Building and operating sustainably

Building and operating sustainably

Sustainability in construction and the built environment

Sustainability in construction and the built environment
Red Overlay
Sustainability in construction and the built environment
Sustainability in construction and the built environment
Red Overlay

Advancing a sustainable built environment

Why do I need to design, build, operate or decommission assets sustainably?

Those responsible for each aspect of the built environment have an inherent social responsibility to address sustainability, responsible sourcing, environmental management, ethics and human rights. An increase in regulation and client demand for responsible design, construction, operation and decommissioning is forcing organizations to improve their processes in areas such as carbon emissions and waste.  By disregarding social and environmental issues, you may risk damaging the environment and limiting your own business growth, so it makes sense to address these issues to help you succeed. 

The built environment influences both the physical and psychological wellbeing of the people who live in it, work in it and interact with it. You and your organization can lead the way by developing and maintaining an attitude of positive social responsibility by building or operating sustainably and bringing a positive impact on society. You’ll have demonstrable evidence that your organization is not complacent and is always challenging itself to improve performance and grow sustainably.

Sustainability report: A green print for the built environment

Drawing upon insights gathered from BSI and global influencers, we share how sustainable practices help inspire consumer and business trust in products and services. Whatever your role in the built environment, we explore how best practice around collaboration, adopting a circular economy approach and maximising more for less can drive immediate and long-term change to create a safer, sustainable, and resilient organization.

Download the report

BSI roundtable report: Unlocking social value

In this report, we set the scene by offering a definition of social value and sumarize the key findings from our informal roundtable, presenting the thoughts of participants from various backgrounds, including public and private sector organizations, academia and BSI.

Read the report

Sustainable innovation report

Alongside other world leading associations committed to sustainable development, BSI is featured in the Sunday Times and Raconteur sustainable innovation report. We explore how sustainable innovation can help support the implementation of the UN SDGs and make a positive change for people and planet, now and into the future.

Download the report

Retrofit Framework Infographic

Our Retrofit Framework Infographic highlights the key standards that offer best practice guidance when it comes to conducting energy retrofits of existing buildings.

Download now

Climate change and the built environment

In this series of blogs, we will discuss why climate change is such an important issue in the built environment, unpack some of the new alliances, agreements and initiatives in the COP 26, what they mean for the sector, and what comes next. 

Read the full post >

How we can help

BSI is at the forefront of sustainability and environmental management. We developed the world’s first environmental standard and offer many solutions that support sustainable development, resource management and enable you to validate your commitment to social responsibility.

Through the value and expertise of our people, we embed excellence in organizations across the globe to improve our clients environmental and ethical responsibilities.

Work and build smarter with British Standards Online (BSOL)

BSOL gives you instant access to over 9,000 standards related to the built environment, including environmental standards. Our standards are written with leading industry knowledge and are trusted and used by small businesses globally.

Find out more >