The Engineering Council has updated its Guidance on Sustainability, which is now available on its website.
The Guidance is reviewed periodically, and this edition includes the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, clarifies its definition of sustainable development, and emphasises the importance of engineers taking a proactive role. It also highlights the importance of designing-in sustainability from the start, emphasises the inter-connectedness of environmental challenges and solutions, the role of regeneration and restoration, and consideration of the whole life cycle – including safe disposal.
According to Alasdair Coates CEng FICE MCIHT CMIOSH, CEO of the Engineering Council, Sustainable development is an increasingly important issue for society and the engineering profession works to meet the challenge of the climate emergency. Engineers and technicians have a key leadership and influencing role in working towards sustainability, increasingly as part of multi-disciplinary teams that include non-engineers, and through work that crosses national boundaries.
This updated Guidance on Sustainability supports individual engineers in achieving sustainable development through engineering, as well as helping professionally registered engineers – Chartered Engineers, Incorporated Engineers and Engineering Technicians – to meet their professional obligations.”
This Guidance sets out six principles to guide engineering professionals in integrating understanding of the environment and sustainability into all aspects of their work:
1. Contribute to building a sustainable society, present and future
2. Apply professional and responsible judgement and take a leadership role on sustainability
3. Do more than just comply with legislation and codes: be prepared to challenge the status quo
4. Use resources efficiently and effectively
5. Seek multiple views to solve sustainability challenges
6. Manage risk to minimise adverse impact and maximise benefit to people and the environment
The full Guidance on Sustainability leaflet, along with a convenient wallet card of the six principles, can be downloaded free from, www.engc.org.uk/sustainability.
