Government Engaged in Improving Embodied Carbon Performance

The government is stepping in to assist construction and infrastructure projects that are already reducing their embodied carbon emissions. They have launched a consultation aimed at carbon labelling materials, starting with concrete and steel due to their greater associated emissions. Much like energy labels on white goods, they highlight that this will help simplify the procurement of lower-carbon products, supporting the decarbonisation of the built environment.

The consultation outlines several steps the government believe are required before this becomes a reality. These include setting up an emissions framework, providing digital platforms, and agreeing on methodologies. For now, they plan to continue encouraging Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which are already helping the industry track and reduce carbon.

This technical consultation is open until 15/09/2025, and details can be found here.

While the Government works through this plan, developers can continue reducing their projects’ impact by:

1. Setting performance goals such as those in the Net Zero standards, RIBA 2030, LETI, SBTi, or planning policy
2. Establishing a baseline using typical or repeatable elements for example house types
3. Exploring material, design, and construction changes to reduce impact
4. Reassessing and then embedding requirements in procurement
5. Asking suppliers for performance evidence (EPD) and further improvements