Sustainable construction: Challenges and opportunities

There has been an increasing concern over the impacts of construction activity on the environment and measures haven been put into practice to mitigate them. These measures include legal frameworks, cultural, technological and managerial processes. The construction industry is under severe pressure in order to adopt environmentally friendly approaches and environmental responsibility is nowadays seen as a competitive advantage. However, implementing environmental management systems within construction organisations is not without significant constraints. Construction sustainability has therefore been a major dilemma for the construction industry. This paper reports initial findings of a larger research project on the implementation of sustainable construction in Mozambique. The paper presents and discusses the most important challenges and opportunities facing construction organisations in implementing environmental management systems in Mozambique. The data were collected through a case study of a construction project conducted from the client’s perspective. Construction organisations must devise robust and innovative environmental management strategies in order to comply with the sustainability requirements and take advantages of the opportunities arising from the implementation of such practices.