Etex’s inauguration of a £1.7 million plasterboard factory in Bristol marks a significant step towards reducing embodied carbon in construction materials. Local manufacturing strengthens sustainable construction by shortening supply chains, diminishing the carbon footprint of construction deliveries, and supporting circular economy in construction efforts. By aligning production with regional demand, this development aids resource efficiency in construction and increases access to low carbon construction materials and green building materials.
Queen Mary University of London is at the forefront of environmental sustainability in construction through its advanced approach to energy management. Partnering with Schneider Electric, the university transforms waste data centre heat into a resource for campus buildings, enabling more energy-efficient buildings and supporting its net zero carbon buildings targets. The University of Glasgow follows a similar path, investing £1.8 billion in campus upgrades focused on sustainable building design and life cycle cost analysis, with eight consultancy firms commissioned for long-term sustainability planning and whole life carbon assessment.
Hampton Court Palace’s plans for a climate-resilient garden showcase eco-design for buildings by integrating biodiversity and green infrastructure into heritage restoration. The proactive selection of plant species optimised for changing weather conditions supports urban sustainability, enhances building lifecycle performance, and emphasises the contribution of green spaces to achieving low impact construction and end-of-life reuse in construction projects.
The launch of the Cleve Hill Solar Park, now the largest in the UK, demonstrates the integration of renewable energy with large-scale infrastructure. As commercial operations begin at this 373MW facility, the construction sector benefits from the direct application of renewable energy to building operations, boosting the net zero whole life carbon agenda and accelerating the transition towards decarbonising the built environment.
Major European businesses are uniting to advocate for rigorous whole life carbon and sustainability reporting requirements. Changes in policy could affect the environmental product declarations (EPDs), circular construction strategies, and project transparency essential to sustainable material specification and lifecycle assessment. Construction stakeholders must champion sustainable building practices and carbon neutral construction across global projects to ensure strong environmental standards are maintained.
Real progress towards sustainability in construction now extends from materials innovation and sustainable architecture to the adoption of circular economy principles and effective whole life carbon assessment. As the sector moves towards net zero carbon and a reduced carbon footprint of construction, a focus on both embodied carbon in materials and operational resource efficiency will shape the next generation of sustainable building practices worldwide.
