Stakeholder Opinions of Implementing Environmental Management Systems in the Construction Sector of the U.S.

Abstract

Environmental concerns over the effects of construction sector activities necessitate meaningful measures to be taken. Despite worldwide increases in the uptake of environmental management systems (EMS), implementation of EMS across the construction sector of the U.S. remains slow. To date, stakeholder opinions about the uptake of EMS in the construction sector of the U.S. remain unexplored. The purpose of this study is to investigate the views of U.S. stakeholders towards the benefits and barriers of implementing EMS, and how these compare internationally. Underpinned by a positivism philosophy, an online questionnaire survey was used to collect the views of construction professionals (n = 50). Weighted average analysis scores reveal that the benefits of EMS are seen to improve the public perception and credibility of an organization/company and reduce waste levels and are a tool to improve the environmental standards of the U.S.’s construction sector; in contrast, the barriers of EMS are an absence of sub-contractor cooperation and resistance to change in existing company structure and policy, plus the requirement for additional employee training. The potential impact of this work demonstrates not only the role that the U.S. construction sector can play in advancing environmental and sustainability matters using EMS but also the obstacles that need to be addressed to enable their success. Understanding these benefits and barriers at an organizational level could enable them to devise more effective business strategies/policies, where evidence-based practices could be used to support EMS implementation.