Plaček, Michal; Valen ino , Vladisla ; Foj ík, Roman; Och ana, F an išek; Peřinko á,
Ma ina
Book Pa — Published Ve sion
B inging in e hics: A mul i-s akeholde app oach o
manage he ansi ion o low-ca bon cons uc ion
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Plaček, Michal; Valen ino , Vladisla ; Foj ík, Roman; Och ana, F an išek;
Peřinko á, Ma ina (2024) : B inging in e hics: A mul i-s akeholde app oach o manage
he ansi ion o low-ca bon cons uc ion, In: Galende Sánchez, Es e So man, Ale gul H.
Cabello, Viole a Heiden eich, Sa a Klöckne , Ch is ian A. (Ed.): S eng hening Eu opean clima e
policy: Go e nance ecommenda ions om inno a i e in e disciplina y collabo a ions, ISBN
978-3-031-72055-0, Palg a e Macmillan, Cham, pp. 111-123,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/978-3-031-72055-0_10 ,
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CHAPTER 10
B inging in E hics: A Mul i-s akeholde
App oach o Manage he T ansi ion
o Low-Ca bon Cons uc ion
Michal Plaˇcek , Vladisla Valen ino , Roman Foj ík,
F an išek Och ana, and Ma ina Peˇ inko á
Policy Highligh s To achie e he ecommenda ion s a ed in he i le,
we p opose he ollowing:
•Policymake s should o ganise ai and balanced s akeholde engage-
men p ocesses o add ess he key e hical ade-o s o he ansi ion
o low-ca bon cons uc ion.
•The public sec o should ake a p oac i e ole in leading he low-
ca bon ansi ion and build s ong c oss-sec o al pa ne ships.
M. Plaˇcek (B)·F. Och ana
Facul y o Social Sciences, Cha les Uni e si y, P ague, Czech Republic
e-mail: 62666039@ s .cuni.cz
F. Och ana
e-mail: an isek.och ana@ s .cuni
V. Valen ino
The Leibniz Ins i u e o Ag icul u al De elopmen in T ansi ion Economies
(IAMO), Halle (Saale), Ge many
e-mail: V[email p o ec ed]
© The Au ho (s) 2024
E. Galende Sánchez e al. (eds.), S eng hening Eu opean Clima e
Policy,h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/978-3-031-72055-0_10
111
112 M. PLA ˇ
CEK ET AL.
•Public sec o leade ship demands anspa ency and accoun abili y
which a e c ucial o na iga ing e hical ade-o s wi h he a ious
s akeholde s in he cons uc ion sec o .
•Policymake s should build a cul u e o sus ainabili y and cul i a e a
sha ed unde s anding o e hics and alues among all s akeholde s.
•To ind c ea i e solu ions o he complex challenges associa ed
wi h he ansi ion o low-ca bon cons uc ion, SSH and STEM
collabo a ion should be suppo ed.
Keywo ds Low-ca bon cons uc ion ·E hics ·S akeholde
Pa icipa ion ·T anspa ency ·Public sec o leade ship
In oduc ion
This chap e examines he e hical challenges o ansi ioning o low-
ca bon cons uc ion and o e s policy ecommenda ions a he EU le el
o add ess hem. Cu en ly, he cons uc ion sec o globally con ibu es
o 37% o emissions and employs app oxima ely 7% o he wo k o ce
(Wo ld G een Building Council 2023). T ans o ming his sec o is c i ical
o achie ing he UN Sus ainable De elopmen Goals (e.g., SDGs 1–2,
SDGs 11–12, and SDG17), as i has g ea po en ial o educe esou ce
and ene gy consump ion, inc ease he use o enewable ene gy, minimise
en i onmen al deg ada ion and was e, and enhance occupan heal h and
com o (González-Díaz & Ga cia-Na a o, 2011, p. 295).
