by Clair Mooney | Jun 23, 2023 | Sustainability
Members of the FIS sustainability group have come together to respond to the Government consultation on addressing carbon leakage risk to support decarbonisation – see: Addressing carbon leakage risk to support decarbonisation
As part of its plan to measure and reduce carbon emissions, the Government is considering a range of potential policy measures which include a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), mandatory product standards (MPS) amongst other policy measures to help grow the market for low carbon products. They are also considering emissions reporting.
The main points raised by the FIS group is that the construction industry has been measuring embodied carbon emissions from products for decades. EPD are well established and recognised as a mean to measure the environmental impact of construction products. In addition, the industry has recognised for a long time that measuring the environmental impact of products should not be done on a per tonne basis, first because it is not an appropriate measure for all construction products, but also because construction products are part of a larger system to fulfil a performance, eg: strength, acoustic or thermal. Comparison of the impact of products should be done in the context of their use, at building or product system, and could be done against a functional unit.
The other aspect that has been covered in the consultation is that the system the Government puts in place should be in line with the EU approach since most products imported come from the EU and the EU is a major market for the export of construction products.
To find out more details of the FIS response to the consultation, contact Flavie Lowres at flavielowres@thefis.org
by Clair Mooney | Jun 9, 2023 | Sustainability
The next in the series of newsletters from the Link Consortium is available here.
FIS taking a lead on driving product re-use and standardising deconstruction processes. The Link project is a key part of this work, looking at streamlining the strip-out process and using Artificial Intelligence to identify and prepare products for potential re-use and re-sale. This is a fundamental part of seamlessly aligning construction, building management and deconstruction/demolition to support better asset management and reduce the waste and carbon associated with our vital work.
The Link Consortium brings together experts in building materials reuse (including FIS) looking at how the sector can adopt latest artificial intelligence and object recognition technology to provide rapid listing software to help increase reuse of used construction materials and significantly reduce carbon emissions.
by Clair Mooney | Jun 9, 2023 | Main News Feed, Sustainability
Minister for Industry and Economic Security Nusrat Ghani MP joins industry leaders today to launch a plan to eliminate the use of diesel from most UK construction sites.
Over the last year, representatives from across the industry have collaborated on the development of Zero Diesel Sites Route Map, a key element of the Construction Leadership Council’s CO2nstruct Zero programme to decarbonise the industry.
The launch took place on HS2’s Old Oak Common Station construction site, which is progressing towards cleaner construction as part of HS2’s target for all its sites to be diesel-free by 2029.
Following consultation on a draft plan late last year, today’s Route Map confirms the industry will:
• Put in place support to roll out hydrogen, electricity and other cleaner power sources;
• Promote early wins by boosting efficiency and cutting diesel use by existing plant, and asking companies to reduce the use of diesel generators;
• Helping businesses to develop their own company’s diesel reduction plans;
• Engaging with clients to secure commitments that ban diesel use and
• Tracking data on industry diesel consumption to confirm progress over time.
There are currently an estimated 300,000 items of Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM) used by the UK construction sector. Typically, such plant is powered by diesel consuming 2.5 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe), generating significant carbon emissions.
The Zero Diesel Sites Route Map sets out practical measures to reduce this volume by 78 per cent by 2035, in line with the UK’s Sixth Carbon Budget published in 2021.
Minister for Industry and Economic Security Nusrat Ghani said:
“Cutting carbon emissions in construction is vital to achieving our net zero ambitions by 2050. That’s why I’m pleased to see the leadership the sector is showing by publishing this new Route Map, helping us move forward towards a cleaner, greener industrial future.”
Neil Wait, Head of Environmental Delivery at HS2 Ltd and Chair of the Zero Diesel Route Map Working Group, said:
“The carbon challenge we face is significant and can only be overcome if we show real determination in a push for change. HS2 Ltd has played a key role in the development of the Route Map and is already making great progress with 19 diesel-free construction sites on the project. Today’s launch is a tangible demonstration of the industry’s shared commitment to radically cut our reliance on diesel. I would encourage companies to get involved and support the move towards cleaner, greener construction.”
Matt Palmer, CO2nstruct Zero Programme Sponsor and Executive Director, Lower Thames Crossing said:
“One of the strengths of the Construction Leadership Council is its ability to bring the industry together to identify and commit to actions that will change our sector for the better. The Zero Diesel Route Map is a perfect example of this, setting a clear mission that everyone can sign up to support.
by Clair Mooney | May 25, 2023 | Sustainability
The Carbon Reduction Code for the Built Environment has been updated to Issue 3.0 May 2023. The Code provides a mechanism that enables individual organisations to publicise their annual decarbonisation progress, and thereby collaborate and share best practice on their journey to Net Zero with the intention of accelerating progress across the industry.
