What are the Most Effective Drivers of Sustainable Development in the Decision Making Process

The identification of the most effective drivers of sustainable development is a focal point for most – if not all – policymakers and companies interested in sustainable development. Whilst the answer to this is of course very contextual this paper presents a practitioner’s review of the political and voluntary drivers for sustainable building in Denmark.
The paper identifies the most influential drivers for sustainable development in the Danish Building industry by combining a review of the regulatory political drivers in Denmark with two market surveys for construction clients from 2015 and 2016. The result of these surveys is compared to professional experiences from a number of sustainable Danish building projects completed or initiated in between 2008 and 2016.
It is the conclusion of this paper that whilst the regulatory drivers for energy and health are important when it comes to initiating and sustaining the market demand for sustainable buildings it is actually the economic and social drivers for sustainable building, such as life cycle costs, futureproofing of investments, better quality and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), that have the greatest impact on construction clients’ decision-making processes. The paper furthermore reflects on how drivers for sustainable development vary depending on the construction client’s planning perspective and how the contractor is engaged in the project.