It is quite remarkable the extent to which carbon reduction and the challenge of climate change has modified our business priorities. I’ve been writing about construction for a long time and when I started out, cost was invariably the main focus for any contractor, and certainly for their client.
The reformers of 20 years ago understood the folly of this obsession while acknowledging that it’s only human nature to try and get the best price. But value is what delivers results, not the lowest bid.
Cost will always be important, of course. But in today’s enlightened construction sector, other factors carry a lot of weight. And chief among them is climate change.
Right across the supply chain we’re increasingly putting climate change at the heart of every project. Measures that reduce carbon emissions are not just nice to have; they have real currency.
So it’s unsettling, to say the least, that the reputation of one of the biggest carbon-saving breakthroughs of recent years, HVO fuel, has now been called into question.
As we discover in our feature starting on p27, HVO production has been identified as a likely cause of deforestation in some parts of the world.
Green issues can often be grey areas. At least you knew where you were when your only concern was cost.