We a gue ha he ansi ion o low-ca bon cons uc ion is no solely
a echnological issue bu in ol es complex decision-making p ocesses,
including weighing sho - and long- e m cos s and bene i s ac oss socie y
and s akeholde s. This p ocess is inhe en ly e hical. E hical conce ns in he
R. Foj ík ·M. Peˇ inko á
VŠB Technická Uni e zi a, Os a a, Czech Republic
e-mail: [email p o ec ed]
M. Peˇ inko á
e-mail: ma [email p o ec ed]
10 BRINGING IN ETHICS: A MULTI-STAKEHOLDER APPROACH … 113
cons uc ion sec o include con lic s o in e es , inancial in eg i y, co up-
ion, consume and employee p i acy, and e hical ad e ising (Sohail &
Ca ill, 2008). Fu he mo e, esea ch sugges s ha he p o essional e hics
o he ci il enginee ing sec o may con lic wi h sus ainabili y goals
while also acknowledging he abo e-men ioned e hical issues wi hin he
cons uc ion sec o (Ma es-Nasa e e al., 2023).
The e hical complexi y o ansi ioning o low-ca bon cons uc ion
equi es an in e disciplina y app oach. In his chap e , we, he e o e,
in eg a e insigh s om Public Policy, Sociology, E hics, Ma e ials Engi-
nee ing, and A chi ec u e o add ess how o manage e hical ansi ions.
To achie e his, we u ilised a mixed-me hod app oach combining a
sys ema ic li e a u e e iew and a wo kshop.
The i s s ep was a sys ema ic li e a u e e iew aimed a unde s anding
he cu en s a e o knowledge on he e hical challenges o he low-ca bon
ansi ion p ocess. The li e a u e e iew, conduc ed in Sep embe 2023
using he Web o Science da abase, iden i ied 234 eco ds using keywo ds
such as “low ca bon cons uc ion +e hics” and “sus ainable cons uc-
ion +e hics”. The e iew a i ms ha he e hical complexi y inhe en
in he ansi ion o low-ca bon cons uc ion spans a ious scien i ic sub-
disciplines, esul ing in signi ican knowledge agmen a ion. The majo i y
o a icles we e classi ied unde en i onmen al sciences (33 a icles), en i-
onmen al s udies (33 a icles), e hics (27 a icles), g een & sus ainable
science & echnology (26 a icles), business (18 a icles), and manage-
men (18 a icles), among o he s. A e an abs ac e iew, 35 a icles
we e selec ed o in-dep h examina ion. The sys ema ic li e a u e e iew
also in o med he de elopmen o a scena io o be used a he collab-
o a i e wo kshop, which o med he second s ep o ou mixed-me hod
app oach.
The wo kshop acili a ed collabo a ion among esea che s om a ious
ields and aimed o p o ide a space o he pa icipan s o collabo-
a e on new echnologies, se ices, p oduc s, o sys ems (Duchko á,
2023). Pa icipan ec ui men in ol ed pu posi e sampling o ensu e he
ep esen a ion o a ious s akeholde s. Nine esponden s we e selec ed,
including an applied e hicis , ma e ials enginee , cons uc ion company
owne , b idge designe , minis y employee, sus ainabili y esea che ,
uni e si y ans e ep esen a i es, and a o me senio public sec o
employmen manage . Gi en he di e se backg ounds o he wo kshop
pa icipan s (educa ion and expe ience), we p o ided explana ions and
de ini ions o basic concep s, such as e hics in low-ca bon cons uc ion.
114 M. PLA ˇ
CEK ET AL.
A he wo kshop, conduc ed online in Decembe 2023, pa icipan s
ecei ed he abo e-men ioned scena io ou lining key poin s, de ini ions,
and ques ions de i ed om he sys ema ic li e a u e e iew. Pa icipan s
we e hen asked o collabo a i ely de ine key concep s, uni y knowledge
le els, and discuss c ea i e solu ions o he e hical challenges o he ansi-
ion o low-ca bon cons uc ion. Mode a ed by one o he s udy au ho s,
he wo kshop las ed app oxima ely wo hou s and was eco ded and an-
sc ibed. The da a we e coded using deduc i e and induc i e app oaches o
explo e new phenomena and mechanisms no p e iously desc ibed wi hin
he esea ch amewo k. To minimise bias, he analysis was conduc ed by
a eam membe di e en om he mode a o (Jelínko á e al., 2023).
Pa icipan s we e p o ided wi h a d a o he esul s o independen
commen s a e he wo kshop.
