At Galliford Try, we want to be involved in the discussion and thinking on sustainable development and what it means for us. We talked to Martin Hunt, Head of the Built Environment at Forum for the Future, a leading NGO advising businesses on sustainability, for his thoughts and aspirations.

With the publication of the Government’s Strategy for Sustainable Construction and the recent Low Carbon Construction Innovation and Growth Team report, will we still be hearing about sustainability in 10 years’ time?
I would like to see it being integral with the notion of quality. Radical changes must take place across the sector in the next 20 years to meet Government carbon reduction targets. A fundamental part of delivering this is to improve efficiency through better integration, innovation and intelligent partnering. So, in 10 years’ time, we will be talking about sustainable construction, but just as a reference to high quality construction.
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"ARE YOU BUILDING UP YOUR BUSINESS AND DEVELOPING IT IN SUCH A WAY THAT WILL MAKE IT RESILIENT TO THE FUTURE? THERE ARE SO MANY SIGNALS IN THE MARKETPLACE AT THE MOMENT TO DO SO. WHY WOULD YOU NOT TAKE THE SUSTAINABILITY AGENDA SERIOUSLY?"
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Can you identify some of the specific opportunities associated with sustainability?
We try to be very positive and solutions-orientated in our approach – think of it as future-proofing an organisation. We are seeing many more organisations consider how their sustainability strategies need to be better fed into the work-winning part of the business. Are you building up your business and developing it in such a way that will make it resilient to the future? There are so many signals in the marketplace at the moment to do so. Why would you not take the sustainability agenda seriously?
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“WHAT WE DON’T WANT TO SEE IS A TIGHTENING PUBLIC PURSE BEING USED AS AN EXCUSE TO BACK TRACK ON SUSTAINABILITY EXPECTATIONS AND WHOLE LIFE COSTING”
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Will sustainability in the sector suffer as a result of the financial crisis?
Over the next few years there will be serious constraints on the public purse, so capital spending will be hugely affected. What we don’t want to see is a tightening public purse being used as an excuse to back track on sustainability expectations and whole life costing.

Do we have we adequate industry representation to drive the sustainability agenda?
It is difficult with the sheer number of construction trade organisations representing their own members. They help their mainstream membership to survive – however this does limit the potential to take a more proactive stance.
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"WE MUST STANDARDISE THE MEASUREMENTS FOR SUSTAINABILITY ACROSS THE INDUSTRY SO THAT WE CAN COMPARE LIKE WITH LIKE"
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We have often found sustainability to be confused, with different meanings for different people. Is more clarity required?
The publication of the Strategy for Sustainable Construction in 2008 was a good starting point – a review of what has happened over the last few years. However, going forward, sustainability is a leadership area for companies who can frame the market in which they operate and adopt the role of educator and advocator. Our recommendation to companies is that they make a commitment to the part they will play. We must standardise the measurements for sustainability across the industry so that we can compare like with like.
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"A BIG RISK IS THAT COMPANIES GO FROM PROJECT TO PROJECT WITHOUT SHARING THE LEARNING AND DO NOT COMMIT THE RESOURCE TO LOOK AT INNOVATION"
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Is there sufficient training and knowledge within the industry to drive this agenda forward?
A big risk is that companies go from project to project without sharing the learning and do not commit the resource to look at innovation. Not just technical innovation, but new financial models as well. I come back to leadership again here. There isn’t a training course that will teach you sustainability – it’s a way of thinking. There definitely needs to be clear championing from the top. Stuart Rose from Marks & Spencer, and the highly visible "Plan A" campaign, is an example of a leader who, though not a sustainability expert, is aware of the risks and knows he must act.

How else can we build knowledge and capacity across the sector?
It is important that we focus on the experienced practitioners in our organisations to embrace the sustainability agenda which will then rub off on new talent. We need to put the next generation into situations where they can develop their own problem solving capacity. The key is to make sustainability real. Employees needn’t know the company’s sustainability strategy in detail, but be able to point to a couple of stories that demonstrate its approach and future plans for sustainable development.

It is clear the sustainability agenda is not going away. What are the two most important areas you feel that sector organisations should address right now?
Firstly, to drive and inspire leadership as I have just discussed. Board members should articulate what sustainable development means for their business, and their vision for the next 5–10 years. Secondly, don’t focus solely on carbon but retain the bigger picture surrounding social inclusion, water, waste and the skills agenda.

Forum for the Future and Martin Hunt
Forum for the Future works in partnership with leading organisations in the business and public sector. Its vision is of business and communities thriving in a future that is environmentally sustainable and socially just. Martin oversees Forum’s work with private and public sector partners in the built environment arena, working on a range of high profile projects for Forum, including Engineers for the 21st Century.