The UK government has allocated £13.2bn to expand the Warm Homes Plan, prioritising energy-efficient buildings and supporting vulnerable communities. The recent Spending Review has reinforced funding for clean technology research, nuclear projects, carbon capture hubs, public transport upgrades, and energy infrastructure. These investments aim to improve environmental sustainability in construction, lower the carbon footprint of construction, and reduce whole life carbon emissions across the built environment.
Major changes to scope 2 greenhouse gas accounting are expected globally, significantly affecting embodied carbon and whole life carbon assessment in the construction and property sectors. Construction firms managing complex supply chains must improve lifecycle assessment and low carbon building reporting to remain compliant. Accurate tracking and reporting of embodied carbon in materials are key for sustainable construction practices and meeting evolving environmental regulations.
In Dorset, a new energy-from-waste facility at Canford has received approval under strict environmental conditions, highlighting the importance of responsible waste management and circular economy in construction. Enhanced oversight ensures facilities comply with sustainable building practices and contribute to life cycle cost benefits through end-of-life reuse in construction. Ongoing efforts to tackle hazardous waste soil crime demonstrate a stronger regulatory focus on minimising the environmental impact of construction and enforcing resource efficiency in construction.
Internationally, growth in circular economy strategies is evident with new investments in rare earth recycling and anaerobic digestion facilities in Italy, offering renewable building materials and sustainable material specification alternatives for global supply chains. Innovation in green building products, such as Impervio’s battery separator technology, continues to support low carbon design and the adoption of clean tech in the built environment, furthering the move toward net zero whole life carbon and decarbonising the built environment.
These updates reflect a coordinated shift toward sustainable building design, eco-design for buildings, and lifecycle thinking in construction, with the industry under greater pressure to advance net zero carbon buildings and carbon neutral construction. Forward-thinking policies and technology adoption are accelerating green infrastructure, resource efficiency, and the circular economy, driving positive outcomes in sustainable urban development and the global transition to net zero carbon.
