Construction pioneers have agreed to clear targets for the industry to unite behind in its mission to drive carbon out of the sector. The Construction Leadership Council publishes its Construct Zero Performance Framework. For the first time, the framework sets out headline commitments for carbon reduction at a sector level, along with a series of measures and metrics to show how progress is being made.
The development of the framework draws on the extensive and detailed work undertaken across the sector by specialist groups and representative bodies to understand their emissions and develop their own plans. The framework seeks to draw these detailed plans together to provide Government and Industry with a comprehensive view at a sector level on progress.
Number of domestic retrofits
Measures include tracking the number of domestic retrofits achieved, changes in the amount of non-diesel plants in use, and reductions in the amount of energy used to produce key products.
The commitments map to the nine priorities for carbon reduction outlined by the CLC in March 2021
The Performance Framework has been developed in consultation with the industry, with more than 2,500 comments received from the industry to shape the framework.
The commitments map to the nine priorities for carbon reduction outlined by the CLC in March 2021 and are the start of a conversation that will be refined and iterated over time to align with industry and workforce changes.
headline commitments
The headline commitments are:
- 78% of diesel plants to be eliminated from construction sites by 2035
- Close the productivity gap between construction and economy average output per worker by 2035
- From 2025, planning applications from the sector must connect to public/active transport and include EV charging where parking is provided
- Working with Government to deliver retrofitting to 27 million homes by 2040
- From 2025, all new buildings will be designed with low-carbon heating solutions
- From 2025, they will deliver new homes and buildings that will minimize energy demand and reduce emissions in operation by 75% (dwellings) and at least 27% (commercial buildings) compared to current standards
- Every person buying from the sector (business or member of the public) will be provided with carbon data by 2030 to make informed lower carbon choices
- From 2022, they will give all the clients the chance to become net zero by offering alternative Net Zero design options to clients, even if not scoped
- By 2035 they will have reduced construction product emissions by 66% from 2018
- They will target 1,500 of the sector’s businesses and clients to sign up for a measurable carbon reduction plan (including Race to Zero, Science-based Targets or Climate Hub) by 2025
CLC in three ways
Beneath each of these headline commitments are a series of metrics termed ‘measures of success’, these will be used by the CLC in three ways:
- To report the sector’s progress on Net Zero to the Government, including providing evidence of where Government intervention could accelerate or is essential to enable the sector’s Net Zero commitments
- To keep the industry informed on progress and areas where further effort is required
- By the CZ Program Board as they seek the deliver the industry-wide change program to deliver Net Zero
Level of consultation feedback
Construction Minister, Anne-Marie Trevelyan welcomed the publication of the framework. She said: “The Performance Framework provides Government and Industry with a sector-level dashboard on progress towards net zero, aimed at enabling businesses to action progress and encouraging those outside the sector to take the key steps on the broader journey to net zero. It’s important that the sector holds itself to account for the commitments it has made; the Performance Framework will enable the industry to do this, reporting progress on a quarterly basis, building on existing publicly available data.”
Construction Leadership Council Co-Chair, Andy Mitchell said: “We are seeing huge demand from across the sector to push forward towards Net Zero, and this has been reflected in the level of consultation feedback we received when we tested these metrics with the industry. We can have confidence that these measures will help guide us towards a lower carbon future, and I look forward to seeing progress.”