Sustainable construction represents the building industry's crucial contribution to sustainable development, focusing on minimizing the negative health and environmental impacts of structures throughout their entire life cycle. This approach considers three dimensions—planet, people, and profit—and emphasizes using non-toxic materials, reducing and reusing resources, and minimizing waste.
The concept emerged from increased awareness of energy and resource conservation during the 1970s oil crises. It was further defined by the 1987 Brundtland Report, which coined "sustainable development" as meeting present needs without compromising future generations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines sustainable construction as creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient from a building's siting through to its deconstruction.