Evaluation and Choice Criteria of Sustainable Suppliers in the Construction Industry: A Comparative Study in Brazilian Companies

Abstract

This article seeks to develop criteria for evaluating sustainable suppliers in civil construction and to contribute to improving the understanding of the factors that influence the selection of sustainable suppliers. Organizations should develop strategies that motivate suppliers to participate in green supply-chain initiatives, as supplier selection can directly interfere with sustainability performance at work. However, there is a gap in the research that addresses the selection of sustainable suppliers in the Brazilian context of civil construction related to certifications for sustainable construction. To fill this gap, the present article used literature-review methodologies, content analysis, data triangulation, and field research through a survey. The literature review identifies the certifiable standards for sustainable construction most cited in the literature: LEED, AQUA, BREEAM, and CASBEE. The standards analysis allows us to identify seven similar supply criteria for sustainable construction certifications. The parameters of each certification were analyzed to define those related to the selection of suppliers, identifying those that qualify a supplier as environmentally sustainable. We found that 60.7% of respondents work in companies without certifications, 75% know sustainable procurement, 50% of companies had established a sustainable procurement policy, and 83% of companies had a strategy for selecting suppliers. The results of this research contribute to construction companies being able to rank the importance of these criteria when choosing a supplier, in addition to having access to the mapping of essential criteria, allowing a search for greater interaction between the links of the green supply chain and rendering buildings and supplies more sustainable.