Achieving Sustainability is a journey: An Analysis of Internal Practices and Implications for SME Construction Contractors

Emmons, J, Siriwardena, M, Allis, C ORCID: 0000-0001-6040-4179 and Manewa, A (2026) Achieving Sustainability is a journey: An Analysis of Internal Practices and Implications for SME Construction Contractors. In: PAQs Congress 2026: Conference Proceedings . pp. 56-70. (The PAQS conference 2026, 24th Aug- 25th Aug 2026, Colombo, Sri Lanka).

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Abstract

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) constitute the majority of the UK construction sector yet remain among the least equipped to adopt sustainable practices. Limited financial resources, competing operational priorities, and the perceived complexity of regulatory and voluntary frameworks, including Building Regulations Part L, BREEAM, and ISO 14001, create compounding barriers that constrain meaningful sustainability integration. Understanding the internal factors shaping SME sustainability adoption is therefore critical to accelerating industry-wide progress toward net-zero construction. This paper examines the internal barriers, motivations, and cost implications of sustainability adoption among private sector construction SMEs in North Wales and Northwest England, two regions with distinct but underexplored policy environments. A qualitative, interpretivist research design was employed, comprising eleven semi-structured interviews with key decision-makers across SME contractor firms. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's (2006) six-phase reflexive thematic analysis, interpreted through the lens of institutional isomorphism. Findings reveal that sustainability adoption is predominantly reactive and client-driven, with lowest-price tendering cultures systematically suppressing sustainable procurement decisions. Staff resistance and an office to site knowledge gap represent the most significant internal barriers, while grant and incentive mechanisms are widely characterised as inaccessible and administratively disproportionate. Leadership disposition emerged as a critical moderating factor, with values driven directors demonstrating more advanced practices than compliance oriented peers. The paper recommends that SMEs pursue incremental adoption strategies supported by visible leadership commitment and targeted site level training. It also highlights the need for SME proportionate compliance frameworks, simplified financial mechanisms, and proactive lifecycle cost advisory services to better align policy ambition with SME delivery capacity

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Subjects:	T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
Divisions:	Engineering and Built Environment
Date of acceptance:	4 May 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	22 October 2026
Date Deposited:	22 Oct 2026 08:56
Last Modified:	22 Oct 2026 08:56
Editors:	B.A.K.S. Perera, U. Kulatunga, M. Thayaparan & K.A.T.O. Ranadewa
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/29690

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