Construction minister urges industry bosses to “show leadership” to reduce carbon

Construction Minister Nick Boles this week urged the infrastructure delivery supply chain to “show leadership” and deliver a lower carbon, lower cost industry.

Antony Oliver
29 October 2014

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Speaking at the Green Construction Board’s (GCB) Infrastructure Carbon Review One Year On conference, Boles, who also co-chairs the GCB, warned industry bosses that they had a duty to lead the way towards creating a “fairer, cleaner and more secure” future.

“This is not simply some administrative exercise of covering our backsides,” he told senior industry bosses. “While we continue to employ people and make money we should also be working to make the world a more hospitable place.”

“When we have to do something difficult we often find ourselves remarkably resourceful. We are asking you to show strong leadership and to ask for more - to show leadership by signing up to the Infrastructure Carbon Review.” Nick Boles, construction minister.

Boles was addressing a specially invited audience of industry leaders at a conference to mark the first anniversary of the Infrastructure Carbon Review (ICR), a process designed to help the entire supply chain make the link between lowering carbon and lowering cost in construction.

Already over 30 clients, contractors, consultants and industry associations have signed up to the ICR pledging commitments to drive lower carbon performance into their business and supply chain. The conference was designed to encourage more leading organisations to step forward.

“When we have to do something difficult we often find ourselves remarkably resourceful,” said Boles, accepting that the culture change required by businesses was often not easy to achieve. “We are asking you to show strong leadership and to ask for more - to show leadership by signing up to the Infrastructure Carbon Review.”

Boles' message to the industry was clear: 

• sign up to the Infrastructure Carbon Review
• talk about the issue of lowering carbon
• challenge the status quo
• measure your progress against the ICR maturity matrix,

"All the evidence shows that cutting carbon is good for business. That’s why companies responsible for some of the country’s largest infrastructure projects have made this important commitment," he added.

At its heart the ICR provides a mechanism, the carbon maturity matrix, by which businesses can measure their progress along the low carbon journey. It also identifies three key actions for the supply chain to embrace: 

• Strong leadership is needed to drive change and cultural engagement
• Innovation and new thinking is critical
• Procurement needs to build in incentives for the whole supply chain to embrace change.

"The individual commitments they have made will go a long way towards achieving our ambitions of reducing cost and carbon emissions in the built environment over the next decade." Peter Hansford, chief construciotn adviser.

“This is not a revolution but thousands of small improvements that produce a change and deliver benefit,” he said. “What kind of world will our grandchildren live in? What are we doing now to shape this world for them?”

Speakers at the conference included Skanska chief executive and GCB co-chair Mike Putnam, Anglian Water asset management director Chris Newsome, Crossrail chairman Terry Morgan and chief construction advisor Peter Hansford plus a cross section of businesses who have signed the Infrastructure Carbon Commitment.

All reminded the delegates that the key to driving a lower carbon future in construction was to focus on the reduction in cost, boost to resource efficiency and competitive advantage that comes with it,  and shared their insights and experiences demonstrating that carbon reduction and cost saving go hand in hand within infrastructure construction.

Hansford said: "I am pleased to see the enthusiastic support of clients and suppliers across the infrastructure sector. The individual commitments they have made will go a long way towards achieving our ambitions of reducing cost and carbon emissions in the built environment over the next decade. I encourage others to come on-board".

The latest signatories to the Infrastructure Carbon Review (ICR) - Thames Tideway Tunnel, Lafarge Tarmac, Temple Group, Kier Infrastructure and Barhale Trant Utilities - were rewarded on the day with their certificates.

The main thrust of the conference was:

• To encourage the value chain to take action in reducing carbon and reducing cost in infrastructure
• To reinforce the key messages of the Infrastructure Carbon Review: that a low carbon approach makes good business sense
• To share best practice across economic infrastructure, to help the whole value chain to learn from others, boost performance and drive innovation
• To maintain the momentum of this message since the launch of the review in November 2013 and update on actions ‘one year on’
• To encourage new participants to endorse the Infrastructure Carbon Review and to make specific commitment to meeting its objectives.

The delegates were asked to leave the event with three key thoughts in mind:  

1. “I need to measure carbon and have targets”
2. “I need to collaborate with my value chain”
3. “This will deliver business efficiency (carbon being a proxy for cost and materials)”

Case studies produced by the organisations that have signed up to the ICR detailing the progress over the last year and commitments for the future were made available to delegates to inspire other to join the initiative. 

For details of the ICR and how to get involved visit the Green Construction Board website at www.greenconstructionboard.org.uk

For details of the ICR click here

For a copy of the ICR One Year On case studies click here

List of organisations that have endorsed the Infrastructure Carbon Review:

• HM Government
• HM Treasury
• Government’s Chief Construction Adviser
• The Green Construction Board’s Infrastructure Working Group
• UK Power Networks
• Costain
• JN Bentley
• Balfour Beatty
• @One Alliance
• Carillion
• Skanska
• The Clancy Group
• Galliford Try
• Laing O’Rourke
• National Grid
• Defence Infrastructure Organisation
• UK Green Building Council
• ICE
• BAM Nuttall
• Murphy Group
• Mott Macdonald
• Arup
• Highways’ Agency
• EDF (New Nuclear)
• Heathrow Airport Ltd
• Atkins
• Network Rail
• HS2 Ltd
• Crossrail Ltd
• NG Bailey
• VINCI Construction UK
• Anglian Water
• Temple Group
• Thames Tideway Tunnels
• Lafarge Tarmac,
• Kier Infrastructure
• Barhale Trant Utilities