ETHICS 2.0

The challenges we face are considerable and we must tackle them together.

Five years ago, we created a Manifesto called ETHICS.   We asked some big questions on prevalent issues around Education, Technology, Healthcare, Infrastructure, Culture and Sustainability. We presented insights from fellow thinkers, doers and communities. We didn’t have all the answers, but we recognised the urgency.

But five years later, despite an uprising of sustainable intent, the industry continues to be just less bad — we haven’t moved the dial enough — and it’s taking too long.

That’s why, in 2024, we’re launching ETHICS 2.0. We haven’t done enough. But there is hope.

ETHICS 2.0 is a call to action for our community. We can’t Engineer a Better Society alone and, while we still don’t have all the answers, we are optimistic that we can make a difference.

In our own business, we have gone from slide rules to robotic construction, with artificial intelligence and smart dust all in the here and now. Progressing creatively is only one way. We must also aim economically and politically to challenge governments, legislation, and the decisions they make that drive all aspects of our lives today.

Read our ETHICS 2.0 Manifesto

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Looking ahead to the next 30 years, we need a paradigm shift that allows us to focus on what is genuinely better rather than simply less bad.

Andy Downey
Director, Elliott Wood

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Our six Manifesto themes

Energy has fast become the issue we cannot ignore and is now our ‘E’ for ETHICS 2.0.

Are we ready for net zero?

The UK will likely have a decarbonised power system by 2035. Whilst this will be a huge step towards us becoming net zero, it will bring about new challenges. How do we distribute locally generated energy across the grid, and what will we do with all the surplus energy?

With innovation required to store energy at scale, would it be better to use the abundant energy to make new materials — rather than use more energy to try and save it?

Are we becoming artificially intelligent?

The new age of digital technologies has arrived, but is the construction industry ready for it?

Whether it’s AI or BIM, the age-old argument remains — are we teaching our talent the basic foundations of our profession well enough before allowing technology to take hold?

Or are we all guilty of allowing technology to paper over the cracks?

Are we sitting comfortably?

We know our environment impacts our physical and mental health. Clean air, safe materials and appropriate lighting. A sense of connection to nature, even better.

But where does our duty stop and start — will we ever be able to measure the health and comfort of our buildings like carbon? Do we need to?

Whether we can or not, we must not let this get in the way of our efforts to design places to impact on the health of everyone positively — both those who use them and those who create them.

Can society undo the mess of broken Britain?

Years of austerity and lack of regulation have led to a huge decline in infrastructure maintenance and development across the UK.

Whether it be the shocking standard of our waterways or cancellation of projects such as HS2 in the North — the decline of infrastructure hinders economic growth, productivity and quality of life. So, whilst the shareholders gladly lap up the cream — who is ultimately responsible for taking the lead?

We need a more open and honest culture.

Old fashioned, adversarial, scared, superfluous, stuck, unenlightened, turgid, consumptive, grey, selfish, wasteful, unskilled, bureaucratic, dysfunctional and expensive.

A gloomy, pessimistic set of words, yet these come from prominent industry figures who care passionately about its future. What is driving this overwhelming sense of misery? Is it the aftermath of Brexit, politics or the pandemic? We need to foster a culture that embraces these challenges, introducing excitement, difference and hope.

Can we regenerate sustainability?

It’s a word omnipresent in the built environment for the past decade. Accreditations, services and consultancies are all fed from its green leaves.

But something is wrong in a world that needs so much help to change our environment — it really shouldn’t be deemed a special off-the-shelf service. So, is now the time to regenerate the idea of sustainability into something more relevant?

Ten reasons to act

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Despite global efforts to curb deforestation, an estimated 10 million hectares of forests are still lost every year — that’s roughly the size of Iceland.

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Since the mass production of plastics began in the 1950s, around 9 billion tons of plastic have been produced. Today, we recycle just 9% of plastic waste globally.

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The production, disposal and transportation of food that is never consumed, contributes to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

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Worldwide, around 7 million premature deaths each year are linked to air pollution.

6

Despite living in the world’s sixth biggest economy, one in 182 people in England are homeless today. This rises to one in 51 people within Greater London.

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One ChatGPT session can consume up to 25 times more energy than a Google search and up to 500ml of water.

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Imagine the 4.5 billion years history of Earth squeezed into a calendar year. Modern human life has existed on the planet for 37 minutes, yet we have used up to a third of our natural resources in the last 0.2 seconds.

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The US throws enough aluminium into landfills to rebuild its entire commercial air fleet every three months — around 6,000 airplanes.

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Despite wildlife populations declining by 70% over the past 50 years, the two remaining Northern White Rhinos — Najin and Fatu — remain in good health with hopes of a ground-breaking IVF pregnancy via surrogate.

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Global temperatures are likely to breach the 1.5⁰C threshold for the first time by 2027...

What's next for ETHICS 2.0

The launch of ETHICS 2.0 marks the beginning of a new programme of activity, empowering our teams to work together for the greater good and challenge the status quo.

Our original Manifesto helped us develop initiatives like the Structural Carbon Tool and our guides to circular reuse. But there is more to do, and we continue to forge links with industry and academia to build a community committed to action on the biggest issues of our time.