The National Federation of Builders' (NFB) Major Contractors Group (MCG) is arming the construction industry with tools for main contractors to start or accelerate their journey towards achieving net zero carbon with a new decarbonisation handbook.

Launched by Mark Wakeford, Chair of the MCG, at the NFB's Large Contractors Forum, 'Transforming Construction: Delivering a Low Carbon Future' contains practical actions that main contractors can adopt and implement in their own businesses.

Featuring a foreword by Minister Gillian Keegan, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Apprenticeships and Skills, the keynote speaker at the launch event, this landmark handbook is designed to help main contractors all over the UK to step up to the plate and deliver the country's net zero carbon ambitions.

Building on the MCG's own landmark report, 'Transforming Construction for a Low Carbon Future', published in November 2019, the new MCG handbook offers a clear practical route map to help deliver this low carbon future.

Commenting, Mark Wakeford, joint managing director of Stepnell Ltd and Chair of the NFB MCG, said: "While COVID-19 undoubtedly presents a significant immediate risk to us all, few would argue about the momentous threat that climate change presents to all our futures.

"With our new handbook we set to arm our colleagues with the tools they need to start or accelerate their decarbonisation journey. To deliver our country's net zero ambitions, we must help each other to do so. This handbook is designed to do just that.

"It focuses on steps that we ultimately all need to take, but does so in a way that should allow any business, at whatever stage of their decarbonisation journey, to be able to apply."

Designed to help the industry collaborate on delivering the UK's net zero ambitions the handbook presents staged actions and measures for contractors to adopt and implement to work towards the ultimate goal of net zero while being affordable and fitting with each business' vision. The report covers multiple areas where changes can be made to help decarbonise including:

• Developing teams to lead change
• Reducing the carbon footprint of staff and corporate
• Recording, accounting and reducing emissions associated with construction projects
• Reducing embodied carbon
• Reducing carbon emissions through building performance
• Reducing carbon through procurement

Transforming Construction: Delivering a Low Carbon Future can be downloaded at www.builders.org.uk/policy/carbon-report/carbon-report-2020