Month: July 2025

The Supply Chain Sustainability School today launches a vital new guide, Measuring and Reporting Waste in the Built Environment: A Practical Guide, designed to help organisations improve how they measure and report waste across the built environment.

The UK construction sector generates 62% of the country’s total waste, with 32% sent to landfill. While diversion rates are improving, they still fall short of the 99% target. Waste from ongoing operations in existing buildings adds further complexity, increasing costs, carbon emissions, and environmental impact. Meanwhile, the UK’s circular economy remains underdeveloped, with only 7.5% of materials reused nationally.

This new guide provides clear principles, scope, and methodology to enhance waste and resource efficiency reporting. It offers practical frameworks for construction projects and wider built environment activities, with entry, intermediate, and advanced reporting options. The guide also includes key metrics for tracking performance, supporting the growing focus on waste avoidance and circularity.

Matt Nichols, Divisional Director at Reconomy and Chair of the School’s Waste and Resource Use Leadership Group, said: “We are delighted to launch this guide following months of collaboration across the industry. The zero avoidable waste agenda and circular economy are reshaping how we think about resources. Yet to make real progress, we urgently need to improve how waste is measured. After all, what gets measured has a chance to be managed.”

Mark Turner, Associate Consultant and Lead for Waste and Resource Use at the Supply Chain Sustainability School, added: “Our goal was to identify better metrics and KPIs for waste and resource efficiency across the sector. We built on the strong foundations of the ‘Construction Waste Measurement Protocol’ developed by the ENCORD Partnership, updating it for today’s challenges. This guide is a great example of effective waste reporting and promotion of circular economy principles in action – upgrading existing knowledge to support better industry outcomes.”

The guide aims to help organisations understand their current waste performance, set improvement targets, and engage stakeholders including clients and waste contractors with clear expectations on measurement and reporting.

Industry professionals are encouraged to read the guide, discuss it within their organisations, and take positive steps toward improved waste and circularity reporting.

For more information and to access the guide, click here.

Free programme focuses on upskilling the future workforce and enabling small businesses to meet rising sustainability demands.

• Tackles urgent net zero skills gaps across the construction supply chain
• Co-designed with leading contractors including Balfour Beatty, Kier and Morgan Sindall
• Delivered via the Supply Chain Sustainability School’s proven free training model
• Focuses on business growth, carbon reduction, and workforce readiness
• Free to access, with resources available beyond the 24-month programme

2 July 2025, London, UK — Berkeley Group, in partnership with the Supply Chain Sustainability School, has launched the Net Zero Skills in Construction Programme – a practical initiative aimed at equipping the built environment sector with the skills needed to meet the UK’s net-zero goals.

Supported by the CITB’s Industry Impact Fund, this programme has been developed collaboratively with input from a broad group of industry leaders and education providers. Key organisations, including Berkeley Group, Kier, Balfour Beatty, Morgan Sindall, and others from the School’s Future Workforce Leadership Group, have helped shape the training to ensure it addresses real-world needs across the construction supply chain.

Over the next two years, the programme will provide tailored training, resources, and support designed to build practical skills, increase awareness, and open new business opportunities linked to sustainable construction practices. The focus is on empowering both education providers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to confidently adopt net-zero approaches.

Programme highlights include:

• Training and Resources for Education Providers: Developing accessible materials to upskill trainers and assessors, ensuring the next generation of professionals is well-equipped with net-zero knowledge.
• Support for SMEs: Offering bespoke training sessions to help SMEs understand and benefit from net-zero strategies in their operations.

Ian Heptonstall, Co-Founder and Director of the Supply Chain Sustainability School, said:
“Our platform offers practical, high-quality training free of charge, making net-zero skills accessible across the sector. This programme is about creating lasting impact — with resources available long after the initial rollout to support ongoing industry progress.”

Catherine Hawkett, Senior Future Skills Manager of Berkeley Group, added:
“The built environment sector plays a vital role in the UK’s journey to net-zero. By working with CITB and the Supply Chain Sustainability School, we’re ensuring the sector has the skills and tools needed for a sustainable future.”

Vanessa Freeman, CITB Head of Grant & Funding Products at CITB, commented:
“Our Industry Impact Fund will play a vital role in advancing net zero skills across construction – and we’re delighted to be supporting a range of net zero projects across the industry. Through our work with Berkeley Group and the Supply Chain Sustainability School, we’re equipping education providers and SMEs with the tools needed to drive real progress toward the UK’s climate goals.”

For more information, visit https://www.supplychainschool.co.uk/markets/future-workforce/