Construction needs to scale beyond pilots - insights from UKGBC’s new report

The structural barriers limiting progress

Across projects, geographies, and asset classes, the same constraints appear repeatedly:

• Sustainable solutions remain confined to pilot projects
• Procurement processes do not consistently reward low-carbon choices
• Financing and risk allocation frameworks slow adoption
• Data lacks consistency, comparability, and verification
• Decision-making remains fragmented across stakeholders

These constraints are systemic — not technical. Even where viable solutions exist, they struggle to move into standard practice.

A widening gap between intent and execution

Market behaviour shows clear intent to act.

According to the findings reflected in the Scaling Sustainable Solutions report:

• 83% of AEC professionals already use Environmental Product Declarations to inform material selection
• Yet gaps in availability, quality, and comparability of EPD data continue to limit their effectiveness

This creates a structural mismatch.

The industry faces increasing demand for low-carbon decision-making - but insufficient infrastructure to support consistent, scalable execution.

Why data determines whether solutions scale

One Click LCA’s contribution to the Scaling Sustainable Solutions report focused on a single question:

What allows sustainable practices to move from pilot to portfolio?

Three conditions consistently emerge.

1) Clear demand signals

Sustainability must be embedded into procurement, design briefs, and regulatory requirements.

Optional requirements do not scale. Measurable carbon thresholds do.

When project specifications require verified carbon data, supply chains respond.

2) Trusted, comparable data

Decision-making depends on confidence in the underlying data.

Standardized Environmental Product Declarations - aligned with consistent life cycle assessment methodologies - reduce uncertainty and enable direct comparison between materials and design options.

Without this, low-carbon decisions remain subjective, slow, and difficult to justify commercially.

3) Alignment across the value chain

Fragmentation is one of the most persistent barriers to scale.

Developers, designers, contractors, manufacturers, and investors often operate using different datasets, tools, and assumptions. This prevents consistent decision-making - even when objectives are aligned.

Scaling requires shared data, integrated workflows, and consistent methodologies across all stakeholders.

From isolated projects to repeatable delivery

The implication for organisations is practical.

Scaling low-carbon construction is not about identifying new solutions. It is about making existing solutions repeatable across projects and portfolios.

This requires:

• Access to large-scale, high-quality LCA datasets
• Consistent methodologies aligned with global standards
• Integration into design, procurement, and reporting workflows
• The ability to generate and use EPDs at scale

Without these elements, progress remains project-specific, and difficult to replicate.

Why this matters now

The market context is shifting.

Regulation, investor expectations, and asset-level risk are converging around measurable carbon performance. Sustainability is no longer treated as a pilot initiative — it is becoming a core requirement for market access and long-term asset value.

Organisations that treat carbon data as operational infrastructure — rather than a reporting exercise — are better positioned to respond.

Those that do not will face increasing friction across procurement, compliance, and financing.

Download the full report here.

Frequently asked questions

What was One Click LCA’s role in the UKGBC Scaling Sustainable Solutions report?

One Click LCA contributed industry insight focused on the role of data, Environmental Product Declarations, and life cycle assessment in enabling scalable low-carbon construction. This includes practical challenges observed across projects, supply chains, and regulatory contexts.

Why do sustainable construction solutions fail to scale?

The primary barriers are systemic:

• Lack of consistent procurement requirements
• Limited availability of high-quality, comparable data
• Fragmented decision-making across stakeholders
• Misalignment between financial structures and sustainability outcomes

These factors prevent proven solutions from becoming standard practice.

Why are Environmental Product Declarations important?

Environmental Product Declarations provide standardised, verified data on the environmental impacts of construction products.

They enable:

• Comparable material selection
• Transparent reporting
• Alignment with regulatory and certification requirements

However, their effectiveness depends on availability, consistency, and integration into workflows.

What is the role of life cycle assessment in scaling sustainability?

Life cycle assessment provides the methodological foundation for measuring carbon across the full life cycle of assets and products.

It allows you to:

• Quantify embodied and operational carbon
• Compare design options on a consistent basis
• Support procurement and investment decisions with measurable data

Without life cycle assessment, decision-making lacks consistency and credibility.

What does “scaling” mean in practice?

Scaling means moving from one-off, project-level success to repeatable, portfolio-wide delivery.

This includes:

• Standardised processes across projects
• Consistent use of verified data
• Integration into core business workflows
• Alignment across the value chain

What should you prioritise next?

Focus on operational foundations:

• Ensure access to high-quality LCA data
• Standardise methodologies across teams and projects
• Embed carbon requirements into procurement and design processes
• Enable Environmental Product Declaration generation and use at scale

These steps determine whether sustainability remains a pilot — or becomes standard practice.