Part of the Construction Leadership Council’s Construct Zero initiative, the Code brings together and aligns the plethora of sector wide initiatives. It is referenced in key documents such as the UK Construction Playbook, September 2022, the UKGBC Roadmap, and the UK Government Guidance Note Promoting Net Zero Carbon and Sustainability in Construction, September 2022. The new version of the Code and the sign-up process are available on the CSIC website.
Who is the Code for, and what makes it different?
The Code is designed for clients, contractors and supply chain members working in the built environment. In order to enable wide participation, organisations may join at a global, national or regional level as well as at a major project level.
The Code is also not prescriptive, but instead asks organisations to report their progress year on year, to keep their accreditation, setting it apart from standards. It is also designed to be collaborative, with the ability to influence the onward supply chain.
What do organisations need to do to comply with the Code?
The Code offers three levels of commitment:
- Core commitments for all organisations;
- Core commitments for client organisations and further commitments to facilitate the transition to Net Zero;
- Core commitments for supply chain organisations and further commitments to facilitate the transition to Net Zero.
All organisations must be in accordance with the minimum entry level of compliance to attain Pledger status. This means agreeing to the core commitments of setting out plans to meet net zero by 2045, including annual targets, and publishing these and the progress made against them every year. Pledger levels also requires setting an interim target to reduce net direct and indirect carbon emissions for 2030, which aligns with or exceeds government strategy. Signatory level requires signing up to additional core commitments relevant to the organisation – be it client or supply chain, and Champion level sees commitments to more ambitious collaborative progress.
What has changed since the last issue?
A complete list of changes from the last issue of the Code are listed in the Code FAQs. A key addition is that of a third core commitment – Commitment 1.3 – which requires organisations to provide clarity on which carbon-offsetting schemes they are using if any. Current Code compliant organisations should also consult the Code FAQs, which explain the version of the Code with which organisations would need to comply at renewal.
How do organisations sign up to the Code?
The Code signup form is available on the on the CSIC website. The form is accompanied by a downloadable Excel spreadsheet listing all the information required to make the sign-up process easy to complete. There is no cost to signing up to the Code.
Dr Jennifer Schooling OBE, Director of CSIC, states:
“The Code recognises that we must start making meaningful change, and we have to start making it today. Not tomorrow, not next week and certainly not next year. I urge you to visit the CSIC website to read this new issue of the Code to understand what is required and sign up. By working together towards a greater good we all make progress. Collaboration and commitment will be key to success, and with alignment of ambition across all parties we can progress towards net-zero carbon at the pace required. The Code provides an encouraging, supportive and collaborative approach to reducing carbon. It is essential that our industry reduces carbon emissions and the more organisations that sign up to the Code, the more we will achieve.”
by Clair Mooney | Apr 20, 2023 | Main News Feed, Sustainability
In March 2023, RICS consultated on the revision of the RICS professional statement on whole life carbon. The deadline for the submission of comments was 18 April and FIS provided some feedback on the document on behalf of its members. The feedback was mainly focused around the need to provide further clarifications on technical aspects of the document, but also included a slight revision to the definition of fit-out projects. The feedback also included the request to amend the study period for a fit-out project and to clearly define the scope of the project as fit out projects – in line with the document that FIS published for its members in 2022 – here: https://www.thefis.org/knowledge-hub/sustainablility/sustainability-related-to-your-activities/net-zero/
The aim of the document is to provide a methodology to calculate the whole life carbon impact of buildings, projects and infrastructure. It is part of a wide range of industry initiatives around the need to measure the carbon emissions associated with not just the operation of buildings, but also the impact of their construction – related to the manufacturing, transport, installation and end of life of products.
The revised document includes more specific information related to a fit-out project, which makes it more relevant to FIS members.
by Clair Mooney | Jan 25, 2023 | Sustainability
The FIS Sustainability Leadership Group is pleased to announce the launch of a learning pathway which was developed in collaboration with the Supply Chain Sustainability School.
The ‘FIS Sustainability Awareness: Doing Business Better’ learning pathway is aimed at all those curious about sustainability or looking to improve their knowledge of the subject. The aim of this pathway is to demystify sustainability by clarifying some of the language associated with the topic, such as sustainability strategy, waste management, net zero, circular economy, wellbeing, modern slavery, fairness, inclusion and respect and social value. Two optional resources are also included, covering science-based targets and embodied carbon.
FIS Sustainability Champion Flavie Lowres said:
“I am really excited about this course; as it takes only 20 minutes to complete and I hope it will allow all members of an organisation to upskill on some of the important sustainability topics”.
Special thanks to the Supply Chain Sustainability School, BW, Bryson, Lumybel, ISG and Zentia for their help in developing the course. Access the pathway here