Resul s
E hical Dimensions and S akeholde s in T ansi ioning o Low-Ca bon
Cons uc ion
Ou examina ion has e ealed ha he e hical aspec s o ansi ioning
o low-ca bon cons uc ion a e undamen ally g ounded in he human
awa eness o belonging o a la ge in e connec ed sys em and he espon-
sibili y o li e on his plane (G unwald, 2001). Howe e , e ec i ely
add essing his complexi y equi es b eaking down hese holis ic insigh s
in o he in e es s o mul iple s akeholde s, which can o en con lic
(Ros amnezhad & Thaheem, 2022).
Du ing he li e a u e e iew, we iden i ied a ious s akeholde s o ele-
ance o he low-ca bon ansi ion in he cons uc ion sec o , including
go e nmen en i ies, de elope s, a chi ec s, enginee s, and o he s. Pa ic-
ipan s in he wo kshop emphasised he impo ance o also including
independen ce i ica ion and compliance au ho i ies, uni e si ies, and
in o ma ion b oke s in he o e iew o ele an s akeholde s.
Pa icipan s we e also asked o iden i y he s akeholde s hey consid-
e ed “a - isk” due o nega i e e ec s o ansi ion p ocesses, such as
inc eased cos s, inancial loss, o dis up ions in he supply chain. Su p is-
ingly, cons uc ion i ms we e no pe cei ed as “a - isk s akeholde s”
du ing he ansi ion; ins ead, ma e ials p oduce s we e conside ed he
mos ulne able. Discussions also ouched upon he isk o unemploy-
men . Howe e , he pa icipan s no ed e en g ea e challenges ega ding
10 BRINGING IN ETHICS: A MULTI-STAKEHOLDER APPROACH … 115
demog aphic issues and p oblems o secu ing he a ailable wo k o ce due
o an ageing popula ion.
Ou wo kshop e ealed nume ous po en ial e hical ade-o s aced by
he di e se ange o s akeholde s (see Table 10.1).
These di e se s akeholde s and he a ious ade-o s hey ace high-
ligh he in ica e web o e hical conside a ions inhe en in he ansi ion
o low-ca bon cons uc ion, unde sco ing he need o comp ehensi e
and inclusi e app oaches o add ess hem.
Resol ing T ade-O s Th ough Fai S akeholde In e ac ion
Add essing hese ade-o s e ec i ely ul ima ely equi es ai and
balanced s akeholde in e ac ion p ocesses (Valen ino , 2023). Ou
sys ema ic li e a u e e iew highligh s he signi icance o c oss-sec o al
pa ne ships in s akeholde in e ac ion (And ews & En wis le, 2010).
These pa ne ships in ol e collabo a ion be ween he public sec o ,
business, and he non-p o i sec o , aiming o add ess socie y’s main
challenges.
Building on hese indings, ou wo kshop esul s emphasise he c ucial
ole o clea leade ship. Pa icipan s in he li ing lab exp essed hei belie
in he e iciency o ma ke s du ing a low-ca bon ansi ion bu s essed
he i al ole o he public sec o in p o iding leade ship, di ec ing he
ansi ion, and aligning di e se s akeholde in e es s. Howe e , hey also
acknowledged he need o he public sec o o enhance i s abili y o lead
change and collabo a e wi h di e en s akeholde g oups. “C ea ing a
cul u e o sus ainabili y, de ined by alues, belie s, and beha iou a ou ing
sus ainabili y” (Yip Robin & Poon, 2009, p. 3617), was deemed essen-
ial.
Ano he wo kshop ou come highligh ed he impo ance o e hical
p ecau ions in designing inancial suppo ins umen s such as g an s,
loans, and p ocu emen . Public p ocu emen , gi en i s signi ican GDP
alloca ion, was conside ed a key ins umen . Pa icipan s s essed he
necessi y o anspa en , alue- o -money esou ce alloca ion o main ain
legi imacy and c edibili y. In elligen in es men , which conside s li e-
cycle cos s and socie al e ec s beyond me ely pu suing he lowes p ice,
was also emphasised. These ools should be ins i u ionalised as long- e m
policy ins umen s.
The wo kshop pa icipan s also emphasised in o ma ion and ans-
pa ency as in eg al componen s o accoun abili y. They highligh ed he
116 M. PLA ˇ
CEK ET AL.
