A group of 11 AEC industry groups in the United Kingdom, including the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Chartered Institute of Building, and UK Green Building Council, have joined together in urging the government toward taking action on restricting embodied carbon emissions in the built environment ahead of an important national election that’s expected for November.

Their call endorses an amalgam of existing policy pushes while espousing lawmakers to include at least a portion of its findings into their respective manifestos with benchmarks for specific mandates and enforcements set for the end of this year, 2026, and 2028, respectively. 

RIBA President Muyiwa Oki said: “Our message is clear — embodied carbon regulation is critical to reaching net zero. As built environment professionals, we understand our duty to reduce emissions and have been leading the charge. We now need urgent action from the next government to deliver a greener future that we deserve.”

Such actions are necessary as the building sector produces over 70 million tons CO2e annually, according to UK statistics. The groups Part Z and UK Architects Declare were other signatories to the letter, citing examples from around the world, including in California and the EU. The road to its publication was paved with false starts and failed promises on the part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, former PM Boris Johnson, and many other officials. Backers' hopes are now to reverse that narrative, propelled with a unified push that's informed by their expertise, scholarship, and years of experience.

Professor Stephen Hodder, the Construction Industry Council (CIC)'s Climate Change Committee Chair, said finally: “Over the years, numerous construction industry initiatives have called for government action in reducing the construction industry’s embodied carbon emissions. CIC welcome the collaboration with this expert group to pull these proposals together, uniting with one voice for change, encouraging the sector to do better in the fight against climate change.”

The group's brief is downloadable here courtesy of The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE).