Analyzing the Attainment of Sustainable Development Goals in Construction Industry: A Case of a Developing Economy
| International Journal of Civil Engineering |
| © 2026 by SSRG - IJCE Journal |
| Volume 13 Issue 1 |
| Year of Publication : 2026 |
| Authors : Muhammad Ali Musarat, Wesam Salah Alaloul, Muhammad Irfan, Socheatra Soeung, Araventhran Gengathurai |
How to Cite?
Muhammad Ali Musarat, Wesam Salah Alaloul, Muhammad Irfan, Socheatra Soeung, Araventhran Gengathurai, "Analyzing the Attainment of Sustainable Development Goals in Construction Industry: A Case of a Developing Economy," SSRG International Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 27-41, 2026. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V13I1P103
Abstract:
The construction industry plays a key role in economic development, infrastructure creation, employment generation, and innovation. However, it faces sustainability challenges, particularly in developing nations. This study examines the contribution of a developing country’s construction industry towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A quantitative approach was used, with a questionnaire survey targeting industry professionals from contractor and consultant organizations. A sample of 153 responses was analyzed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) and One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests, based on a minimum sample size of 96 with a 90% confidence level and a 5% margin of error. The RII results revealed that the factor "sorting and recycling of materials as a potential waste minimization strategy" ranked highest with an RII value of 0.850, while the lowest ranked factor was "contribution to enhancing the quality of lifestyle" (RII = 0.796). The ANOVA test showed no statistically significant difference (p-value = 0.981) in the mean RII values across four categories: environmental conditions, carbon footprint reduction, improved structures, and quality of lifestyle, all critical for achieving SDGs in developing nations. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, industry leaders, and stakeholders to guide efforts towards achieving SDGs in the construction industry more effectively.
Keywords:
Construction industry, Sustainability, Sustainable Development Goals, Developing Economies.
References:
[1] Wenmei Fei et al., “The Critical Role of the Construction Industry in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Delivering Projects for the Common Good,” Sustainability, vol. 13, no. 16, pp. 1-20, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[2] Hirou Karimi et al., “Green Buildings: Human-Centered and Energy Efficiency Optimization Strategies,” Energies, vol. 16, no. 9, pp. 1-17, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[3] Nneka Adaobi Ochuba et al., “Innovations in Business Models through Strategic Analytics and Management: Conceptual Exploration for Sustainable Growth,” International Journal of Management and Entrepreneurship Research, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 554-566, 2024.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[4] Sherif Goubran, “On the Role of Construction in Achieving the SDGs,” Journal of Sustainability Research, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 1-52, 2019.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[5] Nitin Rane, “Integrating Leading-Edge Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and Big Data Technologies for Smart and Sustainable Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry: Challenges and Future Directions,” Engineering and Construction Industry: Challenges and Future Directions, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[6] KwangHoon Han, and Jensen Zhang, “Energy-Saving Building System Integration with a Smart and Low-Cost Sensing/Control Network for Sustainable and Healthy Living Environments: Demonstration Case Study,” Energy and Buildings, vol. 214, pp. 1-38, 2020.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[7] Paraskevi (Vivian) Angeletopoulou et al., “Advancing Sustainable Construction in the EU: The Role of Environmental Taxation, Financial Development and Green Energy Financing,” Sustainable Finance Review, pp. 1-19, 2025.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[8] Raslanas Sailus, Romualdas Kliukas, and Stasiukynas Andrius, “Real Estate Sustainability Assessment System based on Modified BREEAM by using AHP and SAW Methods,” Proceedings of the 30th International Conference on Advanced Engineering Technologies, Green Transition and Sustainable Development, pp. 289-295, 2025.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[9] Kun Lu et al., “Commodity Futures Pricing of Carbon Policy Costs in Construction Projects,” Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 2025.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[10] Ruda Lee et al., “Comprehensive Investigation of Rooftop Photovoltaic Systems in Apartment Buildings: Focus on Installation Status and Generation Performance in South Korea,” Energy and Buildings, vol. 345, pp. 1-23, 2025.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[11] Grant Nwaogbe et al., “Green Construction Practices: Aligning Environmental Sustainability with Project Efficiency,” International Journal of Science and Research Archive, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 189-201, 2025.
