When sustainability becomes more than just a trend but a main policy employed by international organizations, they are then better aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Particularly, the construction industry must pay extra attention as it is the most closely linked to the SDGs. Contractors can learn to handle issues effectively by adopting ‘sustainable procurement’, a solution to balance social, economic, and environmental dimensions in the construction industry, as well as help drive their business to sustainably thrive and grow.

Since the spread of COVID-19 around the world, almost every business has been negatively affected, the construction industry included. According to a survey by iseekplant in 2021, entrepreneurs in the construction industry faced numerous challenges that impeded the progress of their projects, including the disruption of supply chains, the inability to control the quality of construction materials, as well as fluctuations in material prices.

These issues created a ripple effect on the shortage of construction materials and innovations in the construction industry. As a result, numerous projects experienced delays in their work progress, or worse, a complete halt.

Sustainable procurement is beneficial for the construction industry in several ways as it places a high value on supply chain management. An efficient process of procuring raw materials, products, or services will boost profits as well as suits the needs of customers, whilst helping the company to grow.

Sustainable procurement has become an important weapon for entrepreneurs. It can be used to acquire quality and diverse raw materials at a reasonable price. In addition, entrepreneurs will benefit from global sourcing as follows:

As mentioned earlier, ‘sustainable procurement’ is a solution that helps create balance for both environment and society, in line with the construction standard: LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) –the criteria for assessing green buildings developed by USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) in the United States. LEED’s main concept aims to mitigate the effects on the environment both during and after the construction, as well as strengthen the building structure by using efficient renewable resources. LEED’s assessment criteria include:

• LEED for building design & construction
• LEED for interior design & construction
• LEED for building operations & maintenance
• LEED for neighborhood development
• LEED for homes
• LEED for cities & communities

These standards have become the major factors that cause entrepreneurs in the construction industry to look for solutions in selecting materials and logistics that better meet sustainable practices.

Using complete sourcing solutions is wise to help break the limitations of procuring materials and products that are not readily available domestically, especially ones that align with a company’s sustainability policy, as there are limited innovations for the production of green alternative materials. Moreover, these solutions also effectively help control the costs in procuring, logistics, and operations. Collaborating with a sustainability-minded company that comes with extensive experience and networks in all regions enables businesses in the construction industry to select a wide range of LEED-standard materials that seamlessly align with their sustainability policies throughout the entire construction process.

As you can see, a global sourcing strategy is helpful in the construction industry nowadays due to social and environmental changes that encourage international organizations to increasingly turn to sustainable procurement solutions. Not only do the solutions provide a wide range of raw material procurement options, but they also make it easier to procure eco-friendly green innovations at reasonable prices.

With complete sourcing solutions from SCG International, organizations can procure quality products from global brands and raw material resources all around the world within a limited time. This includes construction products certified with Green Choice labels, such as hybrid structural cement, CPAC concrete roof tiles, fiber cement roof tiles: Roman tiles series, and many more home decoration items. SCG International has over 40 years of experience and expertise in product procurement and supply chain management in more than 50 countries worldwide. Contact us to help reach your sustainability goals today!