Group Five announced that it has achieved the highest rating of a JSE Top 100 listed construction company in the 2011 Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) in terms of its disclosure. 

CDP works with investors globally to advance the investment opportunities and reduce the risks posed by climate change by asking almost 6 000 of the world's largest companies to report on their climate strategies, greenhouse gas emissions and energy use in a standardised format. This year, CDP was backed by 551 institutional investors holding US$71-trillion in assets under management with questionnaires to the world's largest companies asking them to report on their carbon emission.

The CDP questionnaire focuses on three key areas: climate change management, risks and opportunity identification and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounting and performance.

Group Five has reported since 2009. The group has also been a member of the JSE's Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Index since 2006.

"We are extremely pleased with this achievement, as we aim to disclose our impact and position very thoroughly and honestly in line with our objective of providing the very best in disclosure to our stakeholders. In our aim to effectively assess risks and opportunities at a company level, we implemented a total quality management system (TQMS) that underpins every aspect of our operations and reinforces the centrality of responsible construction and sustainability to the business. CDP reporting and addressing carbon reduction is linked to sustainability, which is underpinned by our business strategy," says Group Five CEO Mike Upton.

A ‘green team' was established a few years ago that covers all operating divisions and is responsible for the identification of opportunities and risks resulting from climate change.

Furthermore, the Energy team in the Engineering and Construction cluster, as well as the Investments and Concessions cluster, is responsible for identifying and implementing renewable energy projects, which is a strong area of future growth.

Group Five is actively pursuing opportunities in the renewable energy sector in Southern Africa and acquired a share in Kayema, a locally based company that specialises in solar water heating.

Upton said employees are educated on climate-related issues through its active participation in conferences and workshops and publications within the company. Motion sensors for energy saving lighting in rooms, restricted use of bottled water and sorting of recyclable waste are some of the short term group initiatives. At project sites there is an increased shift towards using solar water heaters and solar powered temporary traffic lights on road construction projects.

Group Five has also commented on the Green Paper on Carbon Tax directly and through The South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors (SAFCEC) through Business Unity South Africa. Group Five was also invited to participate in the carbon tax impact study to be performed by National Treasury.

The study will provide an overview of the extent to which local firms have responded to higher electricity prices over the last three years, as well as considering the ability of firms to respond to further electricity price increases in future.

During the past year, the company participated in various forums in the power sector, including the Department of Energy, NERSA, Eskom and wind and solar energy. At these forums the solutions for the renewable energy sector in South Africa are debated, legislation and policy issues are discussed, and new technologies and products are revealed.

Group Five is a founding member of the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA). GBCSA aims to play a leading role in the transformation of the South African property industry to ensure that all buildings are designed, built and operated in an environmentally sustainable way.

For example, the Nedbank head office in Sandton (the first four star-rated building in South Africa) was constructed by Group Five and is expected to achieve a 30% energy saving through its lifetime when compared with conventional buildings. The project team is in the process of measuring actual savings.

Another initiative being investigated is the use of ceilings in low-cost housing projects. By simply installing ceilings in low‐cost housing projects, winter heating efficiency can be improved by roughly 70%, depending on the area of installation.

"Becoming a leader in green buildings and acquiring a stake in the green economy through our focus on green businesses is assisting Group Five's reputation of becoming a greener construction company, and will thus contribute to a lower carbon economy," concludes Upton.