There can be little doubt that construction is one of the most resource-hungry industries in the world. According to a report by Willmott Dixon, the built environment is responsible for around 45-50 per cent of global energy usage, 50 per cent of worldwide water usage, and 60 per cent of raw materials for buildings and roads. It is also a major source of waste and pollution, responsible for around 4% of particulate emissions and more water pollution incidents than any other sector.
Building on greener foundations
A combination of environmental legislation and industry-led initiatives, from training and technology to best practice advice, have sharpened the industry’s focus on improving its green credentials.
We recently polled 149 UK construction companies to find out how committed they are to long-term environmental responsibility and specifically, what role the fleet operation is playing in their efforts to reduce CO2. The results make for interesting reading – view the infographic here.
Technology lends a helping hand
As well as cutting mileage by avoiding traffic and creating more efficient routing to sites, the data provided by telematics technology allows companies to offer more reliable ETA’s and fit in more jobs per day.
Building contractor Breyer Group recently announced fleet insurance savings of £60,000 in just 12 months by using driver behaviour monitoring tools to underpin a three-year risk management programme with insurer HDI-Gerling. You can read more about how they did this here.
There are numerous examples of the technology being used to help other companies to achieve significant fuel and productivity savings – read case studies.
The drivers themselves also play a key part in making the change to greener and safer driving. Modern telematics systems can give drivers real time visual alerts when they are speeding or braking too harshly, so they can respond instantly and drive more safely. The latest in-cab devices can even advise on the most efficient time to take their foot off the accelerator when approaching junctions or alert drivers when idling to save fuel and reduce CO2 impact.
Find out how to downsize your impact on the environment with our best practice guide: 3 steps to green your fleet
Find out how to improve productivity with our free guide for construction companies: 7 tips for more productivity