Sustainable construction is accelerating across global markets as governments, developers and manufacturers align on reducing the carbon footprint of construction through measurable frameworks such as whole life carbon assessment and lifecycle assessment. Milan’s new Olympic Village exemplifies this shift, combining low carbon design principles with renewable building materials and a circular economy strategy for post-Games adaptation. The project demonstrates how sustainable building design can deliver substantial embodied carbon savings—studies estimate a 40% reduction compared with conventional developments—while creating flexible spaces that extend asset lifespan and improve building lifecycle performance.

Efforts to achieve net zero whole life carbon are influencing every phase of project delivery, encouraging the adoption of sustainable building practices that balance cost, performance and resilience. The UK construction sector is prioritising environmental sustainability in construction by investing in digital technologies that enhance resource efficiency in construction and optimise sustainable material specification. Manufacturers are adapting product processes to embed low embodied carbon materials and provide transparent environmental product declarations (EPDs). This upstream innovation supports a more accountable supply chain that accelerates carbon footprint reduction and nurtures a culture of eco-friendly construction.

In North America, corporate commitments to decarbonising the built environment remain resilient, with many major firms maintaining or strengthening net zero carbon targets despite market instability. Their strategies increasingly draw upon lifecycle assessment to examine both embodied carbon in materials and operational impacts, signalling a deeper understanding of whole life carbon across portfolios. As BREEAM and the forthcoming BREEAM v7 standard gain further traction, these certification frameworks offer consistent guidance on achieving energy-efficient buildings and low-impact construction outcomes aligned with global climate objectives.

On the logistics front, incremental shifts are already changing how projects manage transport-based emissions. The recent decision by AkzoNobel to fuel its logistics fleet with hydrotreated vegetable oil highlights a practical move towards carbon neutral construction and the wider adoption of circular construction strategies. By reducing embedded emissions and supporting renewable supply chains, such initiatives support life cycle thinking in construction, crucial for achieving low carbon building outcomes and strengthening environmental sustainability credentials.

Economic challenges persist, with the Building Cost Information Service projecting significant increases in construction and tender prices. These pressures reinforce the importance of life cycle cost analysis to ensure that initial expenditure on green building materials or eco-design for buildings delivers measurable long-term value. Policymakers and developers face an urgent choice between short-term savings and long-term resilience. The pathway to net zero carbon buildings depends on embedding sustainable design at every decision point, fostering a genuinely circular economy in construction that rewards innovation and safeguards environmental sustainability in the built environment.