Elliott Wood contributes to Environmental Audit Committee report – Latest

The Environmental Audit Committee today released a landmark report. Elliott Wood is one of the 156 written contributors to the report, which is the result of a year-long inquiry into the sustainability of the built environment by the cross-party parliamentary select committee. Our submission, which included input from Penny Gowler, Thomas Hesslenberg and Gary Elliott, can be read here: https://committees.parliament....

The report, Building to Net Zero: Costing carbon in construction, explains the urgent need for the Government to bring in guidance and legislation on the calculation and reporting of embodied carbon in the industry. Read it here: https://committees.parliament....

It asserts that if the UK is to achieve a 68% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030, a mandatory requirement to undertake whole-life carbon assessments for buildings would be a significant and impactful policy the Government could introduce. With no reduction in embodied carbon emissions in the construction industry currently, it is clear that if the UK does not enact new legislation by the end of 2023, we will not achieve net zero or meet the carbon budget by 2030.

We are proud to join the many voices across our industry who support the report and the introduction of legislation, including:

The Institution of Structural Engineers
UK Green Building Council (UKGBC)
ACAN
Part Z
Igloo Regeneration
Timber Accelerator Hub
Alliance for Sustainable Building Products

As stated by our Head of Sustainability, Penny Gowler: "Requiring whole-life carbon assessments for buildings is a simple but highly important first step towards decarbonising our industry. The time to act has already passed and we need the Government to move quickly and decisively to introduce regulations on the reporting of embodied carbon if we are to have any chance of achieving net zero in construction by 2030."

We wish Jerome Mayhew MP the best of luck in getting the Carbon Bill through parliament, following the excellent work undertaken by Duncan Baker. Together, we can Engineer a Better Society.