Climate Action Plan: turning ambition into delivery
CIF’s feedback on Climate Action Plan 2026 emphasised the connection between climate action, energy resilience and the delivery of affordable homes and infrastructure. Renewable generation, electricity networks, storage and timely connections are essential to enabling the sector’s transition.
At project level, electric plant, hybrid battery systems and temporary charging infrastructure can help reduce site emissions. Sustainable hydrotreated vegetable oil, or HVO, can also play a role where electrification remains difficult. Progress depends on suitable equipment, reliable energy supplies and the skills to deploy these technologies effectively.
The feedback highlighted how public procurement can build demand for verified lower-carbon concrete, recycled aggregates and sustainable timber. It also stressed proportionate approaches for SMEs, practical implementation support and the integration of adaptation into planning, so that buildings and infrastructure are prepared for a changing climate.
Draft Bioeconomy Strategy: opportunities for construction
CIF’s response to the Draft National Bioeconomy Strategy welcomed the potential of Irish biological resources to support lower-carbon construction, regional employment and manufacturing. Timber, cereal straw, suitable non-feed grass residues and licensable industrial hemp offer opportunities to develop construction products with verified performance.
Wider adoption requires evidence on fire safety, moisture and durability, together with certification, insurance, finance and skills. Implementing the Timber in Construction Steering Group recommendations, assessing manufacturing opportunities and using demonstration projects can help establish confidence in new products.
Off-site manufacture, hybrid systems, retrofit and non-structural applications offer potential early opportunities. Success should be measured through certified products, commercial production and completed projects, with verified whole-life carbon benefits and safeguards for biodiversity and food production.
Three webinars on circular construction
CIF’s webinar programme has brought together practical experience on waste management, aggregate recovery and soil stabilisation. The sessions show how early planning and sound technical evidence can support resource efficiency while managing cost and environmental risk.
1. Waste Recovery Levy | 28 May
Andrew Moag of Environmental Training Solutions examined the Waste Recovery Levy and its implications for construction waste management. The session covered waste classification, recovery and backfilling, and the importance of understanding how the applicable rules affect available routes and project costs. It also considered Article 27 by-product arrangements for soil and stone and Article 28 End-of-Waste routes.
2. IMS Waste Management Facility & Greenstone Aggregates | 27 August
Cian O’Hora of Integrated Materials Solutions introduced the company’s waste management facility and Greenstone Aggregates. The session explored the soil-washing operation at Naul and the recovery of secondary aggregates from construction, demolition and excavation materials.
3. Soil Stabilisation | 10 September
Kevin Keegan of Shannon Valley Group explored the treatment of low-strength site-won soils to produce engineering fill. The session covered investigation and testing, binder selection, in-situ and ex-situ treatment, compaction and verification, drawing on Irish project experience.
Visit the CIF ESG learning page for available recordings and further learning resources.
JRC Construction & Demolition Waste End-of-Waste Workshop
Final Stakeholder Event – 12 June 2026
The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre held its final stakeholder event on 12 June 2026 on the development of EU-wide End-of-Waste criteria for recycled aggregates from mineral construction and demolition waste. The event covered an introduction, the treatment of recycled aggregates under the Construction Products Regulation, two technical sessions on the JRC proposal, and a closing session.
🔗 Click here for more details.
DG Grow training session on environmental sustainability of construction products
On 27 May 2026, the European Commission hosted a major Construction Product Regulation (CPR) Acquis training session on the environmental sustainability of construction products. The event brought together representatives from DG GROW, DG ENER, Construction Products Europe, EOTA, ECO Platform, the cement sector and the Group of Notified Bodies.
It examined how environmental performance will be assessed, verified, declared and digitalised under the revised Construction Products Regulation—Regulation (EU) 2024/3110.
👉 Read more about the event here.
CSRD and the EU Voluntary Standard: clarity for companies between the thresholds
Companies with between 250 and 1,000 employees have faced particular uncertainty as European sustainability reporting requirements have evolved. Under the original Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) framework, companies in the broader large-company reporting category were generally within scope where they exceeded at least two of the following three criteria:
- more than 250 employees;
- net annual turnover exceeding €50 million; and
- a balance-sheet total exceeding €25 million.
School VSME virtual conference: practical next steps
The Supply Chain Sustainability School’s 24 June virtual conference, “Getting Started with Sustainability Reporting: VSME and Practical Next Steps”, brought together reporting expertise and industry experience. Contributors included KPMG, Enterprise Ireland, John Paul Construction, Saint-Gobain, Sisk and Suir Engineering.
The recording is a useful resource for businesses establishing responsibilities, gathering reliable information and deciding how to respond to customer requests. The School’s on-demand learning offers a route to revisit the discussion and build internal capability.
