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Lee Sleight is CEO of Holcim UK

Businesses of all kinds have faced unusually volatile market conditions since the beginning of the decade, particularly rising inflation and a “blunt tool” response in the form of higher interest rates. The highest in almost 20 years, in fact.

However, the Bank of England’s more aggressive monetary policy hasn’t been the only pressure for those working on the country’s largest and most important projects. As an industry, we’ve also been at the sharp end of supply chain disruption, with long lead times and bottlenecks making it increasingly difficult to deliver on time and within budget – all in a sector that is defined by complexity.

Is it any wonder, then, that many within the civils space have adopted a more cautious position on sustainability, returning focus to core operations in a bid to weather the storm? No, probably not. Though I also believe this is an overcorrection and these priorities should not be considered mutually exclusive.

Yes, we do need to deliver more large-scale, high-value projects across the country. But we’re now also legally bound to do so without losing sight of the prize: net zero by 2050.

As a concept, it’s received far more scrutiny with the onset of difficult trading conditions. And some of this scrutiny has been justified. Yet it’s also legally bound, having been passed into law in 2019, and with that we can safely assume the regulatory burden will only increase with time.

In other words, those who forge a more sustainable path today will likely find themselves in a more competitive position than those who don’t, not least because it remains a prominent feature in many of the sector’s biggest tenders.

Let’s be clear. We do need to have a conversation about how ambitious targets are delivered in practice, because commercial success is a foundational component for making net zero even remotely possible. However, we also need to understand where smaller gains can be made as the industry negotiates some of its more difficult “stretch goals”.

The latter has become a strategic imperative for Holcim UK, in recognition of our position as a leading provider of construction materials. In many respects, making sustainable design and construction a reality begins with us. If we can deliver products to customers with a lower impact – both in terms of emissions and material content – then we are already part way to delivering a built environment that’s capable of managing long-term goals with short-term machinations in the market.

We’re not waiting for perfect solutions, we’re creating them.

Encouragingly, this vision is shared by some of our industry partners, which is best exemplified by the National Wealth Fund’s recent investment in the Peak Cluster partnership. A sum of £28.6M will be invested in decarbonising over 40% of the UK’s overall cement and lime production, which just goes to show how big a role carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology needs to play in our journey towards net zero.

This is why we’ve prioritised low-carbon concrete through ECOPact, offering up to 70% lower embodied carbon compared to standard mixes, and why we’re scaling ECOCycle technology to integrate recycled construction materials back into new concrete at scale. These solutions show how innovation in materials can reduce emissions and waste right now, not years from now.

To help customers make informed, low-impact choices, we’ve invested in Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for our London readymix business, providing transparent, independently verified carbon data. These steps mean that before a single foundation is poured, we can cut embodied carbon and accelerate the shift to circular construction.

This isn’t corporate posturing – it’s pragmatism. We have actionable solutions, available right now. And in an environment where regulation is tightening with each passing year, we must choose either to lead and adapt or be left behind.

While the market has yet to show clear signs of recovery, we now have a new Industrial Strategy to guide purposeful growth. There’s no better time to refocus our efforts and build momentum for the future.

• Lee Sleight is CEO of Holcim UK, the leading sustainable building solutions specialist striving to make sustainable construction a reality in the UK

For more information, visit www.holcim.co.uk.

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