Committee publication · Correspondence · 11 June 2026
Letter from The Minister for Industry from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Department for Business and Trade relating to the publication of the Government’s response to the consultation on growing the market for low carbon industrial products, 27 May
Summary
Letter from the Minister for Industry confirming publication of the government's response to its consultation on growing the market for low carbon industrial products. The government will issue voluntary best practice guidance for buyers and producers on embodied carbon accounting, product classification, and procurement considerations for steel, cement, and concrete. Mandatory standards and ecolabels are deferred.
Key findings
- Government will publish separate best practice guidance documents for buyers and producers covering embodied emissions reporting, product classifications, and procurement considerations
- Steel and concrete classification models will be confirmed in future procurement guidance; ecolabelling and mandatory standards will not be pursued at this stage
- Initial framework phase will operate on voluntary basis, reflecting different business paces toward decarbonisation
- Consultation received 109 responses from industry, contracting authorities, academia, consultancies, and NGOs
- Government will explore digital solutions to support embodied emissions reporting and integrate approach with Construction Products Reforms and Steel Strategy
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Chris McDonald MP, Toby Perkins MP, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, Department for Business and Trade, Environmental Audit Committee, MHCLG, Industrial Deep Decarbonisation Initiative
Notable line
“Creating a resilient market for low carbon industrial products is key to supporting UK industry, increasing confidence in the profitability of decarbonisation, and fostering innovation.”
Key Quotes
“Creating a resilient market for low carbon industrial products is key to supporting UK industry, increasing confidence in the profitability of decarbonisation, and fostering innovation.”
“Currently, the lack of a single agreed methodology to measure the embodied carbon of industrial products, and the use of multiple definitions of 'low carbon', can lead to market inefficiencies and misinformed purchasing decisions.”
“The government has a unique role in helping drive the growth of the market for low carbon products, particularly as a major buyer of construction related products.”
“… the initial phase of the framework will be taken forward on a voluntary basis, recognising that businesses are progressing towards clean energy investment at different paces and valuing the flexibility …”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