Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Sustainability Reporting in Construction Contractors: A Case Study

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Proceedings of the 18th International Symposium on Advancement of Construction Management and Real Estate

Abstract

Construction activities have significant impacts on the environment, economy and society. As a result, sustainability has become an agenda in construction related business. This is evidenced by an increasingly number of construction related companies adopting sustainability reporting practice. Construction contractors are no exception. This study aims to investigate the sustainability reporting practices adopted by top Chinese contractors active in the international arena. The focus is placed on those Chinese contractors ranked top 50 by the Engineering News Record (ENR) top 225 international contractors. The results showed that the sustainability reporting practices of these top Chinese contractors, in terms of both approaches and the depth, varied significantly however there is a clear trend of growing level of disclosure of sustainability related information. Similarly, environmental sustainability seems the predominate focus of sustainability reporting exercises of top international contractors from China. These findings help to assist senior management of construction contractors to form business strategies to facilitate disclosure and other sustainability related practices.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Bos‐Brouwers HEJ (2010) Corporate sustainability and innovation in SMEs: evidence of themes and activities in practice. Bus Strateg Environ 19(7):417–435

    Google Scholar 

  2. CNMIC (2013) CSR, the China National Machinery Industry Corporation. http://www.sinomach.com.cn/

  3. CSCC (2012) 2011 Sustainability report/CSR report. China State Construction Corporation, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  4. Eccles RG, Krzus MP (2010) One report: integrated reporting for a sustainable strategy. Wiley, New Jersey

    Google Scholar 

  5. ENR (2012) The top 225 international contractors. The Engineering News Record. http://enr.construction.com/toplists/InternationalContractors

  6. Giang DT, Sui Pheng L (2011) Role of construction in economic development: review of key concepts in the past 40 years. Habitat Int 35(1):118–125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Glass J (2012) The state of sustainability reporting in the construction sector. Smart Sustain Built Environ 1(1):87–104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Gustavsson L, Joelsson A, Sathre R (2010) Life cycle primary energy use and carbon emission of an eight-storey wood-framed apartment building. Energy Build 42(2):230–242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Kolk A (2003) Trends in sustainability reporting by the Fortune Global 250. Bus Strategy Environ 12(5):279–291

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. KPMG (2008) Sustainability reporting a guide. KPMG, Australia, May 2008

    Google Scholar 

  11. Li H, Jin Z, Li V, Liu G, Skitmore RM (2013) An entry mode decision-making model for the international expansion of construction enterprises. Eng Constr Archit Manag 20(2):160–180

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Lu W, Li H, Shen L, Huang T (2009) Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis of Chinese construction companies in the global market. J Manag Eng 25(4):166–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Ortiz O, Castells F, Sonnemann G (2009) Sustainability in the construction industry: a review of recent developments based on LCA. Constr Build Mater 23(1):28–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Price S, Pitt M, Tucker M (2011) Implications of a sustainability policy for facilities management organisations. Facilities 29(9/10):391–410

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. RobecoSAM AG (2013) The sustainability yearbook 2013. Zurich, Switzerland, January 2013

    Google Scholar 

  16. Sev A (2009) How can the construction industry contribute to sustainable development? A conceptual framework. Sustain Dev 17(3):161–173

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Vormedal I, Ruud A (2009) Sustainability reporting in Norway–an assessment of performance in the context of legal demands and socio‐political drivers. Bus Strateg Environ 18(4):207–222

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. WBCSD (2003) Sustainable development reporting: striking the balance. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  19. Ye K, Shen L, Zuo J (2013) Utilizing the linkage between domestic demand and the ability to export to achieve sustainable growth of construction industry in developing countries. Habitat Int 38:135–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Yuan H (2013) Key indicators for assessing the effectiveness of waste management in construction projects. Ecol Indic 24:476–484

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Zhao ZY, Shen LY, Zuo J (2009) Performance and strategy of Chinese contractors in the international market. J Constr Eng Manag 135(2):108–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Zuo J, Zillante G, Wilson L, Davidson K, Pullen S (2012) Sustainability policy of construction contractors: a review. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 16(6):3910–3916

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Natural and Built Environments, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Jian Zuo

  2. Department of Engineering Management, School of Economics and Management, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, China

    Zhenyu Zhao

  3. School of Urban Development, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Bo Xia

  4. School of Architecture and Built Environment, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    George Zillante

  5. School of Energy and Electrical Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 211100, China

    Zhi-Yang Pan

Authors
  1. Jian Zuo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Zhenyu Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Bo Xia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. George Zillante
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Zhi-Yang Pan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jian Zuo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Policy and Administrati Institute of Real Estate Research, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

    Donglang Yang

  2. School of Public Policy and Administration Institute of Real Estate Research, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

    Yanjun Qian

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Zuo, J., Zhao, Z., Xia, B., Zillante, G., Pan, ZY. (2014). Sustainability Reporting in Construction Contractors: A Case Study. In: Yang, D., Qian, Y. (eds) Proceedings of the 18th International Symposium on Advancement of Construction Management and Real Estate. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-44916-1_34

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation