Select committee: Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 5
First report - Building to net zero: costing carbon in construction
Published 26 May 2022
Paragraph 73
Environmental Audit Committee Sustainability of the built environment All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Local authorities are mandating WLC assessments of their own accord. Evidence so far shows that the policy is achievable and is working, with few barriers to its introduction. Introducing mandatory WLC assessments for buildings could be an easy way for the Government to dramatically reduce carbon in construction. The industry has repeatedly asked for an ambitious, clear timeframe for when whole-life carbon assessments will become mandatory. This timeline should align with the introduction of the Future Homes Standard, which should itself be brought forward to 2023. This will help bring together efforts to tackle operational and embodied carbon within the same timeframe.
From: Environmental Audit Committee, First report - Building to net zero: costing carbon in construction (HC 103), paragraph 73, 26 May 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 30 September 2022 (deadline 26 July 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government agrees that whole-life carbon assessments are "likely to have a significant role" in decarbonising construction, but it does not commit to mandating them and says it will consult on its approach to embodied carbon in 2023.
- On a mandatory requirement, it "intends to consult in 2023" and will "consider" what levers, including building regulations, will be needed. It says it is "too soon to commit" to ratcheted carbon targets.
- It agrees a standardised calculation method is required and "will look at whether" endorsing specific standards, methodologies or tools "is appropriate".
- It declines to bring forward the Future Homes Standard to 2023, stating it "will not look to alter the timeframe" and that the 2025 timeline delivers on net zero commitments while ensuring homes are delivered in sufficient numbers.
- On public procurement, it says the Procurement Bill would not be an appropriate place for net zero policy priorities, and that there are "no plans to collect and publish" data on whole-life carbon assessments under the Construction Playbook.