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EPR for Construction Products – there has ISO Net Zero Guidelines – published Plastic Packaging Tax – this came into
been discussion regarding the suitability at COP27, these Guidelines from the force on 1 April 2022. Companies need to
of Extended Producer Responsibility for International Organisation for Standardisation register for the tax if they have manufactured
construction products. The goal would be (ISO) are designed for all organisations or imported ten or more tonnes of finished
to incentivise manufacturers to consider working to deliver net zero pledges and are plastic packaging components within the last
durability, reparability and end of life as part intended to improve international alignment 12 months. The tax has to be paid at the rate
of the product design. The topic features in and combat greenwashing. of £200 per tonne if the packaging contains
one of the CPA’s Sustainability Discussion https://www.iso.org/netzero less than 30% recycled plastic.
Papers. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/
https://www.constructionproducts.org.uk/our- plastic-packaging-tax
expertise/sustainability/resource-efficiency- ISO 50005:2021 – an ISO Standard
zero-avoidable-waste-and-the-circular- which provides guidelines to support and
economy/
simplify the implementation of an energy Scope 1, 2 & 3 – these refer to different types
management system for SMEs. of emissions caused by industrial processes,
https://www.iso.org/standard/76428.html categorised according to the Greenhouse
ESG – Environmental, Social, and Gas (GHG) Protocol.
Governance refers to a set of factors Scope 1 are emissions directly caused
considered when taking a holistic view to by a company’s business, such as fuel
sustainability. It is used as a framework to LEED – Leadership in Energy and combustion, company vehicles and emissions
account for the impacts of companies on Environmental Design is the most widely caused by manufacturing.
people, business and the environment, and used green building rating system in the
provides a way to measure business risks world. Scope 2 are emissions caused by power
and opportunities in those areas. https://www.usgbc.org/leed generators from whom a company acquires
its energy.
https://www.gov.uk/government/
consultations/future-regulatory-regime-for- Scope 3 emissions include all those caused
environmental-social-and-governance-esg- Low Emission or Clean Air Zones – Low further down the supply chain. For many
ratings-providers Emission Zones (LEZs), also known as Clean companies in our sector this is where the
majority of their emissions come from, since
Air Zones (CAZs), are areas of major cities it includes emissions caused by raw material
which drivers of more polluting vehicles must extraction and the fabrication of bought-in
Future Homes Standard – The UK pay to drive through, in order to encourage components. These are also the most difficult
Government’s 2021 Heat and buildings more environmentally friendly transportation. emissions to monitor and to minimise, since
strategy included the introduction of a ‘Future There are 4 tiers – Class A, B, C and D – with they are not within the company’s direct
Homes Standard’ by 2025, which would different levels of restrictions. Class B, C and control.
ensure that “new-build homes are future- D include heavy goods vehicles and Class C https://www.carbontrust.com/our-work- 147
proofed with low-carbon heating and high and D include vans. and-impact/guides-reports-and-tools/an-
levels of energy efficiency”. The intention https://www.gov.uk/guidance/driving-in-a- introductory-guide-to-scope-3-emissions
is to ensure that new homes produce clean-air-zone
75–80% less carbon emissions than current
regulations permit, and it involves a ‘fabric
first’ approach, meaning that poor building Net zero – achieving net zero would mean SKA rating – a Royal Institute of Chartered
insulation cannot be compensated for by Surveyors (RICS) environmental assessment
the addition of heat pumps etc. Currently, that the amount of greenhouse gas emitted method, benchmark and standard for non-
to the atmosphere is balanced by the amount
the Government is yet to announce the final domestic fit outs.
detail of the Standard or a timeline for its removed. https://www.rics.org/uk/about-rics/
introduction. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/net- responsible-business/ska-rating/
https://www.gov.uk/government/ zero-coalition
consultations/the-future-homes-and-
buildings-standards-2023-consultation/the- Sustainability – as far back as 1987 the
future-homes-and-buildings-standards-2023- Paris Agreement – COP 21, held in Paris in United Nations defined sustainability
consultation 2015, agreed the target of limiting global as “meeting the needs of the present
warming to 1.5C compared to pre-industrial without compromising the ability of future
levels. This is a United Nations agreement generations to meet their own needs.” It
Future Homes Hub – an industry-driven and is legally binding. It is hoped to achieve is about more than just the environment,
this goal by attaining net zero by 2050.
response to the Future Homes Standard covering the full range of environmental,
which provides resources for housebuilders https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the- social, and governance (ESG) issues. A
to enable the sector to become paris-agreement definition put forward in the 2022 NBS
environmentally positive. Sustainability Report is the “Ability to
https://www.futurehomes.org.uk sustain a comfortable human life without
Phthalates – a type of plasticiser used in compromising the environment”.
a number of different products, including https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/
Greenwashing – advertising or marketing vinyl flooring, and potentially linked to health content/documents/5987our-common-future.
pdf
which is deceptively used to persuade issues. Their use is increasingly restricted
and banned in certain products.
the public that an organisation’s products, https://www.thenbs.com/publicationindex/
aims and policies are more environmentally documents/details?Pub=NBS&DocId=343156
friendly than is the case.
https://nbs.net/how-to-avoid-greenwashing/
Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) – The
ULEZ in London requires that petrol cars and
vans must be Euro 4 and diesel cars and vans
must be Euro 6 to avoid a daily charge.
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/check-your-
vehicle/

CFA Guide to Sustainability 2025/26