Championing a sustainable future

Modern writers will tell you that sustainability is a new phenomenon, but the 1990s saw the emergence of membership organisation Constructing Excellence and groundbreaking developments such as Greenwich Millennium Village (GMV) – we struggle to get close to GMV’s achievements today.

The development consists of 1,200 mixed-tenure, energy-efficient homes, beautifully designed by Ralph Erskine and boasting low bills. GMV has gardens, green roofs, award-winning architecture, schools, doctors’ surgeries and impeccably connected infrastructure.

As regards security, it takes the right to feel safe at home very seriously.  GMV has cycle ways, parks, recreation, retail, shops, cafés and restaurants, creating jobs underpinning the local economy, all close to Canary Wharf. GMV used green building materials, energy-efficient appliances and lighting, and has great biodiversity.

It even has its own farm – Mudchute Farm, an oasis of calm contributing to wellbeing, health and happiness.

The hard work was done at the outset, during inception, briefing and design, with a coalition of public-, private- and third-sector bodies, engaging a great range of stakeholders and can-do people. We sought to mitigate and prevent negative social, environmental and economic impacts. The result has been GMV’s global legacy for sustainable development.

The diverse community and culture generated is so loved that people move within the development, but rarely move out of it, resulting in high retention rates. This is the epitome of how well designed, and well managed places can contribute to delivering social impact. Nearly 30 years on, Greenwich Millennium Village continues to be a thriving, sustainable community that still creates financial and impact value.

I am proud to have been part of the consortium that designed, constructed and managed the completed homes. The GMV baseline is a bar that few developments achieve nearly three decades on.

At a recent ‘Build to Rent’ conference with the sector’s C-suite leaders atop Canary Wharf Tower, we looked across to GMV as I extolled its virtues alongside the best of today’s projects. Like an episode of The Great British Bake Off, it was not GMV that was left with a soggy bottom.

Sustainability seeks to lead us to excellence, and there is no shortage of standards – the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the Sustainability Reporting Standard for Social Housing from Sustainability for Housing, GRESB, the UN’s sustainable development goals, the EU’s corporate sustainability reporting directive (CSRD) and corporate sustainability due diligence directive (CSDDD).

However, the global gold standard used by 78% of the world’s top organisations is the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), which focuses on common comparable metrics around a baseline of measurement disclosure, due diligence, risk, accountability and openness through transparent public reporting of performance.

CSRD and CSDDD are contributing to a wave of due diligence and transparency regulation sweeping the business world, forcing companies to pay greater attention to the environment and human rights impacts in their supply chains.

Better supply chain management boosts sustainability and supplier engagement, while supporting a shift in procurement law from ‘least cost’ to ‘least risk’. Sustainability is a business differentiator that creates value and attracts investment at more favourable rates.   

Leading organisations in reporting determine their material topics as part of their core business strategy and culture. They recognise their role in fostering community wellbeing and resilience through social impact.

Initiatives range from affordable housing schemes and community engagement programmes, to investments in local infrastructure and services. By prioritising social value, developers are not just building homes but are nurturing vibrant, sustainable communities as well as green skills.

We now see a selection of great supply chain organisations providing their services with a sustainable approach, such as Dodd Group and Smarter Services Ltd, and reporting to internationally recognised standards for creating value. The work of such companies is often punctuated by examples of social impact that improve the health, happiness and wellbeing of people in the communities they serve.

Smarter Services has an initiative called ‘Delivering Quality with our Hands and Hearts’, volunteering time and materials. In one project, it repaired and restored the property of the Warming up the Homeless charity, which had sustained flood damage, while keeping the centre operational.

In another, it created an orchard where residents can harvest fruits at no cost, promoting biodiversity and helping local wildlife while bringing the community together. It has also developed peace gardens, with resident-made seating, turning unused areas into spaces that are good for mental health and community spirit.

Supply-chain contributions enhance the sustainability achievements of the construction and real estate sector, and such excellence should be encouraged and supported. 

Kye Gbangbola MBA  FCIOB  FIEMA  CIHCM  CEnv is a sustainability ambassador for the Chartered Institute of Building, has achieved multiple Constructing Excellence awards, is co-author of Gold Standard Sustainability Reporting, and is founder of Total Eco Management, an award-winning sustainability consultancy and certified GRI training company.