the Institution o Civil EngineersEnvironment and Sustainability Board and

Managing Director, Responsible Solutions Ltd

Dr Tony ParryMember o the Institution o Civil Engineers

Environment and Sustainability Board andSenior Lecturer, University o Nottingham

Rita Singh

Environment & Industry Perormance Director,Construction Products Association

John Wilson

Technical and Environmental Ocer,Civil Engineering Contractors Association

Steering group


3/20

Last year, the business-led Sustainable Procurement TaskForce (SPTF) challenged the UK Government to use its

immense buying power to make rapid progress towardssustainable development. The SPTF National Action Planidentied public sector construction, accounting or 40%

o all construction work each year, as the number onepriority area o Government spending through whichto embed sustainability.

There is clearly a real opportunity or the construction

sector to help the Government deliver its aspiration omore sustainable procurement. As civil engineers andconstruction proessionals we possess the knowledge

and innovative skills to deliver the sustainable solutionsthat represent real best value or clients and or society.

This sustainable development strategy aims to drivereal improvements in the perormance o the civilengineering sector by addressing key issues such as

leadership, embedding the principles o sustainability,capacity building and creating a supportive policy

ramework. The accompanying action plan ischallenging but appropriate and I am sure that

the strategy and action plan together will soonmake a positive impact.

As a Fellow o the Institution o Civil Engineers I amparticularly pleased that the Institution has taken the

lead in this successul partnership across the constructionsector. The commitment made by the partners todelivering the strategy and the associated action plan,

is signicant. This cooperation between civil engineeringtrade, proessional and research bodies bodes well or theholistic and joined-up approach which is so undamental

to achieving more sustainable development.

Foreword by Sir Neville Simms

Foreword by Proessor Quentin Leiper,President o the Institution o Civil Engineers

This second sustainable development strategyand action plan presents an opportunity to,

achieve a better balance betweensocial, environmental and economicprogress across the civil engineeringindustry and profession.

It provides us with a ramework or reocusing our eorts

on building sustainable communities, because, at its heart,sustainability is about making improvements to our qualityo lie both now and in the uture.

I am greatly encouraged by and committed to thepartnership approach o this strategy and action plan

to addressing both the challenges and opportunitiespresented by sustainable development.

Producing and implementing this strategy and action planis not an end in itsel. It is part o our journey towardssustainability. By its very nature, this will be a living

document. Our approach will be developed, tested andimproved over time. And very importantly, it will requirethe active, continuous and meaningul engagement o

the engineering community and the wider constructionindustry both in the UK and internationally.

Sir Neville Simms,

Chair, Sustainable Procurement Task Force

Quentin Leiper,

President ICE


4/20

Executive summaryThis document contains our strategy and plans to buildon past achievements in supporting civil engineerings

contribution to sustainable development.

It has been prepared by a steering group comprising theInstitution o Civil Engineers (ICE), the Association orConsulting and Engineering (ACE), the Civil Engineering

Contractors Association (CECA), CIRIA and the ConstructionProducts Association. It brings up to date the rst strategyand action plan Society, Sustainability and Civil Engineering,

produced in 2002. Acting in a coordinated way, we willhelp to lead the civil engineering sector towards a moresustainable uture and to enhance still urther its

contribution to a more sustainable built environment.

Our vision is or the civil engineering industry and

proession to play its ull role in the creation andmaintenance o sustainable communities in harmonywith their natural environment.

Underpinning this vision are our strategicaims which will guide our approach to pursuing

sustainable development in civil engineering:

1 promote strong leadership withincivil engineering

2 embed the principles o sustainabledevelopment into everyday work

activities and decision making3 build capacity or sustainable development

in the industry and proession

4 create and infuence a policy rameworkthat demands more socially andenvironmentally responsible behaviour

A number o actions along with a timescale or delivery areset within each o the above aims and related objectives and

include, inter alia:

promotion o the Civil Engineering Environmental QualityAssessment and Awards Scheme (CEEQUAL) to clients,

designers and contractors to encourage environmentalexcellence in civil engineering projects

investigation o the challenges and opportunities toachieve sustainability and their impact on civil engineering

organisation o a series o climate change workshopsand subsequent reports to identiy priority actions or

the civil engineering sector in addressing the challengesposed by climate change

production and dissemination o a rolling programmeo case studies to demonstrate good practice around

the social aspects o corporate responsibility

active participation in the ormulation o relevantgovernment strategies, e.g. the Government/industrySustainable Construction Strategy

Members o the steering group and their organisations are

committed to working together to deliver on this strategy.We will regularly monitor achievements against the actionplan and publish an annual progress report.

Case study supplied by Willmott Dixon Construction Limited,

R H Partnership Architects Ltd and F J Samuely & Partners Ltd

The construction o the Plant Growth Facility at the University o

Cambridge utilised recycled tyres within a retaining wall structure.The retaining wall was required to provide an acoustic and visual screento hide external mechanical plant. In total around 600 tyres were used,replacing the need or 0m o concrete that would have otherwisebeen required and nding a good use or used tyres. Each layer o tyreswere laid overlapping the previous layer and held together by steel pinsrunning down through the vertical spaces o the tyres. The tyres werepacked with loamy gravel rom the oundations, retaining approximately00m o soil that would have otherwise been transported o site.

