Sustainability in facilities management: an overview of current research

Abstract

Purpose Climate adaptation, energy efficiency, sustainable development and green growth are societal challenges for which the Facilities Management (FM) profession can develop solutions and make positive contributions on the organisational level and with societal-level effects. To base the emerging sub-discipline of sustainable facilities management (SFM) on research, an overview of current studies is needed. The purpose of this literature review is to provide exactly this overview. Design/methodology/approach This article identifies and examines current research studies on SFM through a comprehensive and systematic literature review. The literature review included screening of 85 identified scientific journals and almost 20,000 articles from the period of 2007-2012. Of the articles reviewed, 151 were identified as key articles and categorised according to topic. Findings The literature review indicated that the current research varies in focus, methodology and application of theory, and it was concluded that the current research primary addresses environmental sustainability, whereas the current research which takes an integrated strategic approach to SFM is limited. The article includes lists of reviewed journals and articles to support the further development of SFM in research and practice. Research limitations/implications The literature review includes literature from 2007 to 2012, to manage the analytical process within the project period. However, with the current categorisation and the access to the reviewed journals and articles, it is possible to continue with the latest literature. Practical implications The article provides an overview of theoretical and practical knowledge which can guide: how to document and measure the performance of building operations in terms of environmental, social and economical impacts? How to improve the sustainability performance of buildings? What are the potentials for and barriers to integrating sustainability into FM on strategic, tactical and operational levels? Originality/value The paper presents the most comprehensive literature study on SFM so far, and represents an important knowledge basis which is likely to become a key reference point for pioneers and scholars in the emerging sub-discipline of SFM.

Shaping tomorrow’s facilities management

“…A survey by Elmualim et al (2010) identified three areas where a majority of respondents were active: energy management, waste management & recycling and health & safety. Published research on sustainable facilities management can be assigned to eight categories: building performance; sustainability tools and standards; user perception, satisfaction and productivity; sustainability management; construction and sustainable building materials; building design and sustainability; urban development; and benefit of green buildings (Nielsen et al, 2016). The growing concern with sustainable facilities management implies that the ISO 41001:2017 Vocabulary definition of FM appears as limited and outdated because it concentrates exclusively on the organizational impact FM services have and also fails to acknowledge the environmental impact.…”

“…In Table III we link articles dealing with sustainability in this special issue to the eight categories of sustainable facilities management defined by Nielsen et al (2016). The article by Collins et al connects to the three categories of building performance, building design and sustainability and benefit of green buildings in exploring how to close the gap between sustainable buildings and sustainable facilities management.…”

“…Table III. Sustainable facilities management categories (Nielsen et al, 2016) and articles in this special issue Much of what has been learned from the transformations of workplace design has now moved into studies of healthcare facilities, where there are many challenges: numerous stakeholders with nonmarket relationships and different competencies, not least what follows from developments in medical technologies. The shift to healthcare reflects a growth of resources coming to the sector.…”

Status Quo and Future Directions of Facility Management: A Bibliometric – Qualitative Analysis

“…The application of performance measurement has been embraced in FM through in-depth analysis (Enoma & Allen, 2007). In addition, most recently, sustainable facility management has become one of the primary research themes in the field of FM (Nielsen, Sarasoja, & Galamba, 2016).…”

Operationalizing Industrial Ecology in the Waste Sector : Roles and tactics for circular value innovation

“…If a WM company looks to provide procurement and cleaner production services some potentials identified in the IE literature include designing products and process to use less, shifting to biologically inspired production models, and moving from toxic and non-renewables to non-toxic and renewable materials (Graedel & Howard-Grenville 2005;Abdul Rashid et al 2008;Seliger et al 2008;Despeisse et al 2012). Outside of IE, research in the emerging niche of Sustainable Facilities Management can help in further studying how WM organizations might assist with facility aspects such as energy and emissions performance measures and green building design and evaluation (Nielsen et al 2016).…”