Delivering Sustainable Capital Projects
Summary
Capital projects have a uniquely large impact on climate change. These are generally long-term construction projects that are large in scale and cost. The built environment sector alone contributes 45 percent of UK Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, and so can contribute significantly to achieving our local and global net zero goals. The sector has the capability and mandate to ‘rewrite the future’ of sustainability. A sustainable capital project is one that embraces Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles to pursue goals for reductions in GHG emissions and consumption of finite resources. It also creates a positive cultural legacy by encouraging sustainable operations, social change and biodiversity.