Sustainability in construction must go beyond strategies, reporting and office procedures to become part of everyday operations on construction sites, Isabela Stefoni, ESG and Environmental Manager at PORR Construct, said during the Sustainability in Business Forum, organised by Sustainability Today and The Diplomat-Bucharest.
Stefoni emphasised the need to translate sustainability commitments into practical measures across construction operations, from site organisation and energy procurement to material selection and infrastructure design.
“At PORR, we want to be a trendsetter and bring sustainability down from all the spreadsheets and procedures to the construction site, because that is where our entire story begins,” she said.
She highlighted the challenge of making the environmental impact of construction visible and understandable, arguing that greater awareness of carbon emissions could change the way projects are designed and executed.
“I wonder how many of us could visualise a construction site’s carbon footprint as if it were a collection of cranes. And if that carbon footprint were visible, would we build in the same way? I am convinced we would not,” Stefoni said.
PORR Construct has introduced a carbon management tool, incorporating concrete measures for construction site organisation, Stefoni said. The company is also preparing a major railway project for 2027, for which it plans to implement a series of energy-efficiency and environmental measures.
“All accommodation units will be equipped with smart containers designed to improve energy efficiency. All containers will be covered with photovoltaic panels and green roofs,” she said.
The company is also incorporating biodiversity measures into its construction site planning through designated biodiversity areas, referred to as “bio-corners”, intended to encourage and support local biodiversity.
Stefoni said these initiatives form part of a broader effort to integrate environmental considerations into construction operations rather than treating them as separate corporate commitments.
Reducing emissions from construction materials is another priority for PORR Construct. The company has developed a catalogue of sustainable materials, which it uses to assess the carbon footprint of individual components and construction sites.
“We have developed a catalogue of sustainable materials and use them, calculating the carbon footprint of each component and each construction site,” Stefoni said.
She explained that the objective is not only to reduce emissions but also to build infrastructure capable of withstanding the effects of climate change.
“We want to reduce our carbon footprint, but also to build resilient infrastructure that is adapted to climate change. We are dealing with landslides and torrential flows, yet people do not always realise that all these issues are interconnected,” she said.
PORR Construct is also developing lower-carbon concrete formulations and developing and certifying lower-carbon asphalt mixtures, according to Stefoni.
In some projects, the company has begun reusing crushed concrete aggregates in permanent construction works, an approach that supports resource efficiency and circularity by giving recovered materials a new use.
“We are pioneers in some of our projects, reusing crushed concrete aggregates in permanent works. This makes us very proud, because it can sometimes be difficult to convince our clients that this approach is worth trusting,” she said.
Stefoni warned that technical solutions and sustainability strategies will have limited impact without education, awareness and engagement among the people involved in delivering construction projects.
“Without education, engagement and awareness, this entire decarbonisation effort remains just a beautiful office strategy that we promote, while projects continue to be built as they always have been, with a diesel-powered excavator rather than one running on HVO,” she said, referring to hydrotreated vegetable oil, an alternative fuel that can be used in compatible diesel engines.
Her remarks highlighted the importance of translating sustainability objectives into procurement decisions, equipment choices and day-to-day practices on construction sites.
Energy sourcing is another part of PORR Construct’s approach to reducing its environmental impact. Stefoni said the company has a clear procurement procedure requiring purchased electricity to come from renewable sources, with suppliers assessed against its requirements.
“We have a very clear procurement procedure at PORR, and all the energy we purchase must come from renewable sources. We evaluate all our electricity suppliers, and more than 90% of the electricity must come from renewable sources,” she said.
The Sustainability in Business Forum brings together business leaders, policymakers and sustainability professionals to discuss practical solutions for advancing environmental responsibility, resource efficiency and sustainable economic development.