In addition to the use o tyres, the project also specied:

the cement or the concrete oundations and foor slab to contain

40% blast urnace slag, making use o a waste product and helpingto reduce CO emissions associated with cement production

stainless steel was selected or the roo or its durability and abilityto be recycled at the end o the buildings lie

The case or recycling

4


5/20

IntroductionDespite some excellent improvements in the environmentalperormance o civil engineering in recent years, and

progress towards improving the quality o many peopleslives, the current approach to development adopted by mostorganisations remains essentially unsustainable. Collectively,

we are consuming the earths natural resources beyond itsability to regenerate them and creating waste at a rate thatcannot be sustained. In addition to the environmental impact

o our actions, the needs o societies around the world arenot being met.

Civil engineering delivers the inrastructure on which modernlie depends clean water, wastewater treatment, transport

systems etc. However, there is a strong sense o imbalancein the delivery o civil engineering, the positive and adverseimpacts o what we do, and the social benets that accrue

rom our work.

As members o the built environment community, our goal

is to rectiy this imbalance by the creation o sustainablecommunities in harmony with their natural environment.

To achieve this, we need to strengthen markedly howwe already in part address some o the most prooundproblems acing humanity, or example climate change

and poverty, to name only two.

The Institution o Civil Engineers (ICE), the

Association or 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 or real andcontinuous improvement in the perormance o the

civil engineering sector with respect to sustainability.It denes our commitment to help industry delivermore sustainable civil engineering and the actions

that we will undertake in pursuing this goal.

This strategy is or everybody working in and with thecivil engineering sector whose actions and decisions aect

sustainable development, whether locally, nationally orinternationally. It comprises a vision or civil engineeringscontribution to sustainable development and our approach

in pursuing this vision. The associated action plan sets outa series o practical actions we propose to take within theparameters set by the strategy.

There is a role or proessional bodies and tradeassociations to encourage and promote good practiceand a role or individuals and organisations working

within the civil engineering sector to take responsibilityor adopting and exceeding it.

This strategy and action plan will be updated and extendedover the coming months and years, the partners havingcommitted themselves to review it at least annually.

With infrastructure and engineeringproducts and processes becomingincreasingly complex, engineersneed to integrate considerationof whole-life environmental and

social impacts positive as well as

negative with the mainstream andcommercial aspects of their workLord Broers FREng FRS, Past President,Royal Academy o Engineering

Quality o Lie


6/20

Background: buildingon past achievements

This sustainable development strategy and action plan

is the second such coordinated plan. In 2002, ICE, ACE,CECA, CIRIA and the Construction Products Association

published Society, Sustainability and Civil Engineering a sustainability strategy or the civil engineering sector.This cooperation between civil engineering proessional,

trade and research bodies was a pioneering rst or thepartners, and was successul in delivering a joined-upapproach to sustainable development.

Examples o its successes include:

development o the Civil Engineering Environmental

Quality Assessment & Awards scheme (CEEQUAL)1,which gives public recognition or civil engineeringprojects with high environmental perormance (urther

details on CEEQUAL are included later in the strategy)

incorporation o sustainable development principlesinto undergraduate degree courses accredited by ICE

incorporation o sustainable development into ICEsqualications process

the publication o Achieving Whole Life Value inInfrastructure and Buildingsin 2004 by the BuildingResearch Establishment (BRE) (BRE, 2004), whichwas accompanied by a national road show

A ull report on the delivery o the 2002 strategy and action

plan can be downloaded rom the ICE website ice.org.uk

This new 2007 strategy and action plan recreates the

successul partnership working o 2002. Whereas the2002 report made the case or sustainable development,and successully promoted its adoption by leading-edge

organisations, the ocus o this new strategy and action planis on extending implementation and action throughout theindustry and proession. It identies new key areas where we

need to take decisive action now and in the years to ollow.

As well as a detailed action plan containing the actions

the partners had committed to carry out in order todeliver more sustainable construction, the 2002 report also

listed actions and recommendations or civil engineeringorganisations, individual civil engineers and clients. The keyrecommendations, which are reproduced below, are stillrelevant today and again their implementation is encouraged

by the partners in this 2007 sustainable developmentstrategy and action plan.

Actions or clients and end users:

improve and develop knowledge on sustainability

and sustainable development, including training orprocurement sta and the sharing o best practice

within organisations

ensure earliest possible engagement with all parts

o the supply chain so that sustainable developmentbecomes embedded

improve management o impacts and resourceproductivity, including whole lie-cycle assessments

Actions or all organisations inthe civil engineering supply chain:

improve management o impacts and resource

productivity, including whole lie-cycle assessments

engage the supply chain at the earliest possible stageso a project to ensure sustainable development principlesare embedded

promote the business case or sustainable

development to clients and nancial institutions

be accountable or perormance with respectto sustainability

Actions or individuals:pursue continuing proessional development

(CPD) and personal development programmeson sustainable development

ensure the principles o sustainable developmentare refected in proessional behaviour

share knowledge and expertise on sustainable

development with others

1 CEEQUAL The Civil Engineering Environmental Quality Assessment and Award Scheme see www.ceequal.com or urther details

BestPractice

6


7/20

A sustainable development strategyor civil engineering

Our vision is for the civil engineering industry and profession to playits full role in the creation and maintenance of sustainable communitiesin harmony with their natural environment.

The purpose o this strategy is straightorward it

aims to provide a ramework or urther improvingthe sustainability perormance o the civil engineeringindustry and proession. The strategy sets out:

a shared understanding o sustainabilityand sustainable development

a commitment to take collective actionto achieve a more sustainable uture

a vision o what we are seeking to achieve and thetasks we will need to complete in order to achieve it

how we will monitor, evaluate and review progress

To help achieve the sustainable development aims, theassociated action plan sets out objectives and specic

activities together with a clear indication o how theywill be achieved; by when; and who will be involved.

Developing the strategyand action plan

This new strategy has been prepared by a steeringgroup comprising the same partners as the 2002

strategy ICE, ACE, CECA, CIRIA and the ConstructionProducts Association.

