The Carbon Emissions (Buildings) Bill was introduced to parliament in February 2022, mirroring the contents of the industry-proposed Part Z amendment to the building regulations.

This call for embodied carbon regulation is overwhelmingly supported by industry, and the environmental audit select committee said in its report in May that such a policy was the “single most significant” action that the government could take in the built environment to reduce emissions.

However, at the bill’s second reading on 25 November, the government declined to support it, intending instead to consult on embodied carbon in 2023 and 2024. As such, the bill will not pass, and the industry must now reflect on the next steps.