Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng hailed construction’s response to the climate challenge at the high-level Business 7 Summit yesterday.

He said that over 58 UK construction businesses had already signed-up to the UN Race to Zero campaign, adopting science-based targets, including contractors such as Lendlease, Multiplex and Willmott Dixon.

The pledge commits firms to halve emissions by 2030 and individual commitments to achieving net zero emissions as soon as possible and by 2050 at the very latest.

Kwarteng said: “The UK’s construction and engineering industries are leading the world in the drive to cut emissions, and I am thrilled to see so many businesses from all over the globe share this ambition.

“As we build back better, the commitments made at this summit will support the construction industry to make this essential low carbon transition and I look forward to working closely with the sector and the Construction Leadership Council on this journey.”

Hannah Vickers, chief executive of the Association for Consultancy and Engineering said: “The UK’s leading global consultancy businesses are well advanced in achieving Net Zero on their direct emissions.

“In order to deliver significant reductions to society’s carbon emissions, these firms are now also committing to proactively shaping their clients’ decisions and approach. This means that more projects will start out with Net Zero at their core, delivering a positive knock-on effect along the entire construction supply chain.”

*The Pledge To Net Zero initiative is a partner to the UN’s Race to Zero campaign