PPC : Sustainability: time to take a long-term view

By Kevin Odendaal, PPC Executive: Business Development

As sustainability once again comes under the spotlight at this year's annual Master Builders South Africa (MBSA) Congress, Kevin Odendaal, PPC's Executive of Business Development, argues that there has never been a better time to unpack the possibilities associated with this business approach - particularly in the context of our continent. Ensuring these translate into realities will, however, require all players in the construction value chain to take a long-term view.

In critically evaluating the definition of "sustainability" as it currently stands, it's important to note how the concept has evolved over the years. Whereas in the past it typically referred to running a responsible, financially efficient business, with "greener" oriented companies more considerate as to how they disposed of their waste, today it means a great deal more. Today it reflects a complete shift in company philosophy and mindset from start to finish in all respects.

In the case of the construction industry, this speaks to everything from how one does business - all the way through to how one maintains the final structure delivered to client well into the future. This is the only way to ensure you have a clear and holistic view of how your brand is impacting all of its touchpoints: the natural environment, the built environment and the social environment - now and beyond our own lifetimes. Our understanding of sustainability thus needs to be dynamic, so that we're able to revisit and redefine this based on new knowledge and findings, and change our actions and approach accordingly - particularly as we look to the future of our continent.

Consider for example the fact that sustainable buildings deliver healthier living environments with increased quality of life and the co-benefits of social integration, lower health costs, and increased rates of performance and productivity. This translates into reduced costs with savings on maintenance and, consequently, can have a significantly positive impact on the economic security of residents. Given Africa's numerous socio-economic challenges and need for infrastructure, the impact of sustainable building potentially becomes priceless. It also provides local companies with a good reason to look beyond South Africa's borders for future prospects.

Converting these opportunities into realities will require strategic and focused partnerships however - something our own experience has taught us. Given that the service part of any building's lifespan contributes the most to its sustainability, how it is designed and the combination, quality and durability of materials used in its construction suddenly take on new importance. As such, the interdependence of concrete, steel and aluminium for example, cannot be taken for granted in terms of the long-term maintenance and durability of the overall structure into the future.

This is particularly well illustrated if we look at how temperature control potentially affects the sustainability (and energy consumption and loss) of buildings. Concrete for example, is able to reduce the amount of energy required to control temperatures because of its thermal mass. This makes its properties worth exploring and understanding in the context of warmer African climates so that they can be taken full advantage of.

That being said, Africa's context demands that we innovate across the full value chain from planning right the way through to materials, manufacturing techniques, application, design and construction, management and logistics, funding and sales so that we find new solutions that match the continent's uniqueness. This is easier said than done though, especially if you're an emerging independent contractor looking to expand beyond South Africa's borders.

To this end, larger companies with a Pan-African footprint can potentially unlock new value chain opportunities for their smaller counterparts and partners - something our own expansion across the continent is again showing us. With PPC currently represented in seven African countries, we are on track to derive up to 40% of our revenue from operations outside South Africa by 2017, having invested well over R4 billion in our Pan-African projects. We see ourselves as potentially giving players further down the value chain (including builders and contractors) a foothold for expansion across the continent and a gateway to new markets as we establish ourselves in these. This expansion has to be rooted in long term sustainability however, to ensure the collective - and responsible - success of all.

If one considers that sustainability is about creating possibilities and not about limiting options, it's thus critical for our sector to look towards the possibilities that exist for all of us across the continent and the country, and find viable means to partner in order to access these. Given the current statistics and projections, there has never been a better time to strive towards a more sustainable industry together - cognisant of the fact that many of Africa's opportunities have yet to be discovered.