Construction’s green present: How sustainability benefits the job site
Equipment and technology advances that boost your productivity, maximize your ROI, and benefit the planet
By
Kaitlyn Till
September 03, 2025
Sustainability is a net benefit of the advances in equipment and technology that make today’s job site more efficient, more cost-effective, and safer. From the quarry to the construction site, the latest machines and processes are designed to reduce the amount of fuel burned to do a job, to reduce rework and improve build quality, and to extend the longevity of equipment.
Remanufacturing; power modes optimized to the task; job site connectivity, telematics, and machine control; and alternative fuels and powertrains all contribute to construction sites that are cleaner, safer, and more productive. Let’s explore each of these sustainability solutions and see how they can benefit both your bottom line and the planet.
Cat Reman is an option for many engine, drivetrain, undercarriage, electronic, and hydraulic components.
Caterpillar, Inc.
Remanufacturing for the future
Remanufacturing involves the restoration of genuine parts to like-new condition that matches the performance specifications of the original product but may also incorporate engineering updates.
The remanufacturing process keeps used parts within the supply chain and out of landfills, preventing still-viable elements of equipment components from going to waste. Cast steel that doesn’t take wear, or only takes minor wear, can be recovered while the consumable portion of the component is replaced.
Many OEMs offer remanufacturing programs. For example, contractors who purchase a Cat Reman component can send a core (a used Cat component) back to their dealer to go to a Caterpillar remanufacturing facility and receive a core deposit refund, allowing them to save money versus the cost of a new part. The purchase price of a Cat Reman part is typically between 45 and 85 percent of the cost of a new component, and Cat Reman is an option for many engine, drivetrain, undercarriage, electronic, and hydraulic components for construction, mining, energy, and transportation equipment.
Remanufacturing contributes to a circular economy, keeping as many components as possible within the equipment ecosystem while assuring equipment owners that they will receive a component with like-new quality and warranty coverage from the manufacturer.
Komatsu has been manufacturing hybrid excavators since 2008.
Komatsu
Flexible work modes give operators greater capabilities
Work modes give operators the flexibility to tailor their machine directly to their task — whether they need to lift heavy materials or just require raw power.
Operating modes will vary depending on the machine and the OEM, but across the board work modes are designed to optimize the power that the operator needs to complete the job correctly and efficiently without burning unnecessary fuel or causing unnecessary wear on the machine.
Eco Mode is available on machines across sectors including on earthmoving, crushing, lifting, and roadbuilding equipment. Broadly, Eco Mode reduces engine RPM when full power isn’t needed. This balance of performance and efficiency in turn reduces fuel consumption and can lower noise levels and reduce wear on parts.
Hamm Smart Compact Pro uses a real-time density scanner to give the operator real-time feedback to ensure compaction targets are met.
Hamm
Technology is necessary to achieve sustainable power
Access to data on the job site, including real-time as-built data and telematics, gives operators and project managers feedback, insight, and assistance to confidently meet their targets using the fewest resources necessary.
Machine control technology can give operators of all skill levels a leg up on the job site and helps operators reduce the amount of time needed to complete a task, the amount of fuel burned, wear on the equipment, and the number of hours against the warranty of the machine.
When as-built data from equipment with machine control is transmitted from the machine to the office, or even to the site manager’s personal device on the ground, all stakeholders can see if the work is done to the correct specifications in real-time, rather than learning days or weeks after the fact that something went wrong. This eliminates the need to return to a job site for re-work. Equipment can be freed up to move on to another project with the assurance that it won’t have to be trailered back to address a problem.
Telematics data provides actionable insight into equipment use and maintenance that can help owners guide their operators toward sustainable operating practices that reduce wear on the machine and unnecessary fuel burn. Adhering to maintenance alerts will also keep that machine operating at peak efficiency, extending its life and reducing emissions.
There are many OEM platforms that gather all of this data from the job site and present it to project managers in an easy-to-understand format with actionable insights that can help them meet their sustainability goals. For example, the John Deere Operations Center gives users comprehensive insight into job site progress, machine health, and fuel consumption, as well as analysis on the use of technology and its impact on job site productivity — just for a start.
One new piece of technology that will be incorporated into the John Deere Operations Center is Hamm’s Smart Compact Pro. This precision asphalt density scanning tool gives the operator and site manager an instant compaction quality assessment. Real-time insight into the quality of the surface helps the operator make decisions to help them precisely hit compaction targets which ultimately maximizes the longevity of the road. With this new technology, Hamm hopes to eventually eliminate the need to do coring for quality control, and the real-time density scan will help contractors avoid financial deductions for imperfections and avoid the need for early road refurbishment.
JCB’s hydrogen combustion engine has been approved for sale in Europe.
JCB
Fuels, engines, and alternative power
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to transitioning the construction job site to clean power, but different solutions can work in tandem to lower job site emissions and improve job site air quality for workers and the community.
The more straightforward switch for operations is to use biodiesel instead of petroleum diesel. Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil, tallow, or used cooking oil. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, emissions released from biodiesel combustion can be offset by the carbon absorbed from growing the feedstock, such as soybeans, to produce the fuel. Biodiesel also does less damage than petroleum diesel if spilled in the environment; it is far less combustible and thus safer to handle, store, and transport. OEMs can provide guidance on the right biodiesel mix for a given engine working in a given environment.
Engine OEMs are also extending their expertise into other propulsion solutions that reduce emissions. Cummins, for example, is advancing a broad portfolio of power solutions that also includes electric, hybrid, natural gas, and fuel cell technology to serve a range of industries, and its X15 HELM engine platform will give customers the ability to select the best combustion option to suit their needs, whether that’s diesel, natural gas, or hydrogen.
JCB has been developing a hydrogen combustion engine for its construction machines for several years, and in early 2025 the company was approved to sell its hydrogen combustion engines across Europe. JCB has tested the hydrogen engine extensively with customers, most notably in backhoe loaders and telehandlers.
Hybrid technology also significantly reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, and hybrid excavators are well-proven. Komatsu has been a notable leader in this area since it introduced its first hybrid excavator in 2008. Komatsu’s hybrid excavators feature an electric swing motor/generator that captures and regenerates energy as the upper structure slows down. The stored energy is then used by the generator/motor to assist the engine. These machines excel at providing fuel-efficient, responsive truck loading.
Volvo CE takes a different approach with its hydraulic hybrid excavators. Its machines capture up-and-down boom motion. The energy generated by the boom down motion is captured by a hydraulic accumulator to assist with the boom up motion, which is where the most pressure and power is needed.
Battery-electric power is now well-proven for compact machines, including excavators, wheel loaders, and compaction equipment, in certain applications. It is here that Volvo has also excelled at delivering a range of solutions. The company started small with compact electric machines, which it demonstrated in real-world applications where the investment in the new technology makes sense and charging power can be readily available: in indoor environments, around animals, in ecologically sensitive areas, and in urban settings. Most major OEMs that manufacture compact equipment now offer electric machines, and larger equipment is now starting to get the electric treatment.
Drivetrain flexibility is also particularly notable and widely available for crushing equipment. Many of today’s crushers can be spec’d in hybrid or fully electric configurations. Hybrid crushers give equipment owners the most flexibility. When power is available, the machine can be plugged into the mains to run as a fully electric machine. But, should power not be available, the equipment can still run off of a diesel engine if needed.
The pursuit of job site sustainability
Job site sustainability is not a finish line, but an ongoing practice that can be improved by using any combination of the technologies and equipment solutions that we’ve discussed here. Most importantly, these solutions do not have to be adopted for sustainability’s sake — they can have very real and significant lasting benefits to your job site’s productivity and to the quality of your work.