Sustainability & Environment

Sustainability. We plan and act for the future—for the long-term good of our company, our customers, and our world.

—from Bechtel’s Vision + Values

Bechtel’s commitment to sustainability means supporting our customers in meeting government, community, and financing requirements for sustainability.

Our sustainability group focuses on the following services:

• Addressing international standards for public consultation and disclosure; working with indigenous peoples; and hiring and work place practices.
• Designing programs that deliver training and skills that enable local workers to meet project needs and prepare for employment opportunities beyond construction.
• Designing programs that help local suppliers and contractors qualify for involvement in our project and future opportunities.
• Integrating "green," functional, and community design concepts into engineering and construction.
• Engaging local communities in partnerships that represent both project and public interests.

Commitment to the Environment 

As a global company, Bechtel is committed to environmental excellence around the world. From groundbreaking projects, to research, to activities in local communities, Bechtel and its employees are taking action to protect the environment at all levels.

Projects

A design and construction leader in emerging technology and the renewable energy markets, Bechtel is involved in exciting new prospects. Bechtel is partnered with BrightSource Energy to build Ivanpah, the world’s largest solar thermal facility. Bechtel has also formed a strategic alliance with Calera to bring Calera’s carbon capture technology to commercial scale. 

Teamed with GE and Duke Energy, Bechtel is building an integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) facility that will be one of the world’s cleanest and most efficient coal-fired plants.

The company is also leading environmental clean up work for the United States government in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and building a first-of-its-kind nuclear waste treatment facility in Hanford, Washington.  In addition, teams led by Bechtel and the University of California manage and operate two premiere institutions for scientific research — Los Alamos and Livermore National Laboratories. 

Research

Bechtel engineers, many considered to be leaders in their fields, are involved in research focused on engineering and the environment.  Read some of their findings:

Measuring Carbon Footprints
Environmental Engineering Design & Mine Projects
Options for Hybrid Solar & Conventional Fossil Plants

Company Initiatives

Efforts are underway at all Bechtel offices around the world to create an environmentally friendly workplace, and the company’s Washington, D.C. office was awarded LEED-Platinum status by the U.S. Green Building Council.  

Other initiatives include:       

• LEED accreditation for key engineering and construction personnel
• Recycling programs at all major offices
• Smart light technology to reduce energy waste
• Motion sensors on bathroom sinks to reduce water waste
• Education about simple steps employees can take to reduce their personal carbon footprint