Empirical analysis of the determinants of environmentally sustainable practices in the UK construction industry

Abstract

Purpose – During the last decade, the practice of sustainability has been gradually adopted in the UK construction industry, with the increasing interest in the discourse of sustainable development. This paper therefore aims to investigate the role and ability of sustainable development-based requirements – top management commitment, government regulations and construction stakeholder pressures – as potential determinants of adoption of proactive environmentally sustainable practices, with a view of promoting sustainable innovation in the UK construction industry. Design/methodology/approach – The research approach selected for this research comprised of a questionnaire survey of the UK construction industry practitioners – architects and designers, structural engineers, construction managers and quantity surveyors – with the aid of an Adobe Livecycle Designer. Purposive sampling techniques using maximum variation strategy were adopted for selecting the target survey respondents. The Predictive Analysis Software (PASW) Statistics 17.0 (formerly SPSS statistics) was employed to analyse information from the survey. Findings – Empirical results indicate a positive effect of government regulations, top management commitment and construction stakeholder pressures on sustainable construction practices. Government regulation was found to be the most important determinants of sustainable practices. In addition, top management commitment appears to be linked with government regulation as the defining factor increasing managers sustainability awareness, helping sustainable practices to be effectively implemented and appealing to firms. Originality/value – The research results provide useful information in understanding the determinant factors of sustainable construction innovation and are particularly essential in aiding better decision-making in implementing sustainable practices, thereby facilitating the sustainability of the construction sector.