Sustainable Construction: Building for Climate Impact

By

Ed Neuman

and Kacie Goff

Reviewed by 

Nicholas Dunbar

and Zoe Mullan

Last Updated Dec 30, 2025

By

Ed Neuman

and Kacie Goff

Reviewed By

Nicholas Dunbar

and Zoe Mullan

Extreme weather and natural disasters worldwide have intensified the search for climate-change solutions, with focus increasingly turning to the construction industry. The sector accounts for 37% of global emissions according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). In the UK, the built environment contributes roughly 25% of territorial CO₂ emissions. With such a significant share – and a legally binding 2050 net-zero target – enhancing sustainability in construction is critical to meeting Carbon Budget 6 (2033–2037) and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.

However, sustainability in construction extends far beyond emissions management. It encompasses responsible resource use and a nuanced understanding of environmental impacts that range from global warming to local issues such as water stress, acid rain and habitat loss. A broader view is advocated – one that addresses all environmental aspects, not just carbon.

Ultimately, this approach creates a major opportunity to protect both the environment and project owners' bottom lines. UK clients increasingly judge schemes on a triple bottom line: planet, people and profit.

Two Dimensions of Construction Sustainability

Construction sustainability means the responsible use of resources paired with mindfulness of the effect of that use on the environment.

There are many facets to consider here. In fact, sustainability covers such a broad range of considerations that experts tend to break it into separate components – decarbonisation, social value, circularity and more. When focusing on decarbonisation in the construction industry, they usually examine two separate ways that buildings impact the environment:

1. Embodied Carbon

   These are carbon emissions associated with the construction of the building. It covers everything from the extraction and transport of raw materials to equipment emissions during building, material waste and the project's end-of-life. UK guidance now requires whole-life-carbon assessment on major projects.

2. Operational Carbon

   This is the carbon impact when a building reaches completion and occupation. Heating, cooling, lighting, lifts, water services, and plug loads all contribute to operational carbon emissions.

Yet carbon – measured as kilograms of CO₂ equivalent (kg CO₂e) – represents just one impact of erecting a building. Construction sustainability also seeks to offset other adverse impacts, such as:

• Acidification
• Adverse human and wildlife impact
• Damage to local water sources
• Contribution to landfill sites
• Destruction of natural habitats
• Eutrophication
• Natural-resource depletion
• Photochemical ozone formation

When stakeholders want to move towards construction sustainability, they can generally make the biggest impact by focusing on the areas most relevant to them geographically. For instance, projects in Cornwall may prioritise water stewardship, while Scottish sites tackle habitat restoration.

Understanding Embodied Carbon Scopes

Understanding embodied carbon represents the first step to limiting it. The industry divides emissions into three scopes:

• Scope 1 – direct company emissions, such as diesel burned by on site plant
• Scope 2 – indirect emissions from purchased energy, e.g. electricity powering tower cranes
• Scope 3 – all other indirect emissions, including the carbon impact of materials purchased from suppliers and logistics

Companies looking for a place to start should focus on Scope 1, then progress to Scope 2 and Scope 3 as their programmes mature. DEFRA 2024 transport factors can help quantify logistics emissions within Scope 3.

Standards for Construction Sustainability

Multiple UK and international standards guide sustainable building practice, including:

• Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM)
• UKGBC Net Zero Carbon Framework
• LETI embodied-carbon targets
• PAS 2080 (aligns with BS EN 15978)
• Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
• Passivhaus
• The Living Building Challenge
• WELL

Meanwhile, proposed regulations such as Part Z (whole-life-carbon reporting for projects over 1,000 m²) and the 2023 Construction Playbook urge early carbon assessment. Government frameworks like PPN 06/21 require carbon reporting in public-sector tenders.

Additionally, circular construction models emphasise resource reuse and recycling. The circular construction model aims to keep resources useful for as long as possible, with an emphasis on reusing and recycling materials.

Circularity encourages creative resource use. In London, excess heat from the Underground warms nearby developments, while cold water from the River Clyde helps cool Glasgow data centres before it flows through pipes to homes.

All these standards share the same goal: to improve construction sustainability and move away from processes that generate excess emissions, waste and other negative environmental impacts.

Overcoming Sustainability Barriers

One of the biggest hurdles stems from the lack of tracking mechanisms.

With different entities handling various parts of a project – often each with their own materials and equipment – understanding overall environmental impact becomes difficult. Add tight timelines and limited resources, and monitoring metrics can feel onerous.

