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Background A sectorial initiative coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) The mandate of UNEP's Division of Technology,
Industry and Economics (DTIE) is to encourage decision makers in
industry and government to develop and implement policies, strategies
and practices that are cleaner, safer and make efficient use of
natural resources. The buildings and construction sector is one
of the key sectors for sustainable development, both in terms of
the important benefits it contributes to society and the considerable
negative impacts it may cause if appropriate considerations are
not given to the entire life span of buildings. Sustainable development, a strategic necessity for the buildings and construction sector The construction, use and demolition of buildings generate substantial social and economic benefits to society, but may also have serious negative impacts, in particular on the environment. This sector typically provides 5 to 10% of employment at the national level and normally generates 5 to 15% of the GDP. It builds the foundations for sustainable development, including housing, mobility, water and sanitary infrastructures, and provides the context for social interactions as well as economic development at the micro-level. Numerous studies have also proven the relationship between buildings and public health. At the same time, the built environment accounts for a large share of energy use (with associated greenhouse gas emissions), waste generation or use of natural resources. Areas of key concern also include production of construction materials, use and recycling, consumption of hazardous products, integration of buildings with other infrastructure and social systems, water use and discharge, etc. This situation has not passed unnoticed, and the sector is increasingly under pressure from authorities and the public to address environmental and social issues. In response to these demands, it has embarked on projects and partnerships in several countries to improve sustainability performance. A number of tools and rating systems have been created in order to assess and compare the environmental performance of buildings, such as LEED, developed in the United States, BREEAM, in England or HQE, in France. These initiatives have already had impact on how buildings are designed, constructed and maintained. For example, activities of the United States Green Building Council have contributed to support the expansion of the green building market in the USA to an estimated US$ 33 billion in 2004. Nevertheless, most of the time, such initiatives have a narrow focus, and sustainable development in the building and construction sector is still hampered by limited coordination and cooperation between different stakeholders throughout a building's life span. Even stakeholders working in the same phase of a building project, such as architects, contractors and building material providers, do not always have a clear understanding of how to cooperate to optimize the function of the building, but instead are focusing on short-term economic factors. Thus, there is considerable potential for improving the long-term performance of buildings by taking into account long-term benefits and costs. In order to tap this potential, it is necessary
to create the conditions and incentives that would encourage stakeholders
in the sector to jointly and more actively pursue sustainable building
and construction in a life cycle perspective. Such conditions could
range from governmental policies, or economic incentives, to rating
systems and coordination with key partners, such as the financing
and insurance sector. The voluntary methods and guidelines, generated
by some of the initiatives referred to above, therefore need to
be complemented by a worldwide recognized reference gathering stakeholders
from all parts of the building process to jointly promote sustainable
building and construction practices. Our vision for sustainability in the building and construction sector Our objective is to promote and support sustainable practices in the sector :
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