The steering group has drawn together the key priorities orthis strategy and action plan in consultation with the civilengineering community. Initially, a consultation workshop

comprising 40 industry representatives generated ideasabout direction and content o the strategy and action plan.An online questionnaire was then ormulated based on

the workshop discussions to help urther prioritise thetopics to be covered within the strategy and action plan.

An early drat o the strategy was also distributed tointerested individuals and groups or their comments.

All in all, over 500 civil engineers and industry bodyrepresentatives have ed their views into this strategyand its associated action plan.

The wider context

This strategy aims to contribute to other sustainable

development strategies, where appropriate, to avoidduplication and to ensure that the goals o sustainabledevelopment are pursued in an integrated way.

Accordingly, the main external policy initiatives that have

been considered in the development o this strategy andaction plan and will be refected in its implementation are:

UK Government sustainable development strategy(Dera, 2005)

UK Climate Change Programme (Dera, 2006)

ConstructionSkills Strategic Action Plan Build to Lastand Sustainability Skills Matrix or the Built Environment(ConstructionSkills, 2005)

2012 Construction Commitments (Strategic Forumor Construction, 2006)

Department or Trade and Industry (DTI) Reviewo Sustainable Construction (2006)

UK Government sustainable procurement policy,including the work o the Governments Sustainable

Procurement Taskorce (SPTF, 2006)

Oce o Government Commerce (OGC) and the worko the Public Sector Construction Clients Forum (PSCCF)

the work o the Sustainability Forum (a specialistsub-group o the Strategic Forum or Construction)

European Construction Industry Federation Principlesor Sustainability (FIEC, 2006)

the Royal Academy o Engineerings Engineering orSustainable Development: Guiding Principles (Doddsand Venables, 2005)

United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)2

The strategy and action plan partners continue to workclosely with the Department or Business, Enterprise and

Regulatory Reorm to ensure that this document infuencesand aligns with the Government/Industry SustainableConstruction Strategy, which is currently being developed.

2 An ICE International Development Policy Group has been established to help acilitate the civil engineers role

in addressing the UN Millennium Development Goals


8/20

International action

This strategy and action plan recognises the importance o

common eorts, global action and collective responsibilityor sustainable development, and or ullling the United

Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

In July 2006, ICE signed a Protocol or Engineering aSustainable Future or the Planet along with the American

Society o Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Canadian Societyor Civil Engineering (CSCE). This articulated the organisationscontinuing commitment to sustainable development and

recognised that civil engineers have the knowledge andskills to play a major role in helping to meet the MDGs. TheProtocol also committed each o the signatories to produce

a sustainability action plan to help articulate and delivermore sustainable development. This document contains ICEsUK action plan or sustainable development. An International

Development Policy Group (IDPG) has been established to lead

ICEs international development work and take responsibilityor coordinating the international element o ICEs sustainable

development strategy. ICE is also working to encourageother engineering institutions worldwide to sign up to theProtocol and produce their own sustainability action plans.

The IDPG will build on the work o the ICE Presidential

Commission Engineers without Frontiers (EwF). The EwFCommission, which ran rom 2003 to 2006, ocused

on the role o infuencing, advocacy and partnerships

in delivering eective inrastructure to help meet thechallenge o achieving the MDGs (Jowitt, 2006a).The Commission also produced a set o Principles o

Engineering or Development and Poverty Reduction

(EwF, 2005) to address the challenge o internationaldevelopment and set out the attributes required

or successul development engineering projectsto alleviate poverty.

Emanating rom the EwF Presidential Commission, ICEs 6thBrunel International Lecture series, entitled EngineeringCivilisation rom the Shadows delivered by Proessor Paul

Jowitt, discussed the role o engineering in addressing thetwin spectres o climate change and world poverty andurther outlined the potential o civil engineering to continue

its major contribution to international development (Jowitt,2006b). By June 2007, the lecture had been heard in 29venues in 12 dierent countries by over 2,902 people.

ICE will continue to work with others, such as the World

Federation o Engineering Organisations (WFEO), towardsthe achievement o the MDGs. In particular, it will establisha memorandum o understanding with WFEO in order to

deliver EwF outputs internationally. In addition, the IDPGswork will ocus on embedding international developmentinto mainstream ICE policy, in line with the Institutions

new international strategy.

According to CEEQUAL Award recipients, using the CEEQUAL scheme

to promote high environmental perormance o projects also deliversa number o business and social benets including:

enhanced reputation with clients, stakeholders and the widercommunity as socially and environmentally responsible organisations

enhanced team working, bringing project teams together to pursuea positive and shared environmental agenda and motivating themto perorm well

costs saving money as well as delivering improved environmentalperormance through a wide range o actions such as whole-liecosting, reduced energy and water consumption, waste minimisationas well as minimising the costs o environmental incidents and the

costs o dealing with protestersOne user has reported that actions prompted by the CEEQUAL schemeresulted in savings o over three times the CEEQUAL ee just part-waythrough the project.

The business case or environmental excellence

Metronets Snaresbrook embankment stabilisation project was honoured by a CEEQUAL award or going the extra mile beyond the standard legal

and regulatory requirements to achieve distinctive environmental levels o perormance a practice now adopted across their Civils programme


9/20

What is sustainability andsustainable development?

