Approved by the Committee for Sustainability on July 9, 2024
Approved by the Energy, Environment, and Water Policy Committee on November 20, 2023
Approved by the Public Policy and Practice Committee on August 27, 2024
Adopted by the Board of Direction on October 5, 2924
Policy
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) urges owners, both public and private, to adopt and utilize ASCE/Committee on Sustainability (COS) Standard 73-23: Standard Practice for Sustainable Infrastructure, to incorporate sustainability principles and practices in the development, execution, operation and maintenance (O&M), closure and post-closure of infrastructure projects. Owners are also encouraged to utilize the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) Envision® Sustainable Infrastructure Framework, and the ASCE Technical Report: Sustainable Procurement for Infrastructure for additional information and support in developing their sustainable infrastructure projects. ASCE supports the continued education and outreach to owners on the positive impacts and importance of sustainable infrastructure projects.
Issue
ASCE defines sustainability as a set of economic, environmental, and social conditions in which all of society has the capacity and opportunity to maintain and improve its quality of life for future generations. Project decisions have been based on profit and upfront cost, without adequately accounting for long-term negative impacts. Recently, there has been increased understanding of the value of balancing economic, environmental, and social impacts that go into planned projects, but some owners are lagging behind in practices and policies that support sustainable development.
While engineers have a crucial key role in planning, designing, building, operations, and management to secure a sustainable future, project owners must provide leadership in the initiation, development, execution, and O&M of sustainable and resilient projects. This leadership begins at project conception to ensure funding options consider the life-cycle cost of the proposed project and its alternatives.
It is incumbent on public and private owners to raise their level of awareness and implementation of sustainabilit practices throughout the life cycle of the infrastructure. By doing so, owners create value for themselves, the affected communities, and the overall public.
Rationale
ASCE has long considered sustainability a strategic issue. The ASCE Code of Ethics requires civil engineers to adhere to the Principles of Sustainable Development in the performance of their professional duties. The organization has numerous publications promoting sustainable practices, and recently published ASCE/COS 73-23: Standard Practice for Sustainable Infrastructure. ASCE is a founding member of the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure which oversees the Envision Rating System and partners with many other world-wide organizations focused on sustainability. In addition, the dominant role of project owners in creating and maintaining sustainable and resilient infrastructure must be recognized.
This policy has worldwide application
ASCE Policy Statement 556
First Approved in 2018