Social Responsibility of Construction Company as Strategy for Sustainability in Island Territories

Abstract

The increase in urbanization and the volume of construction has accelerated. This situation requires systematizing the use of limited resources, especially in island territories. The construction sector contributes to the depletion of these resources and has a significant impact on society, which is why it is necessary to change its strategy and decision-making. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) may be the strategy to develop a socio-environmentally responsible production model that replaces the traditional one. A socially responsible construction company optimizes use construction materials, gives value to waste generated, minimizes the impact that buildings have on the environment, makes responsible use of energy and water, uses innovations to improve the process and adequately manages its human resources. The aim of this work is to analyse the socially responsible behaviour of companies in the construction sector in a limited and fragmented territory as is the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and to compare the importance that companies give to their actions, using for the first time 99 indicators grouped into three factors: environmental, social and economic, thus also highlighting the contribution of CSR to sustainability. The companies surveyed indicate whether they have implemented or plan to implement them in the future. The results indicate that aspects related to environmental sensitivity and social contribution contribute most to the implementation of a CSR strategy, while economic aspects have a negative influence. In the case of companies planning to implement a CSR strategy in the future, the social contribution aspect is the most influential. © 2023 by the author(s).