Sustainability or sustainable living has been dened

as the goal o sustainable development. A widely-usedand internationally accepted denition o sustainabledevelopment is development that meets the needs o

the present without compromising the ability o uturegenerations to meet their own needs (Brundtland, 1987).In the UK, the Government oers the ollowing

interpretation o sustainable development:

Sustainable development is commonly conceptualisedas having three dimensions: environmental, social and

economic. These dimensions are oten symbolised asoverlapping circles, and have been characterised by businessin particular as the triple bottom line (Figure 1). Other

sustainable development proponents have placed the social

and economic circles within a larger environmental circle,to symbolise the extent to which environmental capacity

provides an overall constraint on development (Figure 2).

With over 200 denitions o sustainable development

in existence (Parkin et al, 2003) there is much debate asto its precise denition. However, what is important isthat we have a common view o the main components

o sustainable development.

The partners as a whole agree that sustainabledevelopment involves:

the integration o economic, environmental

and social elements minimising the trade-os that have to be made

between those elements

More importantly, a sustainability-driven approachto civil engineering leads to adoption o some key

objectives in practice:

dramatically reduce the environmental impacto our lie and work

dramatically improve the environmental qualityo what we create

maximise the utilisation o materials and their reuse

maximise appropriate use o secondary andrecycled materials

minimise waste in design, construction and use

minimise energy and water use

minimise pollution rom all our activities

ocus on increasing peoples quality o lie throughgood urban design

ensuring respect or people; that is, showing caretowards the workorce and the surrounding community.This should be refected in everything rom health andsaety, to site and welare conditions, providing training

opportunities, promoting equality and work-lie balanceand in encouraging job satisaction

Other concepts used throughout the documentare dened below.

Sustainable communities operate at dierent scales,global, national, urban and rural. They are places where

people want to live and work, now and in the uture. Theymeet the diverse needs o existing and uture residents,are sensitive to their environment, and contribute to a high

quality o lie. They are sae and inclusive, aestheticallypleasing, well planned, built and run, and oer equalityo opportunity and good services or all (adapted rom

Communities and Local Government, 2007).

Sustainable construction this subset o sustainabledevelopment reers to the creation, maintenance and

operation o inrastructure and buildings that shapecommunities in a way that sustains the environment,generates long term wealth and enhances the quality

o lie (adapted rom ConstructionSkills, 2007).

Corporate responsibility is the ethical responsibility oorganisations to deliver sustainable development. Essentiallyit is about how business takes account o its economic,social and environmental impacts in the way it operates

maximising the benets and minimising the downsides.Corporate responsibility encompasses three general policyareas: environmental, social and economic.

Environment

Social

Sustainable

Figure 1

Economy

Society

Environment

Figure 2

The goal of sustainabledevelopment is to enable all

people throughout the world tosatisfy their basic needs and enjoy

a better quality of life, withoutcompromising the quality of lifeof future generations

(Dera, 2005)

Equitable

EconomicViable

Bearable


10/20

Why is sustainable developmentso important?

Our current approach to development is unsustainable,

we are overexploiting resources and creating pollution,changing habitats and driving species to extinction.

Research has highlighted that ifeveryone in the world lived theway we do in Europe we wouldneed 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 o greenhouse

gases are a contributory actor. The Stern Review (Stern,2006), on the economics o climate change, outlined the

costs o inaction in addressing the problem o climatechange. It orecast that spending one per cent o globalgross domestic product (GDP) now on tackling climate

change would help preclude a loss o up to 20% globalGDP and avoid almost certain global economic disaster.The report also outlined the human cost o massive social

upheaval caused by climate change, and the environmentallegacy or uture generations.

Benets o sustainabledevelopment

At a business level there are sound reasons or pursuingsustainable development. There are already examples where

a sustainable development approach makes the industrymore competitive, more resilient to shocks, more fexible ina ast-changing world, more unied in purpose, more likely

to attract and hold customers and the best employees, andmore at ease with regulators, banks, insurers, and nancialmarkets. Whilst it is important not to overstate the potential

o these benets accruing across the whole industry, or tounderstate the task ahead, we believe their value is likelyto increase as we enter a period o heightened competition.

The case studies in this document serve to highlight someelements o the business case or sustainable development.

What is the roleo civil engineering?

Civil engineering plays a crucial role in creating the

inrastructure needed or modern lie around theworld. Practitioners in the civil engineering sectorapply knowledge and experience to create projectsthat meet human needs and clean up environmentalproblems. As a result, how the civil engineering sectorworks has signicant impact on progress towardsustainable development.

Civil engineering already contributes but must contributemuch more to sustainable development along the entire

chain o modern production and consumption, includingthe ollowing:

extracting and developing natural resources

processing and modiying resources

designing and building inrastructure

meeting the needs o consumers

recovering and reusing resources

producing and distributing energy (WFEO, 2002)

At a time o rapid urbanisation, population growth,climate change and environmental degradation, thereis ever increasing pressure on the engineering and

construction sector to adapt and rethink what itunderstands to be appropriate and sustainable.

Engineering is central to both climate change adaptationand mitigation, or example in delivering engineeringsolutions to accommodate changes in sea levels and

storm surges and in developing and rolling out renewableenergies such as wind power and tidal barrages. Clearly,the engineering and construction sector has a signicant

role to play in helping the Government to reach its targeto a 20% reduction in carbon emissions by the end o thedecade and 60% by the year 2050.

Triple Bottom Line

10


11/20

The role o ICE, ACE, CECA,CIRIA and the ConstructionProducts Association

We are committed to using our infuence to encourageand support the civil engineering sector to deliver

sustainable development. We have made a commitmentthat, as representative bodies o the industry, individualproessionals and the industry owned research body

we will specically provide:

leadership

education and training

knowledge transer

a voice o the industry and proessionto Government and the public

support or research and innovation

Acting in a coordinated way, we will use our infuence tocontinue to lead the civil engineering sector into a more

sustainable uture.

