Sustainable practices in the construction sector: an overview of copanies operating in Brazil and their contributions to achieving the UN SDGs

Abstract

The civil construction sector is one of the main consumers of natural resources and presents the need to implement sustainable practices in its activities. We sought to present an overview of sustainability practices that have been developed by the civil construction sector in Brazil and their contributions to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the UN. To this end, a review of the literature was carried out, considering the Brazilian sector, using the following steps: preparation; organization phase; reporting the analysis process and results. Twenty-four companies representing the sector were considered. According to the analysis of their reports, 19 sustainable practices are identified. It was possible to group these practices into four macro areas aligned with the sustainable development of organizations, such as environmental, economic, social, and extensive management practices. Finally, a synthesis of the practices that have been applied in the civil construction sector is presented. Sustainable practices were also aligned with the goals set out in the UN SDGs.