Thames Tideway Tunnel, Lafarge Tarmac, Temple Group, Kier Infrastructure and Barhale Trant Utilities have become the latest signatories to the Infrastructure Carbon Review (ICR).

Led by the Green Construction Board, the ICR is a joint industry and government initiative targeted at leading businesses and their supply chains that aims to make carbon reduction an integral part of infrastructure construction in the UK.

Since the ICR’s launch last year (2013) some 30 organisations have endorsed the joint initiatives to reduce carbon in infrastructure. This could amount to an annual saving of 24 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050, delivering a benefit to the UK economy of up to £1.46 billion a year and contributes towards meeting the Construction Leadership Council’s 2025 50% carbon reduction ambition.

The new commitments were made at the Infrastructure Carbon Review One Year On Conference hosted by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Speaking at the conference, BIS Minister Nick Boles, welcomed the commitments:

“All the evidence shows that cutting carbon is good for business. That’s why companies responsible for some of the country’s largest infrastructure projects have made this important commitment.

Companies like HS2 Ltd, National Grid, Skanska and their supply chains are leading the way in efforts to reduce carbon, saving valuable resources as well as reducing costs. I’d like to extend this challenge to infrastructure companies and organisations across the UK so they can claim their share of the economic rewards of reducing carbon.”

A number of signatories have already developed new and creative methods to reduce carbon. Connect Plus, a joint venture of Balfour Beatty, Skanska, Atkins and Egis, has developed a new and innovative concrete pavement repair process, using ultra-rapid cure concrete. This has cut the time needed for M25 land and carriageway closures from 1,500 hours to just 300 per annum, together with a carbon saving of 500 tonnes.

New signatory, Thames Tideway Tunnel’s Environment Manager, Suzanne Burgoyne said:

“We are proud to pledge to lower our carbon emissions as part of our project to tackle pollution of the tidal River Thames. Through the Infrastructure Carbon Review we are demonstrating our commitment to low carbon and the protection of the wider environment.”

Launched in November 2013, the Infrastructure Carbon Review set out a series of actions for government, clients and suppliers to reduce carbon from the construction and operation of the UK’s infrastructure assets, in line with the UK’s climate change commitments. The Review was developed jointly by government and industry though the Infrastructure Cost Review and Green Construction Board. It now has a core group of some 30 signatories.