What is the role o CEEQUAL?

CEEQUAL is the ICE-led scheme or assessing theenvironmental quality o civil engineering projects anddelivering to project teams awards that recognise how

well they have dealt with the environmental issues theyaced. Its objective is to encourage the attainment oenvironmental excellence in civil engineering projects,

and thus to deliver improved environmental perormancein project specication, design and construction.

CEEQUAL assesses perormance in 12 areas o environmental

concern, including, inter alia the use o water, energy andland, ecology, landscape, archaeology, waste management,and community amenity. The assessment ramework provides

a checklist o appropriate actions or project teams to embed

into their projects development.

To date (July 2007) sixteen awards have been made, themost recent ones being Norton Fitzwarren Dam, M60widening, Rushall Canal improvement and Carran Hill Water

Treatment Works in Northern Ireland. Details o projects thathave achieved an award can be viewed on the CEEQUALwebsite, www.ceequal.com. Currently, a urther 83 projects

are being assessed and the total value o projects thathave been or are being assessed has exceeded 2.5billion.

Scheme development is a major element o thework programme or CEEQUALs Scheme Managers

alongside day-to-day operation o the scheme. The

present Manual (Version 3.1) is now called the ProjectsVersion and has recently been updated. Recent progress

in industry practice will be refected alongside newassessment questions in later versions. A Term Contractsversion is under development, thus allowing the CEEQUAL

ethos, approach and methodology to be applied to thesubstantial proportion o civil engineering undertakenthrough long-term, geographically-based contracts,

rather than discreet individual projects. The websitewww.ceequal.com provides urther details.

Clearly CEEQUAL provides a valuable mechanism ordelivering this strategy. The partners in this strategy andaction plan thus remain committed to supporting the urther

development o CEEQUAL and to encouraging and promotingits greater uptake by the civil engineering sector.

Installing separate potable and non-potable water supply systems atHeathrow Terminal has achieved a 0% reduction in potable waterconsumption system resulting in nancial and environmental benets.Potable water is now used or activities such as catering and showerswith non-potable water being used or toilet fushing, vehicle washingand re-ghting on aircrat stands.

The non-potable water is sourced rom groundwater abstraction,rainwater harvesting and recycled water. Requiring minimum treatmentprior to use, this has proved extremely sustainable in terms o cost,energy use and resource eciency, when compared to potable sources.

Although the construction costs o a separate potable and non-potable

system exceed that o a single potable system, the operational cost isapproximately halved, meaning the dual system pays or itsel in a littleover two years and makes a substantial saving over the design lie othe project.

Water Supply Terminal 5 Heathrow

Case study and photo provided by BAA 11


12/20

However, we cannot create sustainable communities byacting alone. To achieve our vision, we recognise the need

to work collaboratively with other disciplines so that issuessurrounding the building o sustainable communities areconsidered holistically.

Underpinning our vision we have identied our sustainabledevelopment aims or action. These have been drawn up

in consultation with the civil engineering community. Theirpurpose is to guide our approach to pursuing sustainable

development in civil engineering (beginning with the rstaction plan); and to provide some qualitative measures tohelp us evaluate the strategy itsel:

Aim 1 Promote strong leadership or sustainabledevelopment within civil engineering

There is a need or strong commitment and leadership at alllevels, including clients, to tap into the enormous potentialo civil engineering to protect the environment and promote

sustainable development.

In particular, clients need to be made aware that embeddingsustainable development during the concept and development

stages o a project is undamental to achieving sustainableoutcomes. There is also a huge opportunity or industry todemonstrate leadership in helping clients achieve greatervalue or money through more sustainable options.

Aim 2 Embed the principles o sustainabledevelopment within civil engineering

To be eective and stand the test o time, sustainabledevelopment needs to be built into everyday work activities

and decision making and not just bolted on at the end.

This approach aims to change organisational cultures

so that sustainable development becomes an integralpart o the way they work. It is embedded in a small

minority o organisations in and serving the civilengineering industry but now needs to be spreadthroughout the industry and proession.

Aim 3 Build capacity or sustainabledevelopment in civil engineering

Building capacity or sustainable development isabout equipping organisations and individuals withthe understanding, skills and access to independent

inormation, knowledge and training that enablesthem to perorm eectively.

I we are to enhance even urther the viability andsustainability o the civil engineering industry, we

need to create a business climate that supports thedevelopment o a committed, skilled, diverse andadaptable workorce. Without properly trained and

competent people contributing at every level, it isunlikely that the overarching aims o this strategywill be achieved. Accordingly, this strategy embraces

corporate responsibility including skills and training,saety, equality and diversity as key elements o asustainable civil engineering industry.

Aim 4 Create and infuence a policy rameworkthat demands more socially and environmentallyresponsible behaviour

Creating the right policy and regulatory ramework

to support and reward sustainable development willbe challenging and will require a variety o actions atall levels. The strategy partners will work collaboratively

to identiy these and promote consistency in policymaking to Government.

Monitoring and strategy reviewMembers o the steering group individuals and

organisations have committed to working togetherto deliver on this strategy and action plan. Theywill monitor and review progress and make annual

public reports.

This strategy and action plan is a living document and part

o a process in which all those involved have committed toworking together or a common vision. We will continueto seek a broader range o perspectives in our approach,

including those who can bring broader global views, to help

strengthen the process and increase our capacity to achievesustainable development.

Vision and aims

Our vision is for the civil engineering industry and profession to play its full

role in the creation and maintenance of sustainable communities in harmonywith their natural environment.

