Get Started
Knowing where to start the process of establishing social practices can seem daunting for facility executives, architects and designers, but for those in positions of leadership taking the first step can be as straightforward as writing things down. Drafting a corporate code of conduct, or “a set of rules outlining the social norms and rules and responsibilities of the organization,” as defined by Wikipedia, is one way to take a position on business ethics and social issues, such as human rights and sustainability.
Henderson points out many companies already have existing codes of conduct in place, but they don’t necessarily do a good job of promoting them. “I think a lot of times [organizations] have one, but it’s internal. My question is, ‘Do you have an external policy, and do you have it on your website?’” She adds that creating and publishing a code of conduct doesn’t cost anything other than the time it takes to produce it. “It’s the kind of thing that if you just make the commitment, take the time to write it and post it, that’s a start.”
For building industry professionals, Henderson says another step toward greater social advocacy involves a program they’re familiar with already: the LEED green-building rating system. In 2014, the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council identified “fostering social equity” as a driving principle in its strategic plan, and, as such, launched three new Social Equity credits as part of the LEED v4 Pilot Credit library. The three credits—Social Equity within the Project, Social Equity within the Community and Social Equity within the Supply Chain—reward project teams for implementing best practices in improving social equity.
“Creation of the credits builds on the newest goals for all of LEED—to enhance community, social equity/environmental justice and quality of life, and to build a greener economy,” writes Joel Ann Todd, chair of the LEED Steering Committee (2009-13) and Susan Kaplan, founder and president of BuildingWrx, in an article on USGBC.com. “The credits begin to expand the range of strategies available for achieving these new goals and for achieving LEED certification. They also help define LEED buildings as truly sustainable and advantageous to all people, especially more vulnerable populations who often have little say in a project’s development.”
According to USGBC’s website, the LEED social equity credits are:
- Social Equity Within the Project Team: This credit encourages a project’s owners, financiers, architects, engineers and contractors to incorporate social equity into their daily activities. They can do this by paying prevailing wages to construction workers, providing workforce development, or by demonstrating corporate social responsibility through B-Corporation certification or through the creation of Corporate Sustainability Reports that address the social components of their businesses.
- Social Equity Within the Community: This credit encourages a project team to address identified needs and disparities in the community surrounding the project. It outlines a process of engagement with community stakeholders that focuses on vulnerable populations to understand these needs and also allows certification through established frameworks, such as the SEED Evaluator or Enterprise Green Communities.
- Social Equity Within the Supply Chain: This credit encourages social equity for those involved in the production of materials and products for our buildings—from raw materials extraction through final assembly. It rewards the establishment of supplier assessments, or scorecards, as well as the creation of Supplier Codes of Conduct that address basic human rights.
“The creation of these new social equity credits also signals the green-building movement’s maturing—using its success in environmental and economic arenas to show project teams what more can be done to address all aspects of sustainability, including the critical social and economic characteristics of buildings,” Todd and Kaplan observe.
Additionally, for those who are serious about making a commitment to social justice and human rights, Henderson suggests they consider participating in the JUST program, an innovative social justice label and transparency platform for organizations. Developed by The International Living Future Institute, Seattle, which operates the Living Building Challenge, the voluntary JUST program is open to all types and sizes of organizations willing to self-report how they stack up to JUST’s 22 specific social and equity indicators identified within six categories: diversity, equity, safety, worker benefit, local benefit and stewardship. JUST also builds on several of the institute’s initiatives, including Declare, a similarly intentioned building product ingredients label and transparency program.