EDF in Hove hosted the joint BIFM South Region/Sustainability SIG September event to discuss the latest trends based on the results of the 2015 annual BIFM Sustainability in Facilities Management survey. Speaker, Greg Davies, Head of Service Development at Assurity Consulting and a member of the BIFM Sustainability SIG Committee spoke about the potential opportunities and threats. His theme was that sustainability is a concept that has grown hand in hand with FM over the last two decades and much has been written, said and done in its name. He posed the question “what does sustainability mean today and is it really worth investing in it other than just a branding exercise?”
He went on to highlight the findings of this year’s survey which revealed that the FM profession is facing a ‘sustainability crunch’. Meeting the challenges of these rising pressures to deliver more effective management of sustainability will require a step change in response by the profession. It’s clear that FM, both as a community of professionals and an industry can have a huge impact on the sustainability agenda but unless it can respond to this ‘crunch’ it is in danger of being marginalised as others step in to fill the need. He concluded by saying whilst it should be celebrated the momentum behind the sustainability agenda is gathering pace, the equal acceleration in the barriers preventing performance means that a change in approach from FM teams at various levels and either side of the in-house/service provider coin is required.
The debate raised plenty of questions from an informed audience and afterward the discussions went on late into the evening.
The South committee would like to acknowledge their thanks to EDF Hove for hosting this event and providing refreshments and the Greg Davies for his enlightening presentation.
