Environmental management systems in construction projects in Kenya: barriers, drivers, adoption levels

Abstract

The construction industry is established to be responsible for one third of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and has an oversized carbon footprint which is attributed to the industry’s large materials’ appetite. The industry is heavily reliant on natural resource utilisation and is reported to contribute over 33% of waste materials in the landfills. Kenya seems to be fighting a losing battle with poor management of natural resources, waste management, inter alia environmental impacts associated with; the extraction, transport, processing, fabrication, installation and disposal of the building industry materials.

Waste management and handling of hazardous material is a menace to rapidly developing nations. To keep economic progress in its path, sustainable resource use and responsible waste management is needful. Action needs to be stirred in the construction sector as the major polluter. Sound and practical management of environmental matters cannot be decoupled from enterprise risk management. Therefore, corporate governance in construction firms needs to adopt responsible resource consumption and production for overall sustainable growth and development.

In an effort to understand and address this problem at source, this study evaluated the level of fusion of business and environmental goals in the construction sector in Kenya. It critically examines at project level, Environmental Management Systems (EMS) employed by established and new entrant construction firms, with a focus on waste management, hazardous material (HazMat) waste handling, barriers and drivers of environmental performance as well as level of inclusion of environmental aspects in product design in the construction firms in Kenya.

The paper further, proposes solid ways to broaden and enhance the quality of environmentally conscious infrastructure in developing nations like Kenya.

Keywords: construction, demolition, waste, policy, sustainability, barriers and drivers