Improving Sustainability with Digital Solutions

Discover the incredible potential of digitalisation in enhancing eco-efficiency across the resource-intensive sectors of civil construction, equipment rental, oil & gas, and mining.

These industries produce a lot of greenhouse gas emissions, use a lot of energy and water, can damage the land, and create a lot of waste. These environmental issues not only harm the planet but also affect the business performance and reputation of these sectors. One of the best ways to reduce environmental footprint is to digitise processes and use cloud-based software solutions that offer many benefits for both the environment and the business.

In this article, we'll explore how digitalisation helps civil construction companies improve their environmental performance and achieve their sustainability goals.

Digitalised Businesses Save Paper

One of the most obvious benefits of digitalisation is that it reduces or eliminates the use of paper in the business. Paper is a major source of waste and environmental damage across the construction and mining industries, as they depend heavily on paper-based documents such as dockets, timesheets, prestarts, contracts, invoices, reports, manuals, drawings, maps, and more. Paper production requires a lot of natural resources such as trees, water, energy, and chemicals, and generates greenhouse gas emissions and solid waste. Paper disposal also contributes to deforestation, landfill, and pollution.

By digitalising processes, civil construction companies can switch to electronic documents that can be stored, accessed, edited, and shared online anytime, anywhere, and from any device. They can also use electronic signatures to sign and verify their documents legally and securely. They can use cloud-based construction management software that can help them manage their documents, data, and information in a centralised and organised way.

By reducing paper use, civil construction companies save money, time, and resources. They also reduce their environmental impact by saving trees, water, energy, CO2 emissions, and waste. For example, if a civil construction company uses 10 reams of paper per month (5000 sheets), it can save upwards of 4500 sheets by going digital. This means it can save up to 54 trees, 2160 gallons of water, 648 kWh of energy, and 108 pounds of CO2 per year.

Boost Efficiency

A second benefit of digitalising processes is that civil construction companies benefit from automating their workflows, streamlining their processes, enhancing their collaboration, and simplifying their management. They can manage their projects, tasks, teams, customers, finances, inventory, sales, marketing, and more with cloud-based software solutions. They can also integrate with other popular applications and platforms that they use. By reducing waste, resources and consumables use, civil construction companies save time and money by avoiding errors, delays, duplication, and rework. 

In simple terms, the result of improving efficiency is either:

1. Use less resources for the same amount of output
OR
2. Get more output for the same amount of resources

This also improves quality and performance by increasing accuracy, consistency, and compliance. Plus, there's a boost in customer satisfaction by delivering faster, better, and cheaper services. By reducing waste, resources and consumable use, you increase their profitability and competitiveness.

Use Green Energy

Another benefit of digitalisation is that it enables civil construction companies to use green energy sources to power their business operations. Green energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro, and biogas are clean, abundant, and sustainable. They do not emit greenhouse gases or pollutants that contribute to global warming and air pollution. They also reduce the dependence on fossil fuels, which are finite, expensive, and harmful.

And by taking advantage of cloud-based solutions, civil construction companies reduce their need for on-premise servers and equipment that consume a lot of power and generate heat. They can rely on cloud-based software solutions that are hosted on data centres that use green energy sources to supply their electricity. They can also use cloud-based software solutions that can help them monitor, control, and optimise their energy consumption and efficiency.

Another benefit is an improved reputation and image by showing commitment to sustainability and social responsibility.

Ensuring Compliance and Operational Efficiency through Software Integration

A critical aspect of digitalisation for civil construction companies is its role in ensuring compliance and enhancing operational efficiency. The integration of software solutions provides a robust framework for tracking every aspect of the business, resulting in a consolidated and accurate data repository. This 'single source of truth' is invaluable during audits, offering precise and easily accessible information to demonstrate compliance with regulations.

This data integration extends beyond compliance; it also offers insights into operational efficiency. For example, the software can identify and correlate spikes in energy usage or emissions with potential inefficiencies or process 'leaks'. By highlighting these areas, companies can proactively address and rectify them, leading to more sustainable practices and reduced environmental impact. Such insights also allow for better resource management, waste reduction, and overall process optimisation.

Furthermore, this centralised data approach enables companies to continuously monitor and improve their operations. By having a clear overview of all aspects of the business, from fleet management and project execution to HR and payroll, companies can identify trends, predict future needs, and make informed decisions. This level of operational intelligence is key to maintaining a competitive edge in the fast-evolving civil construction industry.

Wrapping up

Digitalisation is not only a smart business decision but also an environmentally responsible one. By digitalising their processes, civil construction companies save paper, use green energy sources, boost their efficiency, and ensure compliance. They also enjoy the benefits of cost savings, time savings, and increased profitability.

Digitalisation is the future of the civil and infrastructure industries. It can help civil construction companies achieve their sustainability goals and make their business more eco-friendly. We are here to help civil construction companies digitalise their processes with our cloud-based software solutions. Contact us today and let us show how we can help civil construction companies care for the environment with digitalisation.