In a week themed with a focus on Net Zero in the Finishes and Interiors Sector, new and stricter guidelines have been revealed to focus attention on Carbon Reduction in Central Government contracts.

From 30 September 2021, contractors bidding for Central Government contracts worth more than £5 million a year will be required to provide a Carbon Reduction Plan, which confirms their commitment to achieving net zero by 2050 and sets out the environmental management measures they will have in place during the performance of the contract. Carbon Reduction Plans must be updated at least once a year and meet the standard set out in Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 06/21, which includes a template that contractors can use.

FIS Members can recieve support in developing a carbon reduction plan via the FIS Sustainability Hub.

Members are being encouraged to share positive examples of carbon reduction on social media via #FISNetZeroChallenge

Each week in September FIS is theming around an element of transformation in construction via our Annual Conference: Embracing Change in the Finishes and Interiors Sector

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has today announced a new Dragon’s Den competition targeted at young industry professionals, accelerating the drive to net zero.

The competition aims to:
• bring forward practical ideas which are almost ready for implementation on sites/in factories, and suitable for wider industry adoption;
• capitalise on the collective political, industry and societal demand to reduce our emissions levels; and to,
• harness the power and voice of young professionals already working in the sector, providing support to accelerate their practical ideas to implementation.

Shortlisted applicants will present their ideas to the Construct Zero Dragon’s Den for debate and discussion, with the winner receiving a range of prizes including a £1,000 cash award. This is an exciting opportunity for young industry professionals to pitch existing ideas to the heart of Government. Further details including how to apply can be found here.

The CLC’s sector leadership role and its Construct Zero programme is today recognised by the United Nations Climate Champions Team’s announcement of the CLC becoming a Race to Zero Accelerator. This marks a key step in our journey, providing a platform to build on existing UK and global engagement across Government and with industry partners.

Through the Construct Zero industry-change programme, the Construction Leadership Council has accepted the challenge of decarbonising the industry, bringing the sector together to deliver tangible actions and sustainable change across the construction supply chain. It’s change programme will: i) measure the sector’s performance; ii) share knowledge and best practice between businesses and; iii) engage firms and communicate the sector’s role in reducing carbon emissions.

Sector’s Performance
CLC has committed to holding the sector to account on progress through quarterly updates on its Performance Framework, with the first update due for publication in late October, prior to COP.

Knowledge and Best Practice
Construct Zero has led in bringing together businesses across the whole construction supply chain, through its Business Champion programme, ranging from SMEs e.g. Adair and Peak Construction, operating locally, to large scale companies, delivering major international infrastructure projects, e.g. Saint-Gobain, Costain and Multiplex.

We are also seeking to share knowledge globally- our joint event with Mace at New York Climate Week, will bring together major clients, contractors and consultants from across the US and UK to showcase the best of Anglo-American collaboration; exploring success stories where joint UK/US expertise is helping to address the huge climate impacts of the built environment across the globe; and form the first step on the road towards better trade links and net zero knowledge sharing to reach a brighter future.

Communications and wider engagement
Construction is one key element of a wider, complex business eco-system. That’s why we are working with key partners, including EDF Energy and CBI, to reach beyond our sector, ensuring our aims, message and approach reach a much wider audience. Construct Zero is committed to this challenge, and will be presenting at key events in the run-up to COP, as well as providing specific practical advice for construction SMEs on reducing emissions, which will be published shortly on the Business Climate Hub.

The call to do more and take steps to reduce our emissions is an immediate one, to ensure we leave a sustainable impact that will live long beyond our immediate future generations. Construct Zero is engaging directly with young industry professionals, drawn from our Business Champion programme, who are already playing a key role in meeting this challenge this head-on. We are delighted they are hosting an event on 23 September to discuss and debate the key issues as part of the Italian Government’s series of virtual summits in the run-up to the Youth COP Summit in Milan.

Finally, and most crucially we are working closely with the COP Unit to finalise our presence at the COP Green Zone.

For COP to truly leave its legacy, it’s imperative we continue to drive forward both the high-level actions and commitments that emerge from COP, together with the enthusiasm and drive companies have and are continuing to generate.

Only by working together in step and at pace, will we truly be able to rise to the challenge and build back better, faster and greener.

Construction Minister Anne Marie Trevelyan said:

“Engaging talented young professionals in the construction industry is key to the future of the sector by developing the highly skilled workforce that will accelerate its drive to net zero.
“This competition, and recognition from the UN as a Race to Zero Accelerator, shows the Construction Leadership Council is continuing to take its role seriously in offering the sector the direction and leadership it needs to build back better and greener.”

Net Zero Business Champion Andrew Griffith MP said:

“This competition is a fantastic opportunity for young professionals to make a mark on the construction industry by offering them the chance to have their innovative ideas to make the sector more sustainable
“Today’s competition launch shows the Construction Leadership Council is continuing to champion a cleaner, more sustainable sector – so it is right that they have been recognised by the UN as a Race to Zero Accelerator.”

 

Join the conversation #FISNetZeroChallenge

As part of a wider commitment to Net Zero, FIS has announced that it will become a Partner to the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) CO₂nstructZero initiative.

CO₂nstructZero builds upon the way that the industry united last year as a single force to tackle Covid-19, ensuring a consistent approach is taken by the whole sector while avoiding duplication of work.  The initiative focusses on three key areas Transport, Building Performance and Construction Activity and sets down 9 priorities for change focused on measurement, specification, procurement construction and waste management and cultural change.

A company who is supportive of CO₂nstructZero and has committed to the following:

• Signposting and support
  • Provide support/guidance to one or more of the 9 priorities which can be signposted from the CLC’s Construct Zero website
  • Report back to the CZ programme board on areas of missing advice and guidance which could be developed to support your members/network
• Communications and engagement o Use the range of your comms channels to cascade out CZ news and industry progress
  • Host events for your members/network that focus on one or more of the 9 priorities, which support and are in collaboration with the CZ change programme
• Performance metrics o Assist with the collection of data from the industry that will form part of the performance framework and quarterly reporting
  • Support members in selecting the appropriate metrics and commitments to sign up to
  • Monitoring organisations within your network who have signed up to ‘Race to Zero’, to encourage their continued commitment to reducing their emissions targets
• Business Champions
  • Support members to become business champions working with them to develop their initial case study.
  • Finding an appropriate emerging leader to partner across your network with, if not able to find one internally
  • Feature your business champion and emerging leaders in your comms, forums and events to help share their learning across your network to their peers

Commenting on the partnership Iain McIlwee, FIS CEO stated:

“Like so much of the CLC work in the past 12 months, CO₂nstructZero provides a framework that we can collaborate around, the three key focal points and 9 priorities make sense and it is up to us now as sectors to prioritise and structure our work so that we can feed into the bigger industry effort.  I am grateful for the work done by colleagues so far and we are looking forward to getting stuck in, with our own leadership group, and helping to deliver change”.

Speaking on behalf of CO₂nstructZero and co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council, Andy Mitchell said:

“We have an open call for partners and are keen to see dynamic and progressive organisations like FIS to help co-ordinate efforts in their own community so that as a wider construction sector our efforts are joined up, and amplifying the broader work of the sector in this space. Collaboration is key to change and it is fantastic to have the support of FIS in this work”

More on the CO₂nstructZero framework here 

You can visit the FIS Sustainability Hub here