This November, Paris became the hub for insightful discussions and meaningful action as Building Responsibly convened for its Annual Members’ Meeting and Forum. These two gatherings brought together our members with industry leaders and key stakeholders to reflect on progress, share challenges, and set the agenda for the year ahead.
While our Members’ Meeting kicked off with a focus on collaboration, a number of practical tools were also shared, designed to enhance worker welfare. Discussions revolved around refining governance structures, aligning on a clear roadmap for 2025, and exploring ways to engage subcontractors more effectively.
Several members shared updates on their innovative worker welfare approaches including integrating worker welfare principles into contract management tools, providing structured onboarding for workers, strengthening site-specific wellbeing plans, and working together to strengthen fair recruitment practices.
The key theme to emerge? The power of knowledge sharing. Members underscored the importance of collective action and benchmarking to better align their worker welfare practices. It is clear that members are leaning on each other to share resources, swap ideas, and figure out solutions to challenges like subcontractor oversight and adapting to new ESG regulations.
There was also a collective push to develop more guidance on integrating Building Responsibly’s Worker Welfare Principles throughout project and contractor management processes.
Tackling global challenges
The Forum brought the spotlight to broader, pressing issues in worker welfare, such as forced labour risks, due diligence gaps, and the need for better grievance mechanisms.
The breakout sessions were especially eye-opening. Members tackled regional issues, like how to better support migrant workers in the Middle East or address issues on sites closer to home in Europe.
There was also a lot of buzz around aligning worker welfare initiatives with upcoming regulations, like the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). The question on everyone’s mind? How do we meet these new requirements without getting buried in red tape?
Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond
Both events reinforced the importance of balancing ambition with practicality. Members called for more targeted tools, streamlined guidance, and increased stakeholder engagement to drive measurable impact.
Ideas for 2025 included:
Updating the Worker Welfare Principles to reflect new challenges, such as recruitment fees and subcontractor oversight.
Enhancing accountability frameworks while ensuring flexibility for members at different stages of their worker welfare journeys.
Launching a major marketing push to raise Building Responsibly’s profile and attract more members, particularly smaller contractors and diverse regional stakeholders.
The discussions also surfaced a shared desire to create spaces for collective remedy and deeper knowledge sharing on sensitive issues like recruitment fee remediation.
A collective commitment
As the construction and engineering sectors face increasing scrutiny, Building Responsibly continues to be a platform for progress, collaboration, and shared learning. The 2024 Members Meeting and Forum underscored the initiative’s ability to bring together diverse voices to tackle complex issues while providing practical tools and insights.
The path ahead is clear: by doubling down on collective action and accountability, Building Responsibly and its members can pave the way for a more ethical and sustainable future in construction and engineering.