Kotuku CIC is a London based Community Interest Company. We promote sustainable resource management in the construction industry through research, education and demonstration. We aim to give companies a broad understanding of environmental issues allowing them to make informed and realistic decisions on what actions they should take.

Kotuku enjoys a range of practical construction and waste management skills that are particularly suitable for tackling this task.

• a director who has run his own building company and is a Chartered Waste Manager
• contacts throughout the construction industry
• hands-on experience of construction contracts and building processes
• knowledge and understanding of building site culture
• proven project design and management credentials

We believe that the sustainable use of resources should be a high priority on all construction projects, and that this agenda can be developed to the benefit of all involved; from client, professional, and contractor to supplier, community and environment

Kotuku realises the importance of partnering and sharing resources in developing new ideas. We are pleased to have had the support of many organisations including Envirowise, WRAP, The Construction Confederation Environmental Forum, The National Federation of Builders, The Federation of Master Builders, The Construction Industry Training Board, The Institute of Demolition Engineers, The London Community Recycling Network, The Institute of Civil Engineers, The London District Surveyors Association, The London Sustainability Exchange, London Remade, The Chartered Institute of Wastes Management, the Building Research Establishment and the Environment Agency.

Kotuku was founded in December 2001. The director, Andrew Pears, is a graduate of York University and has worked in the building industry for 25 years. For the past 15 years he has been running his own London based building company. He has now closed this business to concentrate on construction related environmental issues.

The name Kotuku comes from a New Zealand white heron. The bird is so scarce that the Maoris use the word to describe special and rarely seen friends. They call the Queen Kotuku; we use the name to describe the environment.

Kotuku is grateful to have received commissions for work from Envirowise, London Remade, Awards for All, Kensington and Chelsea Environmental Ltd, Islington Enterprise Agency, BRE through the CoRE program, SusCon, and financial support from Brathew and Towerlace Ltd.

Reach for the spade... An article by Andrew Pears on sustainable construction, which first appeared in NFB Newsline. Read the article