Sustainable construction is evolving due to significant policy and investment decisions, particularly in response to the climate crisis. The UK’s £63 million funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure directly supports green infrastructure in the built environment and highlights the increasing importance of integrating energy-efficient buildings and low carbon design into urban planning. With public sector commitments such as the NHS investing in charging points, sustainable building practices are becoming essential components of infrastructure upgrades rather than optional features.
Globally, renewable electricity generation rose by over 15% in 2023, largely driven by new solar and wind installations in Asia. This shift is reshaping energy sourcing for construction projects, with developers seeking cost-effective, reliable pathways to net zero whole life carbon. The UK’s export finance guarantee for a major offshore wind farm in Taiwan further encourages the use of renewable building materials and underpins opportunities for sustainable building design and eco-design for buildings through robust supply chains. Sustainable construction is now closely linked to lifecycle assessment and whole life carbon assessment, as firms adopt green building materials to support sustainability.
Within the construction industry, digital tools for lifecycle assessment and whole life carbon monitoring are increasingly recognised as best practice for resource efficiency in construction and managing the embodied carbon in materials. Uptake of environmental product declarations (EPDs) and adoption of circular economy principles is growing, with sustainable material specification shaping supply chain strategy. Companies are evaluating both life cycle cost and building lifecycle performance to meet environmental sustainability in construction targets and reduce the carbon footprint of construction activities.
Financial and policy pressures are intensifying. Legal challenges against the UK government’s climate adaptation plans in the European Court of Human Rights demonstrate growing expectations for robust environmental sustainability in construction standards. Such cases signal imminent regulatory shifts, likely to require construction and property professionals to implement more resilient, low carbon construction materials and support carbon footprint reduction through effective life cycle thinking in construction.
Urban infrastructure is increasingly threatened by the realities of climate change. Extreme heatwaves and threats to green infrastructure, such as London’s urban forests, underscore the urgency of eco-friendly construction and climate-adaptive urban spaces. Sustainable architecture is responding by incorporating circular economy in construction, low-impact construction practices, and end-of-life reuse in construction systems for long-term resilience. Low carbon buildings and net zero carbon buildings are at the forefront as the sector rises to sustainability challenges.
The latest sustainability news makes clear that building decarbonisation and circular construction strategies are being prioritised worldwide. Sustainable design and net zero carbon goals are rapidly becoming prerequisites for future projects. Established and emerging stakeholders who adopt whole life carbon and embodied carbon strategies, combined with innovations in resource efficiency and carbon neutral construction, will be best placed to minimise the environmental impact of construction and ensure future-proof value.
