Construction firms urge minister to adopt whole-life carbon assessments

Whole-life carbon assessments should be made a statutory requirement for the delivery of new build and refurbishment projects in the public sector.

That’s according to an open letter to construction minister Lee Rowley, signed by procurement authority Scape and contractors including Mace, Morgan Sindall and Willmott Dixon.

The letter, also signed by Arcadis, Ashe Group, Fairhurst, Faithful & Gould, G F Tomlinson, Jeakins Weir, John Sisk & Son, Lindum Group, McLaughlin & Harvey, Perfect Circle, Seddon, and Sweco UK, calls for an overhaul to traditional industry approaches to procurement to create an approach to public sector construction that is focused on zero carbon.

The signatories argue that whole-life carbon assessments should be made a statutory requirement for the delivery of new-build and refurbishment projects in the public sector, with decisions based on the lifecycle carbon of the building or infrastructure project, not cost.

The letter added that carbon-led collaboration across the supply chain is pivotal to ensure the next generation of public sector buildings and infrastructure set new standards for achieving a sustainable future.

Mark Robinson, group chief executive at Scape, said: “Tackling carbon intensity across the public estate has become mission critical. As a leading voice for the public sector and in collaboration with our construction and consultancy partners, we have a duty to forge an industry-led response to tackle the environmental challenges we currently face.

“The Construction Playbook represents the first building block to achieving a low-carbon future and we want to work with the minister to help further its aims and ambitions by setting new statutory obligations within UK procurement legislation.

“The government plays a huge role in delivering this change and by working together to share best practices, we firmly believe that we can deliver on the commitment to achieve net zero carbon by 2050.”