1


13/20

This action plan sets out concisely and comprehensively

a series o practical actions ICE, ACE, CECA, CIRIA andthe Construction Products Association propose to takewithin the parameters outlined in the strategy. In most

cases these actions are just more, early steps on a longjourney and not an end in themselves. Nevertheless, webelieve that implementing these commitments now will

bring lasting benets.

Although the plan is UK ocused, we recognise that

many o the actions will have international implications.

Accordingly, ICE will circulate the document to its Country

Representatives worldwide so that they may consider itsrelevance or promoting more sustainable developmentwhere they live and work. Similarly, the document willalso be circulated by the other partners in this project

to their international counterparts.

This plan is organised around the our sustainabledevelopment aims identied in the strategy.

Where champions have been identied in the tablebelow, this does not preclude other partners rom actively

contributing to the delivery o the actions as well as theaims and objectives more broadly. Indeed, the partnershave committed to working together to ully implement

the strategy and action plan and will seek to involve otherconstruction bodies and organisations where appropriate.

The project was the deconstruction o a Georgian-style hotelconstructed in ne Bath Ashlar limestone with wide early Victorianpine foorboards throughout.

Conventional mechanical reduction would have taken six weeks at anestimated cost to the developer o ,000. However, having identieda buyer, the developer was paid 16,000 or the building which wascareully deconstructed, transported to a new site and reconstructed.The 1 week deconstruction programme was carried out on scheduleand saved over 00 tonnes being sent to landll together withsignicant embodied energy and carbon savings.

The case or deconstruction

Case study and photo provided by Minchinhampton Architectural

Salvage Company (MASCo) with the help o BioRegional Reclaimed

Engineering is at the heart of theanswer (to global sustainabilitychallenges), because engineeringis the link the absolutely essentiallink between science andbusiness... If you want to changethe world, be an engineerLord Browne, FREng, President, Royal Academyo Engineering

Action plan or sustainable developmentin civil engineering

Leadership

1


14/20

Aim 1 Promote strong leadership or sustainable development within civil engineering

There is a need or strong commitment and leadership at all levels including clients, to tap the enormous potentialo civil engineering to protect the environment and promote sustainable development.

Objective Actions and deliverables Champion Timescale

1. To encourage clients,particularly governmentand major clients, to

take a lead in drivingorward sustainabledevelopment

1.1 Develop projects to take orward ideason how sustainability can best be embracedin procurement as discussed during theICE Presidential Forum on sustainable

procurement in December 2006

ICE December 2007

1. Publish a suite o sustainableprocurement brieng notes in ICE

Proceedings journals, highlightingthe need or a broader procurementdenition to help deliver secondary

objectives (ie social and environmental)within the procurement process3

ICE 2008

1. Promote standard orms o contract andspecications which most appropriatelydeliver sustainable construction

ICE Ongoing

1.4 Promote the Civil Engineering EnvironmentalQuality Assessment and Awards Scheme

(CEEQUAL) to clients, designers andcontractors to encourage environmental

excellence in civil engineering projects

All partners Ongoing

1. Promote the ENGAGE-CONSTRUCT4website on social responsibility

CIRIA October 2007

. To encouragecivil engineeringorganisations to

take ownership

o sustainabledevelopment

.1 Explore with appropriate strategic partnersthe possibility o producing sustainabledevelopment charters or civil engineering

organisations to sign up to. This will requirecompanies to:

demonstrate how they intend to

implement sustainable development

commit to developing the sustainabledevelopment skills o their workorce

as necessary

publish details o their perormance

All partners December 2008

. To take the lead inpromoting the roleo civil engineeringin addressing

climate change

.1 Hold a series o climate changeworkshops to identiy priority actions

or the civil engineering sector inaddressing the challenges posed byclimate change. The nal report will orm

part o a united engineering response to

climate change in the context o the widerpartnership between the Royal Academy

o Engineering and other leading bodiesin the engineering proession

ICE Report deliveredby December

2007

Action plan or sustainable developmentin civil engineering

3 See Hawkins et al, 20064 The ENGAGE-CONSTRUCT website contains practical guidance on how to be a socially responsible construction client,

or more inormation go to www.engageweb.org14


15/20

Aim Embed the principles o sustainable development within civil engineering

To be eective and stand the test o time sustainable development needs to be built into everyday work activitiesand decision making and not just bolted on at the end. This approach aims to change organisational culturesso that sustainable development becomes an integral part o the way they work.


4. To develop and/orprovide access to

tools and guidanceon incorporatingsustainable developmentinto all aspects o

civil engineering

4.1 Identiy ways to contribute to the deliveryo ConstructionSkills Build to Last StrategicAction Plan


4. Work with ConstructionSkills to produce

a Top 10 things or designers to do tomake their practices sustainable guideas identied in ConstructionSkills Build

to Last Strategic Action Plan

ICE October 2007

4. Raise awareness o social impactassessment tools in measuring thesocial eects o inrastructure projects

and other development interventions

ICE Ongoing

4.4 Provide guidance and advice to clients,consultants, contractors and otherson delivering sustainable transportinrastructure. The rst piece o guidance

will ocus on building sustainable roadsand will include a denition o a sustainable

road, address issues around planning,demolition/recycling, design, operationand construction and provide practical

checklists and targets

ACE January 2008

4. Provide guidance on sustainableengineering methods or extendingthe service lie o inrastructure

CIRIA April 2008

4.6 Provide guidance and training on arange o site-ocused sustainability topics

including good site environmental practice,contaminated land, archaeology, controlo invasive plants

CIRIA June 2008

4. Ensure the assessment o environmentalimpacts o products is in line with theEuropean Union methodology being

developed through CEN Mandate TC 350

ConstructionProductsAssociation

Ongoing

1


16/20

Aim Embed the principles o sustainable development within civil engineering

To be eective and stand the test o time sustainable development needs to be built into everyday work activitiesand decision making and not just bolted on at the end. This approach aims to change organisational culturesso that sustainable development becomes an integral part o the way they work.


