The Concept of Sustainable Infrastructure: A Content Analysis of Construction Companies Reports

In 2015, the 17 Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) were introduced by the United Nations. Among them, SDG 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure) refers to the notion of ‘resilient’ and ‘sustainable’ infrastructure to promote the transition towards sustainable industrialisation. The notion of ‘sustainable infrastructure’ has been subject of debate over time. The variety of definitions and assessment frameworks used to categorise sustainability components by academics and professional bodies, call for the need to further investigate and reflect on the concept. Hence, this exploratory study aims to provide first evidence on how the term is conceived and interpreted by companies. To this goal, a manual content analysis on non-financial disclosures published by the top-10 European construction companies, is conducted. Findings suggest that firms largely refer to SI in relation to the early phases of the project life-cycle, while neglecting the ultimate stage (i.e., dismantling). Furthermore, there is not a consensus towards a unifying representation of the components enclosed in the notion of SI, although all companies appear to agree with its ‘green’ attributes (e.g., energy intensity, emissions, materials). Consistently, a prevailing use of environmental assessment criteria is testified. The emphasis placed on other sustainability-related issues (i.e., social and economic) and the broadness of stakeholders’ interests addressed vary considerably across corporate reports, thus supporting that the concept of SI is still fragmented and in evolution.