Last updated: 4 September 2026
British Builders pledges zero waste and zero carbon emissions, going beyond government requirements. This document sets out what we mean by that, the targets we have set for 2027, how we intend to reach them, how we will be measured, and what we have not yet solved.
1. Our pledge
At British Builders, we believe construction must play a leading role in building a sustainable future. We are making bold, measurable commitments to go further and faster than government requirements. By 2027, we pledge to deliver zero waste to landfill from our operations, zero carbon emissions from our direct operations and vehicles, and a positive impact on nature at every project.
2. What we mean by the words
| Term | Our definition | What it excludes |
|---|---|---|
| Zero waste to landfill | At least 99% of waste arising from our on-site operations diverted from landfill through prevention, reuse, recycling or energy recovery | Hazardous waste that must lawfully be landfilled, and waste already at a property before we arrive |
| Zero carbon | Net zero emissions from our own operations and vehicles, meaning Scope 1 and Scope 2 under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol | Scope 3 emissions, which include embodied carbon in materials and emissions from our supply chain. See section 7 |
| Positive impact on nature | A measurable enhancement delivered on each project we control | Projects where the client or site constraints make it impossible; we say so rather than counting it |
We state the exclusions in the same place as the claim, because a claim whose limits are published elsewhere is not a claim a reader can check.
3. Our targets
3.1 Zero waste
We will prevent, reuse, and recycle all waste generated from our on-site operations, ensuring that nothing ends up in landfill. This includes:
- Eliminating single-use plastics across our business and supply chain.
- Maximising recycling and reuse of construction materials.
- Partnering with certified waste contractors to achieve closed-loop recovery.
- Segregating waste on site wherever the site allows it, because mixed waste cannot be recovered well.
- Designing out waste at the specification stage, which is where most of it is decided.
3.2 Zero carbon
We will reduce and then eliminate carbon emissions from our direct operations and company vehicles. Our actions include:
- Transitioning to an all-electric commercial fleet by 2027.
- Powering all offices and depots through 100% renewable energy.
- Phasing out fossil-fuel-dependent site equipment and replacing it with low-carbon alternatives.
- Reducing journeys through better scheduling, because the cleanest mile is the one not driven.
3.3 Positive impact on nature
Every project will leave a net-positive legacy for biodiversity and local communities. We will:
- Deliver at least one nature enhancement project per site, such as conservation projects, community gardens or wildlife habitats.
- Plant trees each year, and publish the number actually planted rather than a figure we are aiming at.
- Design with nature in mind, including green roofs, rainwater harvesting, and biodiversity-friendly landscaping.
4. How we will deliver
To achieve these goals, we are embedding sustainability into every aspect of our operations:
| Area | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Green supply chain | Working only with suppliers who meet our environmental standards, and asking them the same questions we answer here |
| Sustainable building methods | Investing in modern construction techniques such as modular design, low-carbon concrete, and energy-efficient systems |
| Training and culture | Ensuring every employee understands their role in sustainability, because a target nobody on site has heard of is not a plan |
| Innovation and partnerships | Collaborating with environmental partners to pilot new solutions |
| Graduate and apprenticeship placements | Providing development opportunities for future sustainability leaders |
| Waste duty of care | Complying with section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, using licensed carriers and keeping transfer notes for every load |
5. What we measure, and from when
We have not published figures against these targets, because we have not yet measured a baseline. Rather than print estimates, here is exactly what will be counted and where each number will come from.
| Measure | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|
| Waste diverted from landfill, as a percentage | Waste transfer notes from our licensed carriers, which we already keep under section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This is the one measure we can produce from records we hold today |
| Split between reuse, recycling and energy recovery | The same transfer notes, reported separately rather than added together, because energy recovery is better than landfill and worse than reuse |
| Scope 1 emissions | Fuel bought for vehicles and site equipment, converted using the government's published conversion factors |
| Scope 2 emissions | Electricity and gas meter readings for offices and depots, and the tariff each site is on |
| Proportion of the fleet that is electric | The vehicle list, counted |
| Nature enhancement projects delivered | One line per project, with what was done and where, so it can be checked |
We have not set a baseline year, and we are not going to pick one from the past to make the record look longer than it is. Licensed waste carriers and documented waste removal have been in place since 2019, which is where our paperwork begins, but that is a compliance record and not a carbon baseline, and we will not present it as one. The baseline is the year we begin measuring to the method in section 4. Until then this document states targets and a method, and claims no achievement against either.
