Benefits of green procurement: perspectives from the Malaysian construction industry

Abstract

AbstractEnvironmental degradation is an alarming threat to human security and green procurement has been regarded as one of the remedial measures to alleviate the environmental issues. Considering that the green procurement is a relatively new concept in the Malaysian construction industry, this study investigated the green procurement in construction projects by exploring its benefits towards the environment, economic and social aspects. Drawing on an empirical survey in Malaysia, the significant benefits of green procurement applications are prioritised. A total of 150 surveys were collected among developers, consultants, contractors and suppliers and analysed using SPSS version 23.0 statistical software. The findings suggested that the primary benefits of adopting green procurement practices are reduce pollution levels, improve community health and quality of life, conserve natural resources, reduce greenhouse gases and provide healthier working environment. This paper provides the basis for construction procurement delivery to be on a sustainable path.Keywords: Green procurementconstructionbenefitssustainabilityquestionnaire Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Additional informationFundingWe want to thank UTAR Research Fund (UTARRF) (IPSR/RMC/UTARRF/2022-C1/L07) and Institut Pengurusan dan Pemantauan Penyelidikan, Universiti Malaya, IIRG fund (IIRG004C(D)-2021IISS) for supporting this research. Special gratitude is also extended to those industry practitioners who have kindly participated in the surveys reported in this paper.