Group D21-34: Certified Globally Responsible Engineering

Engineering practitioners work towards accreditation, demonstrating their competency. Consumables are assessed as Fairtrade or Organic, assessing their impact on people and planet. There is no equivalent for certifying a company's commitment to globally responsible engineering practice.

We believe that a solution to this could be provided in the form of a badge awarded by EWB-UK, or an alternative group, to companies that have demonstrated their commitment to globally responsible engineering.

To advance this idea, we have defined globally responsible engineering as engineering work with a clear driver in fulfilling one or more of the UN’s sustainable development goals and with no undue negative impacts on people or planet.

This certification would be made up of three key components:

• Demonstration of an project or process fulfilling the above definition of globally responsible engineering

• Well defined and measurable plans for practicing globally responsible engineering in the future

• Evidence of learning by the company and company staff allowing for a greater understanding of GRE.

This accreditation would allow contracting companies and public bodies to identify firms that align with their ethics and, through a forum for sharing ideas around GRE, allow firms to develop their practices in a collaborative fashion.

The accrediting company would also provide a ‘framework’ for GRE practises as well as training opportunities focussed around sustainable and inclusive engineering.

The aim is to encourage companies to adopt design processes which require engineers to evaluate their designs against several factors, such as how they may affect people from different cultures or economic backgrounds. In doing so we believe that such questions will become part of the company’s culture, this culture is then spread through to other businesses; via awareness of the accreditation scheme and by the employees they train when they migrate to other jobs.