An integrative methodology for environmental management in construction

Abstract

A remarkable difference between the registration rate of ISO 14001 environmental management system (EMS) and the implementation rate of environmental impact assessment (EIA) in construction industry in Mainland China indicates that there may be little coordination between the implementation of the EIA and the EMS in construction projects in Mainland China, and the EIA practice may not really serve as a tool to promote environmental management (EM) in construction. Since the China Environmental Protection Bureau recently enacted to implement the environmental supervision system in construction project supervision, contractors have to pay greater attention to adopt and implement EM in construction. In this regard, this paper presents an integrative methodology (E+) for dynamic EIA in construction, which integrates various EM approaches with a general EMS process throughout all construction stages in a construction project. The E+ is expected to effectively and efficiently assist contractors to enhance their environmental performances in China.