Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department is considering the use of incentives to encourage the use of concrete with lower carbon dioxide emissions.

In 2019, the UK became the first major economy to set a net zero target in law, and our Nationally Determined Contribution to cut emissions by 78% by 2035 is the most ambitious in the world. Delivering on this target requires the deep decarbonisation of all sectors. The Government is setting incentives to ensure a smooth transition to net zero across industry, and we are working closely with the construction sector to reduce its emissions contribution.

In June, we published the National Procurement Policy Statement. This sets out the principles that all contracting authorities need to consider when procuring goods and services, and one of these is tackling climate change and reducing waste. The Government has also published Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 06/21 which requires suppliers bidding for major government contracts to commit to achieving net zero by 2050, and to provide emissions reporting.

In March, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) launched CO₂nstructZero, a cross-industry decarbonisation programme. This prioritises development of innovative low-carbon materials including concrete, and it will advance low-carbon solutions for manufacturing production processes and distribution. The CLC will report regularly to Government on its progress against CO₂nstructZero priorities.

In addition, BEIS funded the Industrial Fuel Switching Competition. The concrete and cement sectors are carrying out demonstrations of a 'zero carbon fuel mix' for cement kilns in 2021, funded by this programme. Further research funded by the BEIS Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator programme is enabling the sector to formulate and demonstrate new low carbon multi-component cements for the UK market. Through utilisation of new technologies and improved efficiency of infrastructure, the industry is set to deliver net zero concrete and cement products across all supply chains by 2050.