Building Materials Environmental Guide (BMEG) is a periodically updated guideline to help construction industry professionals (engineers, architects, procurement officers, and technical officers) to understand the environmental and social impacts of common building materials at various stages of their life cycle. It also provides some better practices to manage those impacts throughout the construction project cycle. BMEG has a global scope, but various country versions have been adapted.
WWF-US
Implemented in
- Africa
- Asia / Pacific
Led by
Sectors of activity
Buildings and construction, Waste, incl. Chemicals
Type of initiative
Capacity Building & Implementation, Education & Awareness Raising
Start date
11/01/2021
Submitted on:
11/01/2021Objectives
Main objectives:
1. Provide quick access to building industry professional to information about environmental impacts of common building materials.
2. Provide information on environmental better practices related to design,
planning, storage, use, and disposal for common building materials.
3. Adopt these guidelines for specific country or local contexts, especially for post-disaster reconstruction.
Construction industry consumes natural resources (sand, stone, soil, water, metals, lime stone) in massive scales in any country. The process of acquiring and using of natural resources, in the form of building materials cause severe environmental and social impacts which are often not fully comprehended by the practitioners in the industry (engineers, architects, procurement managers, technical officers). This is due to the fact that, impacts are hidden in complex supply chains and happens at different stages of the material life-cycle.
The Building Materials Environmental Guide helps construction industry professionals to understand these complex impacts and identify the potential implications of their material related decisions, at the various stages of the construction project cycle.
BMEG project of WWF has actively promoted adaptation of these guidelines at national levels in different countries, supporting a policy shift towards sustainable consumption in construction.
Activities
As collected through the One Planet Reporting
Output level
Knowledge resource and technical tool
-
Construction Green Guide : An Environmental Guide to the Construction Stage of Building Projects - Sri Lanka
Construction Green Guide : An Environmental Guide to the Construction Stage of Building Projects - Sri Lanka
Regions
Asia / Pacific
Lead organization
Construction Industry Development Authority - CIDA (Sri Lanka) World Wildlife Fund - WWF
Objective
To provide a general guideline for engineers, architects, project managers, quantity surveyors and technicians in construction projects to manage the construction activities in an environmentally responsible and resource efficient manner. To introduce measures and better practices for resource efficiency and environmental management during the construction stage of the project cycle.
Achievements
Achievements: Construction Industry contributes to some of the most severe (negative) environmental impacts in Sri Lanka. However, taking these impacts into consideration during construction decision-making is difficult due to high financial stakes involved, tight time frames and the intransigence of existing norms and practices. In this sense, it was very significant that the national regulator of the Construction Industry in Sri Lanka (Construction Industry Development Authority) took the initiative to develop and publish these guidelines as a government document, in collaboration with an international environmental organisation such as WWF. Feedbacks: The guideline was reviewed by number of senior academics/practitioners in the construction industry, who commended the effort and provided very constructive comments. The comments were incorporated into the final publication. Challenges: There is a large stock of information available on various aspects of responsible and sustainable practices for construction stage. The challenge was to identify what was most relevant to Sri Lankan conditions and present them in a simple and concise manner.
Impact and Results
The first version of BMEG was published in collaboration with WWF-Nepal with the endorsement of Nepal Government, as a guideline for reconstruction and humanitarian agencies involved in the earthquake (2015) reconstruction process. In 2017 a global generic version was published by WWF and had been electronically distributed widely. In 2018, Construction Industry Development Authority, Sri Lanka adapted the generic version as a government guideline for the construction industry in general. Currently a BEMG version is being prepared for Mozambique to be used in the Cyclone Idai (2019) reconstruction process.
WWF-Northwestern University (NU) collaborative project to improve BMEG has developed a more comprehensive document, which provides both quantitative and descriptive information on different environmental aspects.
Current BMEG versions:
1. Building Material Selection and Use - An Environmental Guide (Nepal) - 2016
2. Building Materials Environmental Guide (Generic Global Version 1) - 2017
3. Environmental Guide for Construction Materials and Products (Sri Lanka) - 2017
4. Building Materials Environmental Guide (Generic Global Version 2) - 2019
5. Building Materials Environmental Guide (Mozambique) - under preparation
Partners:
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) - Nepal
Hariyo Ban Program - Nepal
Northwestern University - USA
Construction Industry Development Authority - Sri Lanka
Department of Building Construction and Urban Development, Government of Nepal
World Wildlife Fund - Mozambique
Next steps and how to get involved
WWF and other partners of the project are working to develop an online searchable version of the BEMG, which will provide easier access to information through a user friendly and dynamic interface.
Northwestern University - a key BMEG partner - has launched a research program to develop computer based tools to optimize material selection based on both environmental and financial criteria and support material related decision-making in building projects.
WWF is also seeking to expand the coverage of BMEG and support the adaptation of these guidelines in different countries/contexts.
If you are interested in obtaining a BMEG copy or getting involved in our activities please contact us through our knowledge portal