Table 10.1 O e iew o key s akeholde s and e hical ade-o s
S akeholde ype Ac o s T ade-O s Conside a ions
Go e nmen • Cen al
go e nmen
• Regional
go e nmen
• Local go e nmen
• Leade ship
• Capaci y
alloca ion
• En i onmen al
s ewa dship
• C oss-sec o al
collabo a ion
•Ac ingasa
leade o
allowing o he s
o beha e
acco ding o
hei a ionali y
• Alloca ing
capaci y o he
low-ca bon
ansi ion e sus
o he
go e nmen asks
• Balancing
compliance-
o ien ed
beha iou wi h
accoun abili y
p essu es, and
po en ial
weakening o
discipline o
speci ic
s akeholde
in ol emen
Companies • Main con ac o s
• Subcon ac o s
• Supplie s
• Manage s
• Employe s
• De elope s
•P o i s.
en i onmen al
and socie al goals
• Balancing
long- e m and
sho - e m
e ec s
• Managing
in e es s wi hin
hesupplychain
• Na iga ing
be ween
conse a i e
biases and
os e ing
inno a ion
(con inued)
10 BRINGING IN ETHICS: A MULTI-STAKEHOLDER APPROACH … 117
Table 10.1 (con inued)
S akeholde ype Ac o s T ade-O s Conside a ions
P o essional
communi ies •A chi ec s
• S uc u al
enginee s
• Elec ical and
mechanical
enginee s
• Su eyo s
• P o essional
e hics s. pe sonal
in e es s
• Balancing
anspa ency and
openness o
communica-
ion e sus public
comp ehensibili y
• Balancing
p ecau ion e sus
speed o
inno a ion
En i onmen al
lobby g oups •NGOs
• Lobbyis s
• Think anks
• Accoun abili y s.
membe s’
in e es s
• Balancing socio-
en i onmen al
impac and
lobby g oup
in e es s
Media o ganisa ions • Newspape s
•TVs& adios
• New media
• Jou nalis s
• P o essional
associa ions
•Owne s
• Sha eholde s
• Sha eholde
in e es s s. he
in e es s o
eade s
• Balancing
e enue om
ad e isemen s
e sus i ms’
en i onmen al
impac s
• Reducing he
complexi y o
in o ma ion and
making i clea
o he eade
• Balancing he
e i ica ion o
he e aci y o
he in o ma ion
wi h he speed
o publica ion
En i onmen al
managemen
acc edi a ion bodies
and independen
ce i ica ion
o ganisa ions
• Public sec o
o ganisa ions
• P i a e sec o
o ganisa ions
• Consul ancies
• E hical alues and
in eg i y s. he
in e es s o clien s
• Focusing on
accoun abili y,
anspa ency, and
ul illing
p o essional
s anda ds
(con inued)
118 M. PLA ˇ
CEK ET AL.
Table 10.1 (con inued)
S akeholde ype Ac o s T ade-O s Conside a ions
Highe educa ion
ins i u ions, esea ch
ins i u ions, and
aining p o ide s
• Public and p i a e
uni e si ies
• Public and p i a e
esea ch
ins i u ions
• Educa ion
companies
• Quali y and
in eg i y, speed o
publica ion,
independence o
esea ch s
in e es s o
unde s
•Scien i ic esul s
should be eely
a ailable o all,
and he
unde lying da a
should be
accessible and
mee he
equi emen s o
anspa ency and
eplicabili y
• Communica e
scien i ic esul s
inclusi e o all
social g oups
• Mechanisms
should be pu in
place o p o ec
esea che s wi h
c i ical iews on
ce ain opics
om
ins i u ional
p essu e
Funding ins i u ions • Public ins i u ions
• P i a e ins i u ions • P essu e o
deli e esul s
e sus unce ain y
in scien i ic
knowledge
• Openness in
unding and he
o iginali y and
dis up i eness o
p ojec s should
be e alua ed, no
p e ious esul s,
senio i y, and
pe cei ed
p es ige
• Accep he isk
o ailu e as a
no mal pa o
scien i ic wo k
Gene al public • Pe sonal bias s
inno a ion,
a ionali y s
emo ions
• Balance
en i onmen al
engagemen wi h
p i acy
conside a ions
Sou ce Au ho s
