Leading infrastructure firms commit to carbon reduction

Thames Tideway Tunnel, Lafarge Tarmac, Temple Group, Kier Infrastructure and Barhale Trant Utilities sign Infrastructure Carbon Review.

Companies Thames Tideway Tunnel, Lafarge Tarmac, Temple Group, Kier Infrastructure and Barhale Trant Utilities have today (27 October 2014) become the latest signatories to the Infrastructure Carbon Review (ICR).

Led by the Green Construction Board, the ICR is a joint industry and government initiative targeted at leading businesses and their supply chains that aims to make carbon reduction an integral part of infrastructure construction in the UK.

Since the ICR’s launch last year (2013) some 30 organisations have endorsed the joint initiatives to reduce carbon in infrastructure. This could amount to an annual saving of 24 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050, delivering a benefit to the UK economy of up to £1.46 billion a year and contributes towards meeting the Construction Leadership Council’s 2025 50% carbon reduction ambition.

The new commitments were made at the Infrastructure Carbon Review One Year On Conference hosted by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Speaking at the conference, BIS Minister Nick Boles, welcomed the commitments:

"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.

"Companies like HS2 Ltd, National Grid, Skanska and their supply chains are leading the way in efforts to reduce carbon, saving valuable resources as well as reducing costs. I’d like to extend this challenge to infrastructure companies and organisations across the UK so they can claim their share of the economic rewards of reducing carbon."

A number of signatories have already developed new and creative methods to reduce carbon. Connect Plus, a joint venture of Balfour Beatty, Skanska, Atkins and Egis, has developed a new and innovative concrete pavement repair process, using ultra-rapid cure concrete. This has cut the time needed for M25 land and carriageway closures from 1,500 hours to just 300 per annum, together with a carbon saving of 500 tonnes.

Peter Hansford, Government Chief Construction Adviser and member of the Green Construction Board 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."

New signatory, Thames Tideway Tunnel’s Environment Manager, Suzanne Burgoyne said:

"We are proud to pledge to lower our carbon emissions as part of our project to tackle pollution of the tidal River Thames. Through the Infrastructure Carbon Review we are demonstrating our commitment to low carbon and the protection of the wider environment."

The conference was attended by a range of industry leaders including Chairman of Crossrail Terry Morgan and Mike Putnam, President and CEO of Skanska UK and co-chair of the Green Construction Board.