[Google Scholar]
[12] Iseoluwa Joanna Mogaji, Modupe Cecilia Mewomo, and Francis Kwesi Bondinuba, “Assessment of Barriers to the Adoption of Innovative Building Materials (IBM) for Sustainable Construction in the Nigerian Construction Industry,” Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 32, no. 13, pp. 1-26, 2025.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[13] Ahmad Huzaimi Abd Jamil, and Mohamad Syazli Fathi, “The Integration of Lean Construction and Sustainable Construction: A Stakeholder Perspective in Analyzing Sustainable Lean Construction Strategies in Malaysia,” Procedia Computer Science, vol. 100, pp. 634-643, 2016.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[14] S.Z.H. Syed Jamaludin, S.A. Mahayuddin, and S.H.A. Hamid, “Challenges of Integrating Affordable and Sustainable Housing in Malaysia,” IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, vol. 140, pp. 1-9, 2018.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[15] Sim Yeong Liang et al., “Towards Implementation and Achievement of Construction and Environmental Quality in the Malaysian Construction Industry,” Malaysian Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 99-114, 2014.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[16] J.A. Bamgbade, A.M. Kamaruddeen, and M.N.M. Nawi, “Malaysian Construction Firms' Social Sustainability via Organizational Innovativeness and Government Support: The Mediating Role of Market Culture,” Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 154, pp. 114-124, 2017.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[17] Anat Anaqie Zahidy, Shahryar Sorooshian, and Zahidy Abd Hamid, “Critical Success Factors for Corporate Social Responsibility Adoption in the Construction Industry in Malaysia,” Sustainability, vol. 11, no. 22, pp. 1-24, 2019.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[18] Muzaffar Iqbal et al., “Sustainable Construction through Energy Management Practices in Developing Economies: An Analysis of Barriers in the Construction Sector,” Environmental Science and Pollution Research, vol. 28, no. 26, pp. 34793-34823, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[19] Sin-Ho Jung, “Stratified Fisher's Exact Test and its Sample Size Calculation,” Biometrical Journal, vol. 56, no. 1, pp. 129-140, 2014.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[20] Aseel Abdaljader, and Mustafa Günal, “Main Risk Factors Causing Delays in GAP Construction Projects in Turkey by using Relative Importance Index (RII) Method,” Iranian Journal of Science Technology, and Transactions of Civil Engineering, vol. 48, no. 2, pp. 611-633, 2024.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[21] Nor Syahirah Azman et al., “Relative Importance Index (RII) in Ranking of Quality Factors on Industrialised Building System (IBS) Projects in Malaysia,” AIP Conference Proceedings, vol. 2129, no. 1, 2019.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[22] Olabode Emmanuel Ogunmakinde, William Sher, and Temitope Egbelakin, Construction Waste Management in Nigeria using the 3R Principle of the Circular Economy, Circular Economy and Waste Valorisation: Theory and Practice, pp. 177-195, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[23] Flavio Scrucca et al., “On the Role of Sustainable Buildings in Achieving the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals,” Environmental Impact Assessment and Review, vol. 100, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[24] Peter O. Akadiri, Ezekiel A. Chinyio, and Paul O. Olomolaiye, “Design of a Sustainable Building: A Conceptual Framework for Implementing Sustainability in the Building Sector,” Buildings, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 126-152, 2012.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[25] Sang Choon Lhee, “Finding Significant Factors to Affect Cost Contingency on Construction Projects using ANOVA Statistical Method-Focused on Transportation Construction Projects in the US,” Architectural Research, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 75-80, 2014.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[26] S. Thomas Ng, Ziwei Tang, and Ekambaram Palaneeswaran, “Factors Contributing to the Success of Equipment-Intensive Subcontractors in Construction,” International Journal of Project Management, vol. 27, no. 7, pp. 736-744, 2009.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[27] Alex Opoku, Construction Industry and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Research Companion to Construction Economics: Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 199-214, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[28] Jesse Kivilä, Miia Martinsuo, and Lauri Vuorinen, “Sustainable Project Management through Project Control in Infrastructure Projects,” International Journal of Project Management, vol. 35, no. 6, pp. 1167-1183, 2017.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[29] John Holmberg, and Johan Larsson, “A Sustainability Lighthouse-Supporting Transition Leadership and Conversations on Desirable Futures,” Sustainability, vol. 10, no. 11, pp. 1-25, 2018.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[30] Sharifah Buniamin et al., “Exploring SDGs Disclosure among Public Listed Companies in Malaysia: A Case of Energy-Related SDGs,” Global Business & Management Research, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 762-776, 2021.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[31] Gabriel Jobidon, Pierre Lemieux, and Robert Beauregard, “Building Information Modeling in Quebec’s Procurement for Public Infrastructure: A Case for Integrated Project Delivery,” Law, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 1-16, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[32] Bilal Manzoor et al., “Strategies for Adopting Building Information Modeling (BIM) in Sustainable Building Projects-A Case of Malaysia,” Buildings, vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 1-14, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[33] Ayodele Emmanuel Ikudayisi, and Olumuyiwa Bayode Adegun, “Pathways for Green Building Acceleration in Fast-Growing Countries: A Case Study on Nigeria,” Built Environment and Project Asset Management, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 450-466, 2025.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[34] Abrar Arshad et al., “Sustainable Risk and Quality Management Practices in Green Construction Projects: A Study of the Commercial Construction Sector in Pakistan,” Journal of Business and Management Research, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 230-249, 2025.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[35] John Aliu et al., “Exploring the Barriers to the Adoption of Environmental Economic Practices in the Construction Industry,” Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 1-20, 2025.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[36] S. Johnson and L. White, “Stakeholder Engagement in Sustainable Construction,” Construction Management Review, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 40-54, 2022.
[Google Scholar]
[37] H.C.O. Unegbu et al., “Measures for Overcoming Sustainable Construction Barriers in the Nigerian Construction Industry,” Discover Civil Engineering, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 1-14, 2025.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V13I1P103