Environmental Safety Sustainability

By

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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ABSTRACT

The world today is facing many environmental issues. The scale of environmental problems has increased from local and regional to global. This study aims to investigate environmental reporting of construction companies. Sustainability attempts to balance economic growth against issues such as environmental protection and social responsibility with the intent of achieving an improved quality of life for both current and future generations. Environmental Management System (EMS) that collect and define the company's environmental disclosure setting procedures objectives and implementation of various actions, the allocation of responsibilities and appropriate tools to assess progress. In order to implement management plans and management waste is of paramount importance in the first place the knowledge and implementation of environmental legislation and regulations developed on the issue.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the Study1

Significance of the study2

Aim and objectives of the Study3

Research Questions3

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW5

Construction and the environment5

Environmental management and construction companies5

Waste Management of Construction Companies6

Sustainability and Sustainability Reporting7

Environmental Performance and Environmental Reporting8

Construction Responsibility of Construction Companies and Public Disclosure9

Firm's reputation and disclosure11

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY13

Data Collection Technique13

Secondary Research13

Search Technique16

Literature Search16

Inclusion and exclusion criteria18

Additional Online searches19

REFERENCES20

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The world today is facing many environmental issues. The scale of environmental problems has increased from local and regional to global. Unplanned and unsustainable development, rapid industrialization, urbanization, and other technological developments have contaminated air, water and soil quality and, therefore, have interfered with the basic needs of the society. Public awareness of environmental issues such as global warming, acid rain and ozone depletion has increased substantially over the last few years (Zimmerman, 2008, p.48). This research would be discussing the construction company's disclosure of environmental sustainability. Since these construction companies provide countless benefits to society, they also have significant impacts on the environment. In the life cycle, of construction companies various natural resources are consumed including energy resources, water, land, and minerals and many kinds of pollutants are released back to the environment. These environmental inputs and outputs result in significant environmental consequences including global warming, acidification, air pollution, resource depletion, and waste disposal (Patten, 2002, p. 63). The concerns of corporate reporting in CSR and sustainability date back to the 1950s, proliferated in the 1970s Kelly, (2005) and received increased popularity and attention in the 1990s and the 2000s (Seidman, 2004, 134).

The emergence of social reports in the 1970s showed the awareness of society on non-financial activities of a company, especially regarding human rights and employment issues. The trend somewhat waned due to the lack of reliable and quantifiable measurements in subsequent ...