6. Meeting the standard the claim is held to
The Competition and Markets Authority's Green Claims Code, and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 that gives the CMA power to enforce it directly, set out what an environmental claim has to do. Measured against that, this is where we are.
| The requirement | Where we stand |
|---|---|
| Claims must be truthful and accurate | The targets are described as targets throughout. We claim no achievement we have not measured |
| Claims must be clear and unambiguous | Section 2 defines zero waste and zero carbon and states what each excludes, in the same place as the claim rather than in a footnote |
| Claims must not omit or hide important information | Section 7 sets out what we have not solved, including Scope 3, which is where most of a builder's carbon actually sits |
| Comparisons must be fair and meaningful | We make none, and we do not describe ourselves as greener than anybody else |
| Claims must consider the full life cycle | Ours are explicitly limited to Scope 1 and Scope 2 and to waste from our own operations. That limit is stated, not implied |
| Claims must be substantiated | Not yet. This is the one requirement we do not currently meet, and section 5 says so and sets out how it will be met |
7. What we have not solved
Being straightforward about the limits is part of being credible about the targets.
- Scope 3 emissions. The great majority of a construction business's carbon footprint is embodied in the materials it buys, and that sits in Scope 3. Our zero carbon target covers Scopes 1 and 2. We are working on measuring Scope 3, and we have not set a Scope 3 target. We would rather have none than one we cannot measure against, and we will not publish a date for it until the measurement exists.
- Energy recovery is not recycling. Diversion from landfill includes energy recovery, which is better than landfill and worse than reuse. We report the split rather than hiding it inside one number.
- Sites we do not control. On some projects the client or principal contractor controls waste and power. We influence those and do not count them as ours.
- Offsetting. We do not use carbon offsetting. Nothing in this document is an offset claim, and no figure anywhere in it has been reduced by buying one. We would rather cut the emission than pay somebody else to account for it, and if that ever changes we will say so here and name the schemes.
8. Accountability and reporting
Written in the future tense, because that is where these things currently are. Describing an intention as a practice is the most common way an environmental statement becomes untrue.
| Where it stands | |
|---|---|
| Who is accountable | Donald Smith, Managing Director. In a business of our size this is not delegated, and the person who signs the statement is the person answerable for it |
| Annual report | We will publish figures once a year, beginning a year after the baseline date in section 5 |
| Independent verification | Not independently verified. We will say so plainly until it is, rather than implying assurance we have not bought |
| ISO 14001 | Held. The certificate is available on request |
| Science-based targets | Not validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. Our targets are our own, set against the definitions in section 2 |
9. Why it matters
| For | Why |
|---|---|
| Our clients | Sustainable buildings are more efficient and cost-effective long-term |
| Our communities | Conservation and green design improve quality of life |
| Our business | Reducing waste and energy use strengthens competitiveness |
| Our planet | Zero waste and zero carbon help tackle climate change and protect biodiversity |
10. Leadership statement
"We have set bold, ambitious, deliberately stretching targets for achieving zero harm to the environment by 2027 because we believe that by committing to something extraordinary, we can achieve something extraordinary. Together with our partners, we will reduce waste and carbon, and improve our natural environment for generations to come.
We have a responsibility not only to reduce our environmental impact but to reverse it wherever possible, and every member of the British Builders family has a role to play in making a real and lasting difference."
Donald Smith
Managing Director