Climate Change Data

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Not disclosed

Environmental Achievements

• Not disclosed

Social Achievements

• Not disclosed

Governance Achievements

• Not disclosed

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Highly fragmented construction supply chains leading to high transaction costs, increased management input, and reduced opportunities for cost savings.
• Challenging trading conditions, competitive bidding, and tougher commercial terms contributing to reduced industry cohesion.
• Unsustainable pricing levels achieved through price cutting rather than cost reduction, weakening balance sheets and capacity.
• High levels of change orders causing disruption and waste.
• Inefficient risk transfer mechanisms increasing uncertainty and cost.
• Lack of industry-wide focus on waste reduction beyond physical waste.

Mitigation Strategies

• Recommendations for early contractor involvement, improved design management, efficient on-site operations, and supply chain integration.
• Recommendations for investment in site management skills, alignment of improvement agendas with supply chain priorities, and review of financial arrangements.
• Recommendations for promoting effective change management, awareness of all sources of waste, and development of commercial exchange models.

Supply Chain Management

Supplier Audits: Not disclosed

Responsible Procurement

• Early contractor involvement, cost-led procurement, risk transfer management

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks

• Not disclosed

Transition Risks

• Not disclosed

Opportunities

• Not disclosed

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: Null

Certifications: Null

Third-party Assurance: Not disclosed

UN Sustainable Development Goals

• Not disclosed

Not disclosed

Sustainable Products & Innovation

• Not disclosed

Awards & Recognition

• Not disclosed

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Not disclosed

Environmental Achievements

• Not disclosed

Social Achievements

• Not disclosed

Governance Achievements

• Not disclosed

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Poor productivity growth in construction, lagging behind other sectors globally.
• Inaccurate measurement of construction productivity, not accounting for quality improvements or reduced site deaths.
• Deep-seated problems within the industry hindering progress on productivity despite decades of research.
• Fragmentation within the industry and its supply chain.
• Lack of long-term investment and volatile workloads.

Mitigation Strategies

• Better measures of construction productivity.
• Build more evidence on the wider value of construction.
• Develop new business models and financial models.
• Boost training and investment in the construction workforce.
• Create construction innovation and excellence hubs.
• Improve leadership and behavioural understanding.
• Tie public investment to training and job creation.
• Direct commissioning of built environment assets during recessions.

Supply Chain Management

Supplier Audits: Not disclosed

Responsible Procurement

• Improving procurement processes in the supply chain.

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks

• Not disclosed

Transition Risks

• Not disclosed

Opportunities

• Not disclosed

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: Null

Certifications: Null

Third-party Assurance: Not disclosed

UN Sustainable Development Goals

• Not disclosed

Not disclosed

Sustainable Products & Innovation

• Not disclosed

Awards & Recognition

• Not disclosed

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Environmental Performance

Environmental Achievements

• UK is one of the countries that has progressed furthest with developing data for a set of globally agreed indicators for the UN Sustainable Development Goals, currently publishing data for 64% of the indicators.
• The Climate Change Act is widely regarded as establishing a robust framework for measuring progress on mitigating and adapting to climate change

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Timeliness of some metrics was mixed
• Some sets of metrics were not associated with a mechanism for action if performance was poor.
• Patchwork of different environmental indicators, published by multiple departments and bodies, that do not clearly align with a hierarchy of objectives.
• Data gaps in soil health and the UK’s impact on biodiversity overseas.
• Metrics are not effectively used to inform decision-making in practice (air quality, packaging recycling, Renewable Heat Incentive).
• Significant portion of the goals and targets in the 25-Year Environment Plan are currently too vague to allow government to measure and monitor performance effectively.
• Lack of inter-departmental working and active involvement from other departments with the metrics.
• Lack of clear accountability for other departments’ progress as measured by the metrics.
• Significant portion of the proposed metrics for the 25-Year Environment Plan will not be ready until at least December 2019.
• Lack of spatial element in metrics to identify significant variations in different geographical areas.

Mitigation Strategies

• Government’s plans for a new framework of metrics to measure progress against its 25-Year Environment Plan are promising.
• Defra has established arrangements that should encourage its policy-makers to use the new system of metrics to inform decisions.
• Defra plans to generate an annual progress report, which will be laid before Parliament and will communicate progress of the Plan.
• Defra is working with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to continue development of a set of Natural Capital Accounts.
• ONS is also working to progress the metrics that sit beneath the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• Government is establishing a new environmental watchdog to fill a potential ‘governance gap’ after EU exit.

Supply Chain Management

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: UN Sustainable Development Goals

UN Sustainable Development Goals

• Goal 3
• Goal 6
• Goal 7
• Goal 11
• Goal 12
• Goal 13
• Goal 14
• Goal 15

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Low-emission railway
• Climate change resilience
• Biodiversity
• Minimal waste and sustainable use of materials

Environmental Achievements

• Switched out traditional station platform components for low-carbon materials, reducing embedded carbon by up to 90%
• High Output Ballast Cleaning System recovered 2.6 million tonnes of track ballast for reuse, saving £9 million in material costs
• 98% of waste diverted from landfill in 2017/18
• 100% renewable non-traction electricity purchased by 2020

Social Achievements

• Improved air quality management system installed at Birmingham New Street station
• Partnership with Environment Agency and Leeds City Council to mitigate flood risk at Kirkstall Bridge
• Conwy Valley flood resilience works to protect against future events

Governance Achievements

• Integration of environmental sustainability into business planning process
• Environmental sustainability objectives included in executive leaders' annual performance reviews
• Development of science-based targets for emissions reduction

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• More frequent and extreme weather events impacting railway operations
• High volume of waste produced from railway activities
• Need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy

Mitigation Strategies

• Weather Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation Strategy
• Circular economy policy for reducing resource use and waste
• Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy (TDNS) for electrification and alternative energy sources

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement

• Challenging supply chain to be more sustainable
• Addressing environmental sustainability objectives early in procurement

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks

• More frequent and extreme weather events

Opportunities

• Development of energy-efficient products and services

Sustainable Products & Innovation

• Low-carbon station platform components