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[show]The construction industry accounts for 40% of the UK’s carbon emissions and with a national target to reach net zero by 2050, the focus on net zero construction sites is increasing. The question is, what does this all mean? Find out everything you need to know below.
After road transport, the construction industry is the second-largest contributor to air pollution in the UK. Due to this, the importance of net zero is greater than ever, but you can only work towards it if you understand it all.
What Does the Net Zero Promise Mean?
The UK’s net zero target began with the Climate Change Act of 2008 which aimed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% by 2050.
Just over 10 years later, in 2019, the UK strengthened its pledge to reduce GHG emissions to net zero by 2050 following a Climate Change Act Amendment. This meant reducing emissions by 100% below 1990 levels. Ensuring that the amount of emissions produced by the UK will be equal to or less than the amount removed from the environment.
Based on this promise, the Government created the: ‘Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener’ plan which included policies and proposals to decarbonise all sectors of the country within the timescale set.
This target is legally binding and large companies play an important role in the reduction of carbon emissions overall, therefore it’s key to have them aligned with the strategy presented, if not creating further solutions to support this.
Understanding Net Zero Construction Sites
In line with the Government’s promise, a net-zero construction site is one where the GHG emissions from the building’s life cycle are zero or below including, the production of materials to the operational energy use.
Overall, it covers the full process from the design stage to the completion of the construction, with aims that this can be carried out successfully through carbon offset and by reducing carbon emission throughout the process.
The Importance of Net Zero Construction Sites
As the second largest contributor to GHG emissions in the UK, with a large portion of this due to the production of materials, it is crucial that the emissions from the sector are heavily reduced to support the Government’s promise.
Without reducing emissions globally, climate change is projected to only worsen, creating more severe effects than already being seen such as water supply risks, localised flooding and in coastal regions, risk to human health and food insecurity.
The construction industry has a big influence in this, therefore meaning that having net zero construction sites is vital to securing a safer future for everyone.
7 Steps to Support Your Construction Site to Become Net Zero
There are multiple construction companies that have existing net zero strategies in place including Bam Nuttall, Morgan Sindall, Anglian Water and Skanska. With there already being success stories such as Tarmac, who managed to reduce carbon emissions by 75% compared to a traditional maintenance project of a similar scale, without any need for offsetting to help the numbers.
Understanding where to start on your journey to becoming net zero can be difficult, so through utilizing our 20 years of industry knowledge and knowledge in ESG, WCCTV below provides 7 steps that you can take to help become a net zero construction site:
Adopt Government Construction Sector Policies and Proposals
As part of introducing the net zero target for GHG emissions, the Government released their strategy to be able to do this which includes policies and proposals for businesses to adopt and contribute to the overall plan.
These policies and proposals are specific to various sectors and available publicly, making them a good starting point to guide you in your journey to reach net zero.
Documents including guide notes provide clear steps that can be taken by construction companies during each stage of the process with case studies to show supporting examples.
Take the time to read through the strategy, along with any policies and proposals related to your sector. This could help you take your first steps towards net zero or improve on your existing plan.
Design Low Carbon
Becoming a net zero construction site starts at the design stage when you select materials, equipment being used, third-party services and how the construction will work.
Place yourself in a low carbon mindset from the get-go with everything that you do. Ask questions like, ‘Can the materials used be lower in carbon?’, ‘Are the contractors net zero or following a strategy themselves?’ and ‘Is there anything more we can do to reduce the GHG emissions on this project?’.
By starting with this mindset, you will set yourself up for further success throughout the construction project as it will become second nature.
This is also beneficial for future projects and makes you second guess your choices which is an important factor in reaching the overall net zero promise.
Reuse Materials
Construction and demolition waste creates GHG emissions which in order to reach net zero must be avoided as best as possible.
Like with any other waste products, finding ways to reuse or recycle construction materials helps reduce the emissions that your site produces, in turn supporting it to become net zero.
There are various materials that can be reused and many uses for them, some of which may be unexpected, however, to be a net zero construction site you need to maximise the reuse of materials on-site.