. To encourage innovativeapproaches andcontinuing development

and application o goodpractice in corporateresponsibility

.1 Raise awareness o corporate responsibilitytools or use by designers and contractorswhich are available and easily integrated

into business practices

CECA, ICE, ACE Ongoing

. Produce a corporate responsibility toolkitor contractors

CECA December 2007

. Produce and disseminate a suite o casestudies annually which demonstrate goodexamples o social outcomes delivered within

the broader corporate responsibility context

All partners Annual

.4 Lead by example in developing andimplementing an equality and diversitystrategy and action plan

ICE December 2007

6. To encourage andstimulate the sharing

o, and learning rom,current and developingexperience o sustainable

development

6.1 Work collaboratively to produce anddisseminate a suite o case studies on

mainstreaming and embedding sustainabledevelopment into civil engineering projects.These will include examples o how

barriers and impediments to sustainabledevelopment have been reconciled

All partners Annual

. To promote greatermaterial resourceeciency across the

construction sector

.1 Promote the benets o early involvemento manuacturers and distributors rom thedesign stage to reduce waste arising on-site

Construction

ProductsAssociation

Ongoing

. Promote the value o all existing buildingsand structures (including those o historical

importance) and the merits o their reuserather than just demolishing and recyclingthe materials

ICE Ongoing

. Annual bridge and inrastructureconservation awards to encourage

best practice in conservation

ICE Annual

16


17/20

Aim Build capacity or sustainable development in civil engineering

Building capacity or sustainable development is about equipping organisations and individuals with the understanding,skills and access to inormation, knowledge and training that enables them to perorm eectively.


. To increase the capacityo current and uture

civil engineers anddecision makers in the

eld o civil engineeringto implement sustainabledevelopment usingthe Sustainability

Skills Matrix or theBuilt Environment5

.1 When providing resources to schoolteachers, include where appropriateelements o sustainable development inline with the Education or Sustainable

Development (ESD) requirements in theNational Curriculum or Science, Design& Technology, Geography and Citizenship

ICE Ongoing

. Encourage the G156, to explore with theTraining & Development Agency or Schools(TDA) and the national network o ScienceLearning Centres, opportunities to embed

sustainable development principles inInitial Teacher Training (ITT) and ContinuingProessional Development (CPD) or teachers

ICE June 2008

. Work collaboratively to support theinclusion o sustainable development

into the Higher Education teachingcurriculum through:

assessing the value o existingteaching resources

identiying gaps in the current provision

exploring how best to support academics

ICE June 2008

.4 Work with academic departments andSCOSS7 to develop suitable curriculum

material, to encourage and supportthe teaching o engineering historyat undergraduate level

ICE September 2008

. Work with the Joint Board oModerators when reviewing university

degree accreditation guidelines onsustainable development

ICE Late 2008onwards

.6 Deliver a programme o regional seminarson sustainability or ICE Reviewers on how

to assess the sustainability attributes atProessional Reviews

ICE September/ October 2007

. Update ICE Membership Guidance Note(MGN) on sustainable development andmake available on ICEs website

ICE September 2007

. Encourage and assist training providersto develop sustainable developmentcourses and where appropriate includingmainstreaming sustainable development

into existing courses

ICE Ongoing

. To exploit all other opportunities orknowledge transer and training onsustainable development as appropriate


5 Developed by the Skills Working Group o the Sustainability Forum or Construction now owned

and promoted by ConstructionSkills, SummitSkills and AssetSkills or wider dissemination and use6 The G15 are a group o major engineering institutions in the UK7 SCOSS the Standing Committee on Structural Saety 1


18/20

Aim Build capacity or sustainable development in civil engineering

Building capacity or sustainable development is about equipping organisations and individuals with the understanding,skills and access to inormation, knowledge and training that enables them to perorm eectively.


. To engage with

stakeholders indeveloping research

activity to address keytopics on sustainabledevelopment

.1 Establish an engineering utures group toexplore the changes required to achievesustainability and analyse their impact onthe civil engineering industry and proession

ICE 2008/09

. Hold regular consultations with membersto identiy guidance requirements


. Promote whole lie costing and liecycle assessment more eectivelyand consistently across industry

ICE, CIRIA,

ConstructionProductsAssociation

2008

.4 Carry out research on the embodied carbono UK inrastructure and produce a ormulathat will enable the calculation o thecarbon ootprint o dierent inrastructure

sectors, starting with the water industry

ICE December 2007

. Initiate a research programme to broadenunderstanding o how to eectively

promote more sustainable behaviourwithin and by the civil engineering sector

ICE, CIRIA 2008

.6 Develop methodologies or environmental

assessments to be undertaken at buildingand inrastructure level based on an

ecopoints / m2 measure

Construction

ProductsAssociation

2008/09

10. To promote inormationexchange and

knowledge sharing onsustainable development

10.1 Establish task groups through whichcivil engineering stakeholders can cometogether to advance sustainability. The rst

task group will provide civil engineeringexpertise to key stakeholders on thedelivery o a sustainable London 2012

Olympic Games


10. Develop and maintain linkages with otherproessional bodies, trade associations and

other stakeholders which are reviewing thesustainability agenda to ensure joined up

thinking across the industry


10. Arrange annual sustainability lecture toinorm practitioners and stimulate action

CIRIA Annual

10.4 Organise series o workshop on range osustainability topics via the Construction

Industry Environmental Forum (CIEF)

CIRIA Ongoing

1


19/20

Aim 4 Create and infuence a policy ramework that demands more socially andenvironmentally responsible behaviour

Creating the right policy and regulatory ramework to support and reward sustainable development will be

challenging and will require a variety o actions at all levels. The strategy partners will work collaboratively

to identiy these and promote consistency in policy making.


