Why has sustainability in construction so often been reduced to environmental performance? J. E.: To understand this, it helps to look back. When I was trained as a city planner nearly fifty years ago, climate change was barely visible on the horizon. The construction sector, like many others, paid little attention to environmental limits. As sustainability gradually entered the mainstream, it initially did so as an environmental agenda. From the 1970s onwards, environmental impact assessments played a decisive role. They introduced structured processes that forced developers, architects and planners to consider environmental consequences. Over time, this shaped how sustainability was understood and operationalized. Comparable tools for assessing social, cultural or human impacts simply did not exist. There was also a pragmatic element: environmental performance felt more manageable. Carbon emissions, energy use and pollution could be measured, regulated and audited. Human experience, by contrast, is far more complex and politically sensitive. As a result, sustainability became closely associated with what could be quantified, even if that meant narrowing its original scope. Has this environmental focus nonetheless played a positive role for the construction sector? J. E.: Yes, absolutely. The environmental focus has forced progress in sectors that are among the most carbon-intensive in the global economy, such as cement, steel and construction. These industries are difficult to transform, and sustainability pressure has pushed them to innovate, sometimes in quite radical ways. It has also helped shift perceptions. (1) A framework for analyzing organizational performance based on three inseparable dimensions (economic, social, and environmental), aimed at measuring overall value creation beyond financial results alone. 07 JOHN ELKINGTON British consultant with expertise in corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues, who introduced the Triple Bottom Line (TBL)(1) concept. For a long time, sustainability in construction has focused on environmental performance and carbon indicators. While this approach has led to progress in practices, it often overlooks the impact of buildings on people’s lives over time. In this interview, John Elkington, pioneer of the Triple Bottom Line (people, planet, prosperity), analyzes the origins of this environmental lens, what it has made possible, and why a sustainably human-centered vision is now essential. interview KEYNoTE
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