Responsible material sourcing: An assessment of factors influencing construction material sustainability’ In: Laryea, S. and Essah, E. (Eds)

Abstract

The term “responsible materials” refers to products that have been certified as meeting sustainability standards. Thus, the ethical management of sustainability challenges in the construction product supply chain is referred to as responsible sourcing. It encourages the appropriate availability of measurements that increase sustainability by assessing the environmental impact of materials in the construction supply chain. Due to its health implications, environmental pollution caused by material sourcing and usage has been a hot topic of investigation. Construction specialists responsible for selecting materials with low environmental footprints have a tough time doing so. In addition to the obstacles faced by essential specialists in material selection, numerous aspects must be considered in the sourcing and selection processes, such as comparing policies, to result in better material usage beginning with the design phase. This research is aimed at assessing the factors that influence material sourcing in the construction industry in which sustainability is promoted. A survey of Ghanaian construction professionals involved in the selection and procuring of construction materials was conducted. The variables were evaluated based on the mean of their ratings. All of the variables deemed to influence responsible sourcing of construction materials were subjected to a principal component analysis (PCA). PCA found four components with eigenvalues greater than one, accounting for 34.2 per cent of environmental criteria, 12.10 per cent of resource consumption criteria, 8.4% of technological criteria, and 6.9% of socio-economic criteria. As a result, all of the variables were significant, confirming the conclusions of the literature. Despite being considered an essential factor, eutrophication earned the lowest rating in the environmental factor category; this is a cause for concern in ecosystem management. The study contributes to the management of material sustainability in the Global South to promote the required material sourcing and selection response from decisionmaking professionals.