If you work in the construction industry, you’ll know all too well how competitive it can be to land clients, especially if there are a handful of other companies trying to get the job too. So, it’s your responsibility to make sure that what you offer will stand out from the crowd and make your company the obvious choice. But how can you do that when building can’t really stray far from what you already know?

The answer here is sustainability. More and more people are becoming conscious of how much of an environmental impact they’re having every day, and that includes the homes they live in or the offices they’re building. So how can you become more sustainable as a construction company? Let’s delve into that now.

Carefully selecting your materials

One of the most attractive ways of being more sustainable as a construction company is by making sure you carefully select the materials you’re using. Potential customers who want to reduce their carbon footprint will want you to be able to offer eco-friendly options like bamboo, reclaimed wood, recycled steel and low-impact concrete. This might feel a little bit daunting, but it can really help your company get ahead of your competitors if you have these as an option. You might be understandably nervous about making the switch, so instead, try adjusting your usual orders to begin with to simply have it as an option rather than fully replacing your offerings straight away. You’ll soon find that people latch on and want a piece of that action.

Being energy efficient

Construction workers often find this one a little bit baffling, but being energy efficient isn’t just about reducing how much energy you’re actually using; it’s about making sure that the whole process is efficient while making sure you minimise how much you’re impacting the environment. And don’t worry, you won’t have to sacrifice on your profits either! By finding ways of making your projects more efficient, you’ll actually save money and make sure that your equipment stands the test of time too. What you actually need to do is make the initial investment into cutting edge technology that will make jobs that used to take time and a lot of graft much easier. What’s even better is that these technologies are designed not to harm the environment, or at least have a significantly lower impact.

You can also be energy efficient by offering solar panel installation and integrating high efficiency HVAC systems as you build. If there’s one thing that people hate, it’s having to install one after a building has been erected.

Water conservation

Water doesn’t often enter the mind when it comes to being more sustainable because many of us are lucky enough to have access to fresh water as and when we need it. However, water scarcity is becoming a real thing, and that’s why it’s important to consider adding water conservation methods into your builds and offerings. You should consider offering things like greywater recycling systems, low-flow plumbing fixtures and leak detection systems so that when all is said and done, the building itself can help preserve water. In turn, this will help take the strain off local water resources, which will be a huge bonus to the community.

Reducing waste and recycling

As you already know, being in the construction industry goes hand in hand with a lot of waste materials, and you should take steps to reduce how much actually goes to waste. Additionally, you should also look into where and how you can recycle any materials that do go to waste. A great place to start is by using prefabrication wherever possible as this helps significantly minimise waste. You should also be proactively thinking about metallurgical accounting when it comes to optimising the materials you’re using for sustainability, as this can also help reduce any waste and ensure the building is as sustainable as possible.

Have a greener supply chain

We spoke about carefully selecting your materials earlier, but have you ever thought about where you’re getting your resources from? In the construction industry, one of the largest factors that contribute to climate change is the sheer amount of transport involved. And, by being able to boast about a green supply chain, you’ll instantly make customers more interested in hiring you over your competitors.

You might not think that you’re going to be making much impact, especially if your company is a small and local one. But, by making your supply chain greener, you can dramatically decrease the impact your business is having on the environment. You can do this by buying locally wherever possible, shopping around for suppliers that are also using a green initiative, and also by making sure that your delivery trucks are loaded and driven as economically as possible.

Collaborate to constantly improve

As a construction business, there’s a good chance that you come into contact with many other professionals along the way like architects and engineers, and you should use those interactions to constantly improve your practices. Not only that, you can work together to exchange ideas and share new best practices you’ve found to slowly begin to change the mindset of builders like yourself.

Go cashless

Another way you can become more sustainable is by going cashless. While most of the world is now leaning towards becoming a cashless society, the construction industry is still a largely cash dominated industry. And, it’s not as difficult as you might think either. While you can get hold of a portable card machine, you can also set up safe online payment methods on your website where your clients can pay too. Plus, who wants to wait in line at the bank to deposit money into their business account? Not us, that’s for sure!

As you can see, becoming more sustainable as a construction business is not only a great way of attracting new clients, but it’s a must in this day and age. Start making the change now for a better world tomorrow!