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Green building standards and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals
Sherif Goubran1, Thomas Walker2, Carmela Cucuzzella3
1Department of Architecture, School of Sciences and Engineering, The American University in Cairo (AUC), Egypt.
Journal of Environmental Management
|November 13, 2022
Summary
Green building standards show limited alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Current standards risk greenwashing, lacking focus on transformative change for sustainable development.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Sustainable Development
- Real Estate Management
Background:
- Green and Sustainable Building and Real-Estate Standards (GSBRES) significantly influence sustainable practices in the construction sector.
- Assessing the alignment of these standards with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is critical for achieving global sustainability targets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the extent to which prominent GSBRESs (LEED, BOMA BEST, GRESB) align with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
- To analyze the degree to which these standards incorporate the transformative change imperative within the SDGs.
Main Methods:
- A mixed-methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative analysis was employed.
- The study assessed the content overlap between three GSBRESs and the specific targets of the SDGs.
Main Results:
- Less than 20% of GSBRES attributes directly address the specific targets of the 2030 Agenda.
- Qualitative analysis revealed that less than 10% of the standards' scoring mechanisms contribute to transformative change.
Conclusions:
- Current GSBRESs may overstate their effectiveness in advancing SDGs, posing a risk of greenwashing without further evidence.
- A repositioning of standards is recommended, emphasizing transformation-focused indicators and long-term project impacts for genuine sustainable development.
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