ENGIE and CDPQ have announced an investment of up to £1 billion to refurbish the Dinorwig and Ffestiniog hydro storage plants in the UK, supporting whole life carbon reduction and strengthening energy resilience. These refurbished sites will extend operational life and enable a more sustainable energy infrastructure by balancing renewable inputs and supporting the decarbonising of the built environment. Such investments align with the need to consider whole life carbon assessment and life cycle cost within sustainable construction and green infrastructure, contributing to a net zero whole life carbon future.
The UK Green Building Council has launched an industry consultation to define 'nature positive' for the built environment. Defining clear standards for environmental sustainability in construction helps ensure genuine sustainable building design and avoids greenwashing. Stakeholders are encouraged to provide input, as these definitions will influence sustainable building practices, eco-design for buildings, and circular economy in construction worldwide.
Environmental concerns around construction and waste management are growing, highlighted by reports of toxic landfill spills affecting UK coastlines. Climate change and rising sea levels have increased the risk of hazardous waste escaping legacy sites, reflecting the need for improved resource efficiency in construction, end-of-life reuse in construction, and robust lifecycle assessment of building materials to mitigate operational carbon and the overall carbon footprint of construction.
The Environment Agency has opened a public consultation on a new energy-from-waste facility in County Durham. While such facilities support the circular economy and help reduce landfill use, the sustainable design and management of these plants is critical. Community input and strict environmental product declarations (EPDs) are important to ensure low carbon construction materials, emissions control, and responsible waste to energy conversion, supporting low-impact construction projects.
Internationally, scrutiny continues on banks financing deforestation-linked projects, urging tighter regulations on sustainable material specification and enhanced traceability in the supply chain of construction materials. This pressure reflects a broader shift towards circular construction strategies, carbon neutral construction, and the adoption of net zero carbon buildings as standard practice in sustainable urban development.
Scientific advances, including a new global river map by Oxford researchers, are set to support sustainable architecture and green construction. Improved data on flood risks will inform whole life thinking in construction, enabling more accurate planning for building lifecycle performance and resilience. Such tools help future-proof energy-efficient buildings in flood-prone zones while supporting the achievement of net zero carbon and long-term sustainability goals.
