As technology becomes more accessible than ever, sustainability initiatives are becoming exponentially easier for companies to implement. Targets are being put in place by companies, motivated by factors like climate awareness, customer expectations or regulations being set by governmental bodies. At the centre of this nexus of change stands the facility manager, making it possible to conceptualise and implement these plans.

1. Why Facility Managers Are Crucial To Introducing Sustainability
As technology becomes more accessible than ever, sustainability initiatives are becoming
exponentially easier for companies to implement. Targets are being put in place by companies,
motivated by factors like climate awareness, customer expectations or regulations being set by
governmental bodies. At the centre of this nexus of change stands the facility manager, making
it possible to conceptualise and implement these plans.
Role
Responsible for the management of services and processes that support the core business, the
facility manager is at the crux of any change being made to the running of the organisation.
From handling the building management and housekeeping staff, to the chemicals and
materials they use, the facility manager is responsible for the operation and construction of the
facilities being managed.
It would be up to the facility manager to conceptualise and recommend a sustainability plan,
factoring in cost-savings, implementation costs and return on investment, to the management.
He could look into many different practises like switching off unused lights, monitoring AC
utilisation, rearranging shift timings or pressure reducing valves to reduce water consumption.
Thinking long-term
To set up a sustainable facility might require a higher initial investment with costs driven up by
products like eco-friendly materials, or more meters to measure and track consumption patterns
and parameters. The design would have to be more detailed too to avoid later changes and
think about the different aspects involved. Despite these capital expenses, sustainable
operations are more economically sound in the long run. Each year would mean
lower operating costs, increased waste reduction and a reduced carbon footprint.
There are even sufficient opportunities in the market to retrofit older buildings to make them
more sustainable. The investment could be recouped by implementing sustainable solutions like
EC Motors, LEDs lights, pressure reducers, automated AC systems, occupancy sensors and
daylight sensors.
Regionality
Overall, I have found that the focus on sustainability is heavily location and site dependent with
places like Singapore being are more energy and nature conscious and mindful of efficient
management with lesser cost and wastage. While it has been implemented in more advanced
countries but it has still not received widespread acceptance in India. Here, saving on costs is
still the prevailing mentality with people more interested in building a site quickly and cheaply
rather than following a long-term projection plan for operations. Things are changing though with
companies adopting sustainability measures to work with many major corporations that share
their ideals and processes. They are adopting these practises, taking inputs from countries like
Singapore and Denmark. However, the biggest catalyst for change is the government who is
implementing increasingly stringent emission norms and anti-pollution regulations. Companies
and facilities have to comply with reductions in their energy loads or give up unutilized
resources.
Benefits
The goal for sustainable energy is to consume energy efficiently or invest in green energy
sources to offset the energy used. These changes have to be embraced by people, too. As

2. people become more understanding and open to what could be done and how to make things
better, these practices have picked up steam. Adopting green policies often leads to
improvements in brand image and also opens business opportunities with like-minded
companies but beside the obvious impacts like improved natural surroundings and cost-savings
there is a more subtle side effect. People tend to feel far more positive contributing towards a
noble cause. This can improve the quality and outlook of people from short to long-term. With a
tangible target in mind, the effects are even more strongly felt.
Management support
Considered the backbone of a facility, the facility manager would act as a touch point for areas
like power supplies, sourcing and procurement, transportation, security etc. Areas that are often
the major contributing factors for a company’s carbon footprint. By looking into aspects like
utility spends or upkeep & maintenance for instance, the facility manager can affect great
improvements with support from the management.
Many companies are providing just that support, driving initiatives to embrace sustainability and
introducing targets and firm-level changes. A fine example of this would be the RE100, a
collaborative, global initiative led by the Climate Group and CDP. This initiative looks to unite
the world’s most influential companies in a commitment to 100% renewable electricity. With
companies like these leading from the front, the outlook is looks bright for our planet. With the
survival of everything we hold dear is at risk, the time for action is now. Seen from this
perspective, the investment to change is a very small price to pay.