Moreover, what is sustainable on one project may not be the best choice for another. Take prefabricated construction. Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) Category 1 volumetric modules can lower carbon at the outset, but if pods travel 400 km from factory to site, transport emissions may erode savings.

Industry Progress Towards Sustainability

People often think building more sustainably costs more; approached carefully, the opposite is true. High production costs tend to go hand in hand with negative environmental impacts.

Change accelerates as companies recognise how protecting the environment helps safeguard profitability. Many projects now repurpose existing buildings rather than demolishing them. Owners increasingly demand compliance with green standards because buildings that use less heat, water and energy cost less to run. Some European contracts now build embodied-carbon reporting into their terms.

Furthermore, green credentials help firms attract and retain talent in a tight UK labour market and support levelling-up by boosting local supply chains and skills.

Ultimately, for sustainability in the construction industry to advance, project owners and contractors need to embed it so that it becomes the default – just like safety. Processes and safeguards must weave sustainability into every project step.

Benefits of Sustainable UK Construction

• Lower life cycle costs
• Compliance with tightening regulations
• Improved occupant health (BB101, CIBSE TM40)
• Enhanced corporate reputation and ESG scores
• Access to green-finance incentives

Quick Win: Reducing Concrete Waste

Two materials are most carbon-intensive to extract, transport and install: structural steel and concrete.

Because structural steel costs significantly more, most companies do an excellent job of minimising waste. Concrete, on the other hand, remains relatively cheap, so over-ordering is common practice.

Consider this scenario: the minimum viable product of a building needs 100 t of concrete. To build in a safety coefficient, the structural engineer calls for 120 t. When the main contractor interprets the designs, they order 130 t to cover any shortfall. The concrete subcontractor might send 140 t so they avoid liability for a shortage, and the supplier could deliver 150 t of aggregate just to be safe. Ultimately, 50% of the concrete in this example is wasted.

Companies looking for an easy sustainability win can start here. Teams should treat wasted concrete as a mistake – just as they would if workers poured it incorrectly and had to jackhammer it out. Site drawings and material invoices show what the project calls for, what was ordered and what actually arrived. From there, teams can pinpoint overages and limit them.

While many firms will struggle to reach a zero-loss yield, every tonne saved reduces embodied carbon. Calculating a shadow cost – typically referencing the HM Treasury Green Book guidance (often £250+ per tonne for appraisal) – helps project managers make decisions that benefit both finances and the environment.

Designing for the UK Circular Economy

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), mandatory for major developments since February 2024, already encourages design teams to think beyond handover. Draft Part Z and LETI targets point the same way. Material passports, salvage audits and reversible connections allow assets to become low-carbon material banks rather than future demolition waste.

FAQs

What are the seven principles of sustainable construction?

1. Use low-carbon materials
2. Design for adaptability
3. Maximise resource efficiency
4. Minimise operational energy
5. Protect and enhance biodiversity
6. Safeguard occupant health
7. Measure, report and improve performance

What are the five Cs of circular construction?

1. Conserve resources
2. Cut waste
3. Capture value through reuse
4. Collaborate across the supply chain
5. Carbonise-less by designing for disassembly

For more details, take a look at our guide to Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).

Next Steps

Start by baselining Scope 1 emissions and using PAS 2080 templates. Then build targets into RIBA stages 2, 4 and 6. 

Ready to streamline sustainable delivery? Book a Procore demo.

Written by

Ed Neuman

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Kacie Goff

Contributing Writer | Procore Technologies

91 articles

Kacie Goff is a construction writer who grew up in a construction family — her dad owned a concrete company. Over the last decade, she’s blended that experience with her writing expertise to create content for the Construction Progress Coalition, Newsweek, CNET, and others. She founded and runs her own agency, Jot Content, from her home in Ventura, California.

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Reviewed by

Nicholas Dunbar

Content Manager | Procore

62 articles

Nick Dunbar oversees the creation and management of UK and Ireland educational content at Procore. Previously, he worked as a sustainability writer at the Building Research Establishment and served as a sustainability consultant within the built environment sector. Nick holds degrees in industrial sustainability and environmental sciences and lives in Camden, London.

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Zoe Mullan

27 articles

Zoe Mullan is an experienced content writer and editor with a background in marketing and communications in the e-learning sector. Zoe holds an MA in English Literature and History from the University of Glasgow and a PGDip in Journalism from the University of Strathclyde and lives in Northern Ireland.

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