The infrastructure and construction sectors are playing a pivotal role in shaping the transition to a more sustainable and resilient economy. As major consumers of energy, materials and land, these sectors are responsible for a significant proportion of global carbon emissions and resource use, while the risk of infrastructure failure under climate stress poses growing economic and social challenges.
At the same time, the sectors are uniquely positioned to drive meaningful progress in addressing environmental and climate challenges while delivering essential assets that support economic growth and social wellbeing.
Reducing carbon emissions is now a central priority across the sector. This includes cutting embodied carbon in materials, improving construction processes, and delivering energy-efficient infrastructure and buildings that support national net-zero commitments. Achieving this requires innovation in design, the adoption of low-carbon materials, and stronger collaboration across the value chain.
Equally important is the development of resilient and ethical supply chains. Infrastructure and construction projects depend on complex global networks of suppliers, making transparency, responsible sourcing, and climate resilience critical considerations. Organisations are increasingly working with suppliers to reduce environmental impacts while ensuring fair labour practices and long-term supply stability.
Resource efficiency is another key challenge. The sector must reduce waste, limit the extraction of virgin materials, and accelerate the adoption of circular economy principles. This includes designing assets for longevity and reuse, increasing the use of recycled and sustainable materials, and improving construction waste management.
A limiting factor to the successful delivery of these ambitions is professional capability, integration and leadership.
The Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP) harnesses the collective expertise and experience of our global membership to empower individuals and businesses with cutting-edge evidence and insights, enable them with world-class guidance and training, and ensure their excellence with unrivalled professional standards and assessment, across:
· Construction & the built environment,
· Telecommunications & connectivity,
· Engineering,
· Waste management & recycling,
· Infrastructure consultants.
· Net-zero buildings, materials and circular economy requirements
· Acute skills shortages across construction, engineering and consultancy
· Cost, safety and compliance risks increase on complex projects
· Infrastructure performance in extreme weather and climate shocks
· Digital connectivity, utilities and the built environment interdependent
· Regulators and clients demand resilience-by-design, not retrofit
· Infrastructure judged on long-term performance, not delivery alone
· Clients and governments prioritise credible, professionally governance
· Leadership, succession and accountability become differentiators
Amey recognised that to achieve its sustainability goals, it needed to do more than simply adopt policies or initiatives. It needed to create a culture that prioritised sustainability at every level. ISEP’s helped Amey Group by developing a tailored training programme, which included both in-person and virtual options, designed to align with the specific needs of the organisation. They focused on equipping leaders and staff with practical tools, insights, and the confidence to make sustainability a central part of their roles.
voestalpine Turnout Technology UK (vaTTUK) specialise in the design, manufacture, and supply of railway infrastructure such as switches, crossings, and related components for railway tracks. They are key suppliers for major rail operators in the UK and Republic of Ireland, including supporting projects like High Speed 2 (HS2).
The Group’s carbon reduction targets are SBTi-approved and carbon management has become a key priority at vaTTUK - structured around the requirements of the PAS 2080 carbon reduction hierarchy on a project-level basis, and the GHG Management hierarchy across the wider organisational carbon footprint.
This paper sets out the case for environmental management as the bedrock of sustainability and a core asset of high value in effective organisation administration. An environmental management system can be used to manage environmental risks effectively and maximise opportunities to achieve long-term prosperity.
This guide is for non-environmental/sustainability senior executives and managers to support their understanding of the value and benefit of a good environmental management system. This paper provides an overview of what an environmental management system is, how it can benefit organisations, how it fits into other management systems across organisations, and the value that environmental management can bring to operations.
This paper aims to support practitioners seeking to navigate this complexity and develop robust product carbon footprints
(PCFs) to enable organisations to make decisions and choices that cut emissions.
This paper is aimed at practitioners who are looking to conduct PCFs. It demystifies the process – providing practitioners with an understanding of the standards and guidance that inform PCFs, introducing and explaining key terminology and concepts, and highlighting some of the common challenges and hurdles facing those conducting PCFs.
England’s pioneering Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) legislation was launch in 2024 and now mandates a 10% gain for biodiversity in the majority of developments in England.
In this paper we have provided a short bitesize summary of ten BNG themes, including reflections on where we are now over a year since implementation and what we would like to see next in the development of BNG.
No matter what stage you’re at in your career or what sector you work in, we can equip you with the skills, standards and support needed to nurture your talent and advance your career. Whether you’re an environmental specialist, a sustainability generalist, or just want to be a champion for change in your area.
This starts with a specially designed digital tool to analyse your competencies against the ISEP Sustainability Skills Map with our Skills Gap Analysis Tool that both highlights your strengths and identifies where you need to focus on professional development.
Asses your sustainability skills. Plan your next professional step.
corporate partnership programme supports organisations at every stage of their sustainability journey. Whether you're strengthening environmental leadership, building green skills, creating a net zero strategy, or embedding corporate sustainability across your operations, partnering with ISEP empowers your workforce to deliver tangible impact. We help you:
In a world where sustainable business practices are rapidly becoming the global standard, organisations need the right skills, knowledge and professional support to stay ahead.
Digital tool to help you assess the Sustainability Skills of your organisation.
Balfour Beatty is a leading international infrastructure group with over 26,000 employees driving the delivery of powerful new solutions, shaping thinking, creating skylines and inspiring a new generation of talent to be the change-makers of tomorrow.
We finance, develop, build, maintain and operate the increasingly complex and critical infrastructure that supports national economies and deliver projects at the heart of local communities.
The latest evolution of our Sustainability Strategy incorporates an expanded range of focus areas, ensuring we are taking a holistic approach to sustainability and addressing interconnected challenges and opportunities. These focus areas encompass climate change, nature positive, resource efficiency, supply chain integrity, community engagement and employee diversity, equity & inclusion.
For more information, please visit Sustainability - Balfour Beatty plc.
For almost 150 years, BAM have been shaping the UK & Ireland’s vital infrastructure and creating many of the country's most iconic buildings. Today we're part of the Royal BAM Group, one of the largest construction companies in Europe with a turnover of over €7 billion.
Our aim is to leave our world a better place than we found it – to build a more sustainable tomorrow. We do this by connecting, building and maintaining places where people and the planet prosper together. This is our lasting legacy.
We have partnered with ISEP as part of our transformation process to share learning and best practice with our piers; help to develop our in-house sustainability specialists and; deliver a programme of accredited sustainability training to upskill our people.
Website: https://www.bam.com/en
If you want to know more about the work of our Policy and Public Affairs team, please get in touch.
