The PAS 2080 Accelerator Project report from i3P

The infrastructure sector is facing a significant decarbonisation challenge. Following the Infrastructure Carbon Review in 2013 it was identified that infrastructure is responsible for over 50% of the UK’s carbon emissions. To help address this, the PAS 2080 Carbon Management in Infrastructure standard was launched with the aim of improving the management of carbon across the lifecycle leading to emissions reductions across the infrastructure sector.

Recent studies by TRIB and the Infrastructure Industry Innovation Partnership (i3P) identified that PAS 2080 is not yet being widely applied. Accelerating the adoption of PAS 2080 is one of 20 opportunities identified in the i3P Zero Carbon World Strategy as being critical to moving towards a ‘Zero Carbon World’.

Expedition Engineering was appointed by the Transport Research Innovation Board (TRIB), HS2, Network Rail and the i3P to explore how to accelerate the adoption of PAS 2080. An i3P PAS 2080 Community of Practice was established with representatives from major infrastructure clients and the supply chain, to support the analysis and validate the findings.

A key objective of this study, which took place from March – May 2021, was to ensure that we recognise, support and coordinate with related carbon management activities that are happening across the sector.

Guiding principles

Based on the findings from the diagnosis, four ‘guiding principles’ shaped the development of key actions:

• Focus on tipping the balance so that pros of adoption outweigh the cons.
• Focus on carbon leadership
• Focus on developing sector and organisational carbon management maturity
• Respond to the organisational ecosystem

Actions

The 5 key actions to accelerate adoption of PAS 2080 are:

• Galvanise infrastructure clients to adopt PAS 2080
• Build whole life carbon management and PAS 2080 awareness across the sector
• Develop the evidence base to encourage PAS 2080 adoption in the supply chain
• Ensure the sector can access the necessary capabilities to improve their approach to carbon management
• Drive down the costs of implementing carbon-focused change

The report has identified key activities, alignment requirements with other industry carbon management workstreams and stakeholders for each of the actions and has presented immediate recommendations. To read the report in full, you can download a copy here.

About i3P

KTN provides the secretariat, programme management and strategic lead for i3P, a community of client and supply chain organisations that have made a commitment to delivering collaborative innovation. Through its Strategic Priority Themes, i3P is addressing some of the infrastructure industry’s biggest challenges such as health safety and wellbeing, Zero Carbon World and industrial supply side digitisation and productivity (‘Capable Client’). By using the breadth of knowledge and connections through its diverse membership network, i3P is identifying collaborative innovation opportunities to support the infrastructure sector.