Government action needed to cut embodied carbon

Embodied Carbon Summit Evidence Report says voluntary actions alone are not enough

The UK construction industry knows how to cut embodied carbon, but progress has stalled because of policy gaps, inconsistent standards and economic misalignment, according to a new report published on 5 February.

The Embodied Carbon Summit Evidence Report summarises findings and evidence shared by developers, engineers, architects, local authorities, insurers and academics during the Embodied Carbon Summit, which was held on 5 November last year.

Summit participants warned that voluntary action alone will not deliver change at the speed needed and called for government signals, including national consistency in whole-life carbon methodologies, investment in shared data infrastructure, and a phased approach to regulation.