Six civils clients to switch to low carbon concrete and steel

Six big infrastructure clients have pledged to switch to lowest carbon-sourced concrete and steel on their projects.

Construction minister Alan Mak backs Construction Leadership Council decarbonisation pledge

Anglian Water, Heathrow, The Lower Thames Crossing, National Highways, Northumbrian Water and Sellafield have committed to scale-back use of the biggest contributors to CO₂ emissions – diesel, steel, and concrete.

They are the first clients to sign up for the Construction Leadership Council’s “Five Client Carbon Commitments” designed to help the industry advance to Net Zero.

Five Client Carbon Commitments

1. Procure for low carbon construction and provide incentives in contracts.
2. Set phase-out dates for fossil fuel use.
3. Eliminate the most carbon-intensive concrete products.
4. Eliminate the most carbon-intensive steel products.
5. Sign up to PAS 2080, allowing a common standard in carbon management and reporting.

The five pledges also include setting dates to ban diesel on sites, driving the transition to green hydrogen, and electric-powered plant.

The CLC is also asking client organisations to commit to using PAS2080, creating a common carbon management standard across the industry, and to put carbon reduction at the heart of their procurement processes.

These pledges have been piloted by the Lower Thames Crossing, resulting in a 50% reduction in carbon in its procurement process which concluded recently.

Industry Minister and Co-Chair of the Construction Leadership Council Alan Mak said: “From investing in green skills and tech to boosting investment and innovation, there are huge opportunities in decarbonising for the UK construction sector.

“Through the Construct Zero framework, we could see thousands of new green jobs and billions in private sector investment being added to the UK economy.

“It’s fantastic to see these five Client Carbon Commitments signed today, which will go a long way towards achieving these ambitions.”

Mark Reynolds, Group Chairman and Chief Executive of Mace and Co-Chair of the Construction Leadership Council said: “We are now at an inflection point where wholesale changes, brought about through cross-industry collaboration, are the only way to meet the speed and scale that Net Zero 2050 demands.”

In the coming months, more organisations are scheduled to sign-up to the pledge, including East West Rail, the Environment Agency, Houses of Parliament Restoration & Renewal, and National Grid.

Written by Aaron Morby
19 hours ago

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