Sustainability Common Assessment Platform
The Sustainability Common Assessment (SCA) was launched at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on 11 June 2026. Its founding partners are Sisk, BAM, John Paul Construction, Collen, Walls, Cairn, JJ Rhatigan and Ballymore, with Supplyo delivering the platform.
Subcontractors and suppliers often receive different sustainability questionnaires from each customer. The SCA aims to replace some of that repetition with a shared assessment that suppliers can complete in a consistent format and make available to participating contractors. It is intended to show a company’s current capability and areas for improvement, rather than act as a pass/fail test. Rollout is phased, so firms should expect existing customer requests to continue during the transition.
The SCA can complement VSME and the new Voluntary Sustainability (VS) reporting standard, with potential to reuse information on carbon emissions, workforce practices and governance across both approaches. VSME provides a voluntary framework for organising company-level sustainability information, while the SCA addresses the practical requests suppliers receive from construction customers.
Evolving carbon standards: SBTi V2.0
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has published Version 2.0 of its Corporate Net-Zero Standard, strengthening the connection between climate targets and practical delivery. For construction businesses, the direction is clear: credible commitments need implementation plans, measurable progress and closer engagement across the supply chain.
✔️ Read about the key highlights and features here.
ISO and GHG Protocol: towards more consistent accounting
ISO and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol announced a partnership in September 2025 to harmonise their greenhouse gas accounting standards. Work continued in 2026, including joint engagement on corporate, product and project accounting.
The objective is greater consistency and comparability, reducing duplication for organisations using different frameworks. This is an ongoing standards-development programme; it should not be treated as a single completed replacement standard.
The distinction is useful: Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) provides a framework for setting science-based climate targets, while ISO and GHG Protocol standards address the measurement and reporting that underpin them. Companies can prepare by documenting boundaries, calculation methods, emission factors and evidence, and keeping a clear record of changes between reporting years.
CIF Carbon Calculator: building a reliable baseline
By early September, more than 500 organisations had registered for the free CIF Carbon Calculator, with eleven extending its use across their supply chains. It offers a starting point for collecting organisational emissions data and responding consistently to client requests.
CIF is exploring improvements with the Supply Chain Sustainability School, including usability, data checks and supply-chain coverage. For users, the immediate priority is a repeatable collection process and clear responsibility for updating information. Organisational accounting is valuable preparation, but building whole-life carbon assessments also require project-specific quantities and product information which will start to phase in from January 2028. Using the Calculator is therefore a useful first step to prepare for these requirements.
☀️ Access the CIF Carbon Calculator here.
Biodiversity in new homes: understanding costs and benefits
Natural Capital Ireland’s literature review for the Irish Green Building Council, “Exploring the Costs and Benefits of Protecting and Enhancing Biodiversity in New Residential Developments”, examines how nature can be integrated into housing and how its value is assessed.
🗞️ Read the full article here.
EPA research: private finance and land-use outcomes
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Research Evidence Synthesis Report 11, “Optimising Land Use Outcomes: The Role of Private Finance”, examines how investment can support more sustainable land use. Prepared by KPMG Sustainable Futures, it considers barriers to investment and the conditions needed to connect finance with measurable environmental outcomes.
📊 Read more about what the research examines and explores here.
FIEC: European developments with practical implications
CIF’s involvement in FIEC, the European Construction Industry Federation, provides a route to share technical experience and follow developments affecting construction across Europe.
Recent FIEC technical discussions covered several EU developments relevant to construction, from building performance and biodiversity to product standards and material reuse.
CBAM: learning from the KPMG event
CIF attended KPMG’s September briefing on the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, or CBAM. The topic is increasingly relevant to construction supply chains as the mechanism moves from transitional reporting into its definitive phase, which began on 1 January 2026.
⚡ Read the event highlights here.
Supply Chain Sustainability School: upcoming webinars and learning
The School’s autumn programme offers practical sessions on recruitment, workplace inclusion, social value and carbon in transport infrastructure. All listed sessions are online. Please check the event page for any programme updates and registration requirements.
1️⃣ 20 October, 11.00am–12.00pm | Menopause Awareness at Work
This webinar is open to all colleagues, including managers and men. It explains menopause and perimenopause, why symptoms can affect working life, and ways colleagues and employers can offer effective support. Find and register for Menopause Awareness at Work
2️⃣29 October, 10.00am–12.00pm | Social Value in Practice
“Buying Social, Building Impact” explores Ireland’s Trading for Impact policy, social enterprises and socially responsible procurement. Policy, social enterprise and industry speakers will discuss how buying decisions and supplier engagement can create measurable community benefits. Register for the Social Value in Practice virtual conference
3️⃣ 26 