CLC Construct Zero: Refreshed Programme and updated priorities

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) is pleased to announce its refreshed Construct Zero programme and updated priorities. This is available to read here

Construct Zero, launched in November 2021, provided a Performance Framework comprising of 30 metrics across nine priority areas (underpinned against the Committee for Climate Change (CCC) 6th Carbon Budget), each of which told a story of how the sector was reducing its carbon emissions across construction activities; the resulting buildings and structures; and the transport of products and materials. The programme helps to support and inform businesses in the sector (and beyond) with their Net Zero plans, providing them with advice on how this will impact their clients and markets.

The new 7th Carbon Budget expands the focus from purely Net Zero and introduces areas which also deliver improved economic growth (by improving productivity and removing waste), energy security and resilience.

The refreshed CZ programme reflects this, incorporating the CCC’s five decarbonisation pathways to net zero (set out below).

• Electricity: Electrification of industry, transport, heating & energy generation
• Low Carbon Fuels and CCUS: Hydrogen, Sustainable Aviation Fuel, ammonia, and CCUS
• Nature: Woodland creation and peatland restoration
• Engineered Removals: CO₂ transport and storage
• Demand: Efficiency, productivity, and low-carbon choices

The CLC will also continue to focus on surface transport decarbonisation; building standards and retrofit acceleration; and energy supply transformation, given the CCC’s steer.

As a result, the revised six priorities are:

Buildings*

• Housing retrofit & energy efficiency
• Heat pumps & heat networks
• Operational energy standards

Transport and Plant

• Zero emission vehicles
• Zero diesel sites
• Low-carbon NRMM transition

Productivity-driven demand reduction

• End-to-end productivity measurement
• Minimise Construction waste
• Industrialised construction models

Climate Friendly choices*

• Carbon & biodiversity net gain measurement
• Innovative low-carbon materials

Enabling low-carbon energy infrastructure

• Delivery of Nuclear, heat networks, renewables & batteries
• Delivery of alternative fuels manufacturing

Investing in nature-based solutions*

• Biodiversity net gain
• Domestic tree planting

Those marked with an * will be delivered by the CLC’s Green Construction Board (GCB), recognising legislation and existing work (led by the GCB) is already taking place in these areas. and reflects Construct Zero’s role in “bringing people and businesses together to identify what is needed for the construction sector to deliver its target, together with consolidating collective actions and plans for the sector, driving sustainable long-term change”.

The CLC will be working with the GCB, the wider industry and Government over the coming months to agree the underpinning metrics for the new priorities, with an updated Performance Framework due for publication in Autumn 2026.

For more information including the Business Champion & Partners programme, click here