FEATURE SUSTAINABILITY HEADER
BUILDING TOWARDS A NET ZERO FUTURE
The construction supply chain will be vital if Britain is to achieve its goal of being carbon neutral by 2050 , yet huge challenges lie ahead . So how are these being met ?
WRITTEN BY : SEAN ASHCROFT
For businesses large and small , the COP26 climate summit will have brought into sharp focus just how important it is that they stay on track with net zero deadlines . The British government was one of the first to enshrine in law its commitment to be net zero as a nation by 2050 . The clock is ticking ever louder .
Construction giant Balfour Beatty says the UK ’ s building and infrastructure sector supply chain will have a vital role in helping the country meet its net zero commitments . It says the supply chain is responsible for 80 % of the sector ’ s emissions .
So how , exactly , will construction - with supplies chains that have hundreds of moving parts - help the country meet its sustainability targets ?
Balfour Beatty is at the forefront of efforts to make sure construction supply chains are as green as can be . Recently it published a paper , called ‘ Greening the Chain ’. For this , the company surveyed around 40,000 UK construction and infrastructure industry suppliers , in a bid to understand the barriers , issues and opportunities around sustainability faced by the sector . It was a joint effort with the Supply Chain Sustainability School ( SCSS ).
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