11. Infuence thedevelopment and

delivery o governmentpolicy that refects

the right balance olegislative pressureand commercialadvantage to positively

encourage sustainabledevelopment

11.1 Active engagement and participationin relevant Government strategies e.g.Government/industry SustainableConstruction Strategy, Dera National

Waste Strategy and DT transport policiesand others, including provision o inputsand dissemination mechanisms


11. Work collaboratively across the sector to:

advise Government at all levels on thecreation o a more ecient and lessbureaucratic legislative environment

that promotes sustainable development

encourage Government to usescal incentives to promote

sustainable development

promote consistency across Whitehallpolicy on sustainable development

provide engineering knowledge andexpertise on sustainable developmentto Government


1. Engage more ullywith European Union

decision-makingprocesses regardingsustainability

1.1 Identiy opportunities to infuence theEuropean Union to embed sustainabilityin the policy making process


1. Scope out with European constructionbodies the possibility o developing a pan-European action plan to complement thisplan or the UK civil engineering sector


Reerences

Bourke, K., Ramdas, V., Singh, S., Green, A.,Crudgington, A., Mootanah, D., (2004), Achievingwhole lie value in inrastructure and buildings,

Building Research Establishment (BRE), Garston.

Brundtland, G. H., (ed.), (1987), Our CommonFuture: World Commission on Environment andDevelopment, Oxord University Press, Oxord.

ConstructionSkills, (2005), Build to Last: StrategicAction 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?, Communitiesand Local Government, London, 15/03/07,URL http://www.communities.gov.uk/

Department or Environment, Food and RuralAairs (Dera), (2005), Securing the Future:delivering the UK sustainable development

strategy, HMSO, London.Department or Environment, Food and RuralAairs (Dera), (2006), Climate Change: The UKProgramme 2006, HMSO, London.

Department or Trade and Industry (DTI), (2006),Review o Sustainable Construction, HMSO, London.URL http://www.dti.gov.uk/les/le34979.pd

Department or Trade and Industry (DTI),(2007), The UK government gateway to

Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR.gov.uk,16/03/07, URL http://www.csr.gov.uk

Engineers without Frontiers (EwF), Institutiono Civil Engineers Presidential Commission,

(2005), The Principles o Engineering orDevelopment and Poverty Reduction,Institution o Civil Engineers, London.

European Construction Industry Federation,(2006), The FIEC Principles or Sustainability,Fdration de lIndustrie Europenne de laConstruction (FIEC), Brussels.

Hawkins, J., Herd, C., and Wells, J. (2006),Modiying inrastructure procurement to enhancesocial development, Institution o Civil Engineersand Engineers Against Poverty, London.

Institution o Civil Engineers, American Societyo Civil Engineers, Canadian Society or CivilEngineering, (2006), Protocol or Engineeringa Sustainable Future or the Plant, Institutiono Civil Engineers, London, 15/03/07, URLhttp://www.ice.org.uk

Institution o Civil Engineers (ICE), the Associationor Consulting and Engineering (ACE), the CivilEngineering Contractors Association (CECA),the Construction Products Association and CIRIA,(2002), Society, sustainability and civil engineering,Institution o Civil Engineers, London, 15/03/07,URL http://www.ice.org.uk

Jowitt, P. W., (2006a) Engineering withoutFrontiers, Final Report to Council, Institution

o Civil Engineers Council Paper, No. C69-2006,18 July 2006, Institution o Civil Engineers, London.

Jowitt, P. W., (2006b) Engineering Civilisationrom the Shadows, 6th Brunel International

Lecture, Institution o Civil Engineers, London.

Parkin, S., Sommer, F. and Uren, S., (2003)Sustainable development: understanding theconcept and practical challenge, Proceedings othe Institution o Civil Engineers, EngineeringSustainability, 2003, 156, No. 1, 19-26, ThomasTelord, London.

Dodds, R. and Venables, R.K. (Eds) (2005)Engineering or Sustainable Development:Guiding Principles, The Royal Academy oEngineering, London.

Strategic Forum or Construction, (2006),2012 Construction Commitments, StrategicForum or Construction, London.

Sustainable Procurement Taskorce, (2006),Procuring the Future Sustainable ProcurementNational Action Plan: Recommendations rom

the Sustainable Procurement Task Force, Dera,HMSO, London.

World Federation o Engineering Organisations(WFEO), 2002, Engineers and SustainableDevelopment, 26/04/07, URL http://www.ch2m.com/WFEO/index.htm

All website addresses correct when published.

1


20/20

Institution o Civil EngineersOne Great George Street

Westminster

LondonSW1P 3AA

t +44 (0)20 7222 7722 +44 (0)20 7222 7500ice.org.uk

Registered charity number 210252

Published July 2007.

This publication is printed on uncoated papermade rom 100% recycled post-consumer waste,

using vegetable oil based, solvent-ree inks

through a low-alcohol sheet ed Litho process.

(Beacon Press: Uckeld, East Sussex, EMAS, ISO 14001,

FSC, Carbon Neutral, www.beaconpress.co.uk)

Designed and produced by KeeScott

www.keescott.co.uk

Documents

3.+++Sustainable Development Strategy - Civil Eng (Jul 07)