Following the Committee on Climate Change’s (CCC) recent progress review, the construction sector continues to make progress on the commitments to drive carbon out of its activities, according to the latest comprehensive review of its carbon reduction priorities.
The Construction Leadership Council has published its 6th progress update to its CO2nstruct Zero Performance Framework.
The framework was launched at COP26 in November 2021, as a single universal tool to collect data and report on how construction is tackling the carbon challenge. For the first time, we have been able to make an assessment on each of the nine priorities across areas of Transport, Buildings and Construction Activity to determine if we are on track, aligned to the 6th carbon budget.
The Performance Framework comprises 31 metrics across nine priority areas, each of which tells a story of how the sector is reducing its carbon emissions across construction activities; the resulting buildings and structures; and the transport of products and materials.
The 6th update shows continued progress across several areas, including:
- Transport: Publication of a Zero Diesel route-map, enabling the sector to collectively reduce its reliance on diesel, across sites, whilst noting further work on Electric Vehicles is needed, echoing CCC concerns on van sales.
- Buildings: Continued upskilling on heat pump installers in line with our predicted needs to reach the 2030 target.
- Construction: Publication of a carbon intensity benchmark on concrete, enabling industry to measure its impact.
There are, however, areas where progress needs to be accelerated if the buildings sector is to reach zero emissions by 2050, most notably on domestic retrofit where the work of the newly established National Retrofit Hub and its focus on consumer engagement and education to drive demand will be important.
Continued progress should be expected around measurement of operational and embodied carbon with building type benchmarks for all asset classes expected to be launched by 2024, as well as ambitions to give customers low carbon choices and allow them to reach Net Zero by offering low carbon design options and advice from EPD’s to retrofit.
In addition, over 220 organisations have now joined CO2nstruct Zero as Business Champions or Partners, having demonstrated carbon reduction leadership. They are sharing good practice and collectively leading the sector’s progress to Net Zero. For example, the report showcases Bradfords Building Supplies’ Employee Retention Scheme which offers staff free home energy assessments and an end-to-end retrofit plan linking to CO2nstruct Zero priority 4.
This will enable employees to understand the customer journey and advise first hand. It also shows the Environment Agency’s ambitious scheme to reduce embodied carbon by 45% implementing BIM analytics and Carbon workflow on a tidal barrier design to protect 13,000 homes and businesses from tidal flooding.
An area that can be linked back to CO2nstruct Zero priority 7. The final case study from Keltbray aligns to CO2nstruct Zero priority 1 and outlines the benefits they have found in terms of fuel cost, reduced emissions, improved air quality and less noise from site decarbonisation through electrification. They were able to swap out fuel generators with TBS (Temporary Building Supply) that supplies electric power directly from the mains on several major construction sites in London.
Nusrat Ghani (Minister of State for Industry at the Department for Business and Trade and Minister of State for the Investment Security Unit at the Cabinet Office) said: “Cutting carbon emissions in construction is crucial for achieving net zero by 2050, and that’s why I’m pleased to see the latest Construct Zero report demonstrate the great work being done across the sector to help achieve this and make UK construction fit for the future.”
Matt Palmer (CLC Net Zero and Biodiversity Industry Sponsor) said: “Today’s 6th Co2nstruct Zero report sets out the latest progress from the construction sector in meeting the Net Zero challenge. Publication of the recent Zero Diesel route-map (setting out a path for the sector to reduce its reliance on zero diesel on sites by 78% by 2035), together with our first benchmark on carbon intensity is a clear step in the right direction.
“However, we have a considerable way to go on this journey, as echoed by the Independent Committee for Climate Change’s recent progress report. Challenges exist, such as accelerating the number of retrofit co-ordinators and we will be working with the National Retrofit Hub to explore this further. I would like to thank all our Business Champions and Partners for their support.”
