Moving towards a sustainable housing construction supply chain

Abstract

To prevent and reverse detrimental climate and biodiversity change, it is essential to motivate the housing construction supply chain to reduce the emission of carbon and nitrogen. The need to reduce the amount of emitted greenhouse gases and nitrogen oxides (NOx) is even more urgent in the Dutch housing construction. Currently, little research has been conducted into what hinders and motivates actors in the housing construction industry in their collaborative pursuit towards sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) in the Dutch housing construction industry.

The goal of this study is to provide new insights for actors in the housing construction chain, the government and science. To gain these new insights, the following research question has been formulated: How can the collaboration between actors in the Dutch housing construction industry be improved in the pursuit of sustainable supply chain management? This research was conducted through an in-depth case study research, based on literature research and semi-structured interviews with representatives from the most influential actor types in the Dutch housing construction supply chain. The housing construction supply chain contains a wide variety of actors with key players herein being main contractors, property developers and so-called first tier subcontractors

During the analysis of the interview results, an extensive amount of barriers and drivers were uncovered that actors encounter during the implementation of SSCM in the Dutch housing construction industry. For both barriers and drivers, it was found that subcontractors and property developers focus on the market and networking category, indicating they look more at the supply chain compared to main contractors. For main contractors, it seems they focus more on regulations, institutional barriers and drivers from within their own organization.

Based on the identified barriers and drivers, the following practical recommendations can accelerate the transition to SSCM in the Dutch housing construction industry. First, share knowledge with all actors in the supply chain. Second, develop a sustainable corporate culture that is reinforced both top-down and bottom-up in the organization. Third, some investments in sustainable operations are too high for a single actor to realize. Therefore, it is recommended that supply chain actors find effective ways to share financial burdens with each other in housing projects. Fourth and last, governmental institutions draft long term visions for the environment and subsequently translate this into policy.

The research findings can be used to inform and motivate main contractors, subcontractors, property developers and governments about practical implications and the use of policy instruments to achieve a sustainable supply chain in the Dutch housing construction industry. The combination of more intrinsic motivation from all actors in the housing construction chain can pave the way for creating a sustainable way of constructing houses.