Pioneering Carbon Neutral Construction for a Sustainable Future

Building a greener future

Some businesses may believe that achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 may seem like a simple task or one that can be put on the back burner for a few years, but with buildings and the construction industry being accountable for over 38% of global carbon emissions, action has never been more important. Just because the industry hasn’t been as climate conscious as it should have been, doesn’t mean it’s too late to start.

2023 was the hottest year on record (since 1850). According to the EU Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), this increased temperature isn’t going anywhere with 2024 potentially being even hotter. Carlo Buontempo, director of C3S’s research goes further and suggests this year was “one of the warmest, or the warmest of the last 100,000 years.”

The best time to make moves towards net zero was 20 years ago, but the second best time is right here, right now. 

Eco-friendly Materials

The demand for new buildings and retrofits remains high. Construction itself needs to become sustainable as its top priority. Projects should carefully consider what options they can explore to reduce their carbon emissions significantly and genuinely aspire to zero carbon emissions. 

Choosing low carbon materials is one of the easiest steps to take. Materials such as glass, metal and some types of plastic are durable and can be easily recycled. If you procure them as recycled materials they will have a lower environmental impact than if you’d purchased them using brand new materials. Some materials are infinitely recyclable such as aluminium and glass, meaning that even when your parts reach their expiration date they can be melted down and used again making them eco-friendly. 

Other materials such as timber are renewable as long as your supplier sources them sustainably. Trees are a natural carbon sink, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it. If the timber is repurposed or recycled at the end of its life then this can be an excellent resource. If your supplier replants trees to replenish the lost forests, this can also offset the carbon emissions impact of transport and processing. 

Skilling Up

Your employees are the most important part of your business as they get things done. Therefore it is essential that they are provided with the tools they need to succeed, which in turn will make your business successful. 

In 2023, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) identified a significant skills gap and workforce shortages in the heritage sector. Many existing construction companies tend to prioritise newbuilds with modern building materials. This means that they haven’t had sufficient experience with historic buildings to be able to adequately retrofit them. If this skills gap can be addressed, the process of retrofitting historic buildings could generate £35bn of economic output while significantly bolstering efforts towards the UK’s 2050 net zero target.

The CITB identified a need to train 12,000 construction workers per year until 2025 and then 30,000 per year until 2030 in order to achieve the government’s net zero targets. By making active steps towards upskilling your teams, you can future proof your business.

Green Retrofit 

On any construction project it is vital to keep waste to a minimum. Over 10% of total global carbon emissions comes from the disposal of construction waste. While using recycled materials can certainly help the project be greener, there are plenty of methods for upgrading properties that do not require demolition.

For example, instead of removing old inefficient windows and replacing them with new double or triple glazing, you might consider retrofitting with secondary glazing instead. Secondary glazing significantly outperforms double glazing’s thermal insulation and matches or exceeds triple glazing in most instances. It also significantly outperforms both in its reduction of external noises.

Most importantly, secondary glazing is installed alongside the existing panes of glass. This means that it doesn’t require any wastage of the original windows, you do not have to erect scaffolding to install the windows, and the entire installation is completely on the interior of the building which minimises disruption.

Conclusion

Taking effective steps towards net zero will require a significant investment in time and resources, however it is imperative that businesses begin their transition now. If you’ve already begun your net zero journey, then identifying potential gaps in your strategy could be the thing that gives you an edge over your competition.