The first organisations to sign-up to the Carbon Reduction Code for the Built Environment, which is hosted by the Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction, at the University of Cambridge, have been announced.
The Code is a commitment scheme designed to facilitate action and collaboration in the built environment towards reducing carbon emissions (CO2eq) related to design, construction, maintenance, operation and decommissioning of built assets.
Interclass have been announced as one of six early adopters alongside Skanska UK, HS2, the National Association of Construction Frameworks (NACF), City Building Engineering Services (CBES) and SCF Construct.
The Code was drafted by the CSIC Achieving Net Zero Cross-Industry Working Group in 2020 and first issued in 2021 and forms part of the Construction Leadership Council’s Construct Zero initiative. The sign-up process to the Code was launched in November 2021 to coincide with COP26 and is included as one of the policy recommendations in the Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap: Pathway to Net Zero for the UK Built Environment which was launched by the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) at the main COP26 venue on 11 November.
Andy Mitchell CBE, Chief Executive Officer of Tideway and Co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council, said: “Construct Zero welcomes today’s announcement of the first organisations to sign up to the Carbon Reduction Code for the Built Environment. By setting out actions in their different approaches to reducing carbon reduction, this is a further example of how companies across the construction sector are leading the charge to Net Zero. The Construct Zero Team will be working closely with CSIC as this Code develops.”
The Code is structured around commitments that stimulate action in different aspects of carbon reduction. All organisations who comply to the Code must set out and publish plans to meet Net Zero by 2045, including annual targets, recognising that the majority of cuts need to be made by 2030, and publish progress against it annually. This is the minimum commitment for achieving PLEDGER status. There are other commitments, some targeted at clients to encourage innovation around carbon and sharing project carbon data, and others targeted towards the supply chain to support zero carbon initiatives where they exist or, if not, to propose carbon-efficient solutions as part of a project. SIGNATORY status is awarded to organisations that demonstrate action against all the core commitments, whilst organisations meeting all the core and all further commitments of the Code achieve CHAMPION status.
“The Code’s supportive and collaborative approach, reporting mechanism and focus on the built environment provides a point of difference from existing initiatives, but it is designed to work alongside them,” said Dr Jennifer Schooling OBE, CSIC Director. “The Code recognises that we must start making meaningful change, and we have to start making it today. Not tomorrow, not next week and certainly not next year.”
“We are delighted to welcome these six early adopters of the Carbon Reduction Code for the Built Environment who have all complied with the process and forged the way for other organisations to follow,” said Dee Dee Frawley, CSIC Programme Manager. “There are a number of organisations already in the pipeline who will sign-up to the Code in the coming months, but we are particularly grateful to these six early adopters who have worked closely with us to test, trial and prove the compliance process for the Code. This initial group comprise both large corporate organisations and SMEs, which demonstrates that the Code applies across the entire spectrum of the built environment and across both the private and public sector organisations. Carbon reduction is more likely to happen when all organisations within a value chain are committed to reducing their footprint and saving costs and the Code provides a framework for organisations to make a public commitment to and report on progress towards achieving Net Zero.”
Des O’Neill, Managing Director at Interclass Plc, said:
“We are pleased to be one of the first contractors to sign up to the Code, a key step in our carbon reduction journey. Climate change is one of the greatest challenges we face as a society and we are determined to play our part and encourage others to do the same. With SMEs making up the majority of the construction industry and our own supply chain, we have a crucial role to play in inspiring others to take meaningful steps towards reducing carbon emissions.”