Get to know the common materials used at your sites or plan ahead and be aware of the type of materials you expect to use, that way you know how you can reuse them if required in future.
Engage with Your Employees
As a business, you are responsible for your employees and ensuring they follow the policies and procedures in place, however, you need to approach this in the correct manner.
Pushing your net zero plans onto employees without understanding their roles and finding the best method to engage with them will likely have the opposite effect to what you were hoping to have.
Employees play a big role in ensuring you reach net zero as they contribute to various stages of the process within your business, particularly the operational GHG emissions that are created.
Therefore, you need to work with your employees and the best way to do this is by finding ways for them to engage with your net zero strategy, whether this is through incentives, talks or clear signage.
Use Renewable Energy
Utilising renewable energy is beneficial across all industries as it helps reduce carbon emissions and support net zero targets as they release little to no GHGs. This includes energy sources such as wind and solar power.
For construction sites, there are various renewable energy sources that can be used:
- Wind turbines
- Solar panels
- Hydroelectric generators
- Air source heat pumps
- Geothermal heat pumps
The way in which each energy source can be utilised differs between them, however, there are multiple uses for them that help ensure a net zero construction site.
It is recommended you take the time to research your options and understand the limitations for them if you are looking to implement them on your site. Most are often cheaper than more carbon emitting sources, so is a cost-effective option for your business also.
Track Your Carbon Emissions
There are three main areas where companies can track their carbon emissions:
- Direct emissions
- Indirect emissions from purchased electricity, heat and steam
- Indirect emissions from the supply chain
To ensure your construction site is net zero, you need to manage all of these emissions.
For any indirect emissions where you are sourcing energy from elsewhere or utilising a supplier, you will need to contact the company and gain the research from this to then calculate the carbon emission that would be produced.
This can be completed before the project starts to gain the basic carbon emissions, and then during operation you can use other measures to track the actual emissions being created directly from the construction site.
You can also track utility bills to understand how much energy is being used and the amount of emissions being created, however, for a more accurate measure, you could invest in tracking technology.
At WCCTV, we offer a site condition monitoring solution that can be equipped to our CCTV Towers to assist with measuring and monitoring critical information such as:
- Weather conditions
- Decibel levels
- Particle monitoring
- CO2 emissions
- Local Air Quality Management (LAQM)
This data is then automatically compiled into an insightful report and will trigger alerts based on predefined rule sets and thresholds. Essentially it allows you to both manage and track carbon emissions to ensure you remain a net zero construction site.
Review Your Supply Chain
Working on yourself and your production of GHG emissions is just part of the work towards a net zero construction site, the other part is through your supply chain.
Construction projects rely on multiple services and companies to reach the end result. Although you may not be the owner of their business, you are responsible for their input to you.
If any element of your supply chain has high carbon emission production this will impact the net zero status of your construction site, as such removing the chance of it becoming one.
Review your manufacturers, logistics companies, suppliers, security services and subcontractors and assess if their practices will meet your net zero target on that site. If they cannot work to this, you may need to make adjustments to ensure your construction site can maintain the target.
Supporting Your Supply Chain with Security
Security solutions are often involved in the supply chain of most construction sites due to the high risk nature of crime they are faced with. However, what many may not be aware of is the emissions that security companies can produce through the production, deployment and operations of their products.
At WCCTV, we hold strong environmental commitments, including our own net zero target which we want to reach by 2040. The targets set are to improve operations internally, whilst also supporting our customers and help construction sites meet their net zero targets.
Through this dedication our products have developed to match this commitment. Our Solar CCTV Towers and Smart Towers work to have little to no carbon output, making them the perfect solution and easy change for a construction site to implement.
For construction sites, we understand that security is a must-have and at WCCTV we aim to simplify the solution for you, whilst ensuring you can become a net zero construction site.
Speak to one of our CCTV Tower experts today to find out how we can support your next construction project and with your net zero journey.
Daniel Del Soldato
Marketing Director
Daniel has been at Wireless CCTV over 10 years and has accumulated a vast wealth of knowledge when it comes to CCTV products and the way they operate. In his spare time Daniel likes to listen to music, watch football and spend quality time with his family.
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