Achieving Sustainability Goals: A Case Study on Comprehensive Action Plans for Decarbonization

Sustainable Solutions Corporation (SSC) was engaged to conduct an operations assessment for our client, an international leader within the construction industry.  SSC worked with our client to create relevant reporting and objective measurements that supported achieving the following previously established and communicated 2020 corporate sustainability goals:

• Reduce energy consumption by 20%

• Reduce CO2eq related to energy by 20%

• Reduce water consumption by 20%

• Reduce waste by 20%

Working with an on-site facility and management team, SSC led an assessment to provide a holistic view of operations, and identify reduction opportunities for materials, packaging, water, waste, and energy. The process involved a targeted focus on the highest value opportunities, using a broad definition of waste; any input that does not end up in the final product is “waste.” Waste equals lost profit and includes waste heat/energy/water; scrap product, waste raw materials, and support materials; packaging waste; and air and water emissions.

All material, energy, water, and waste data was collected from the chosen client facility; a site visit was conducted to observe operations, and identify potential opportunities to reduce material loss, energy use, water use, and waste. SSC then conducted a detailed analysis to identify the most feasible opportunities for implementation that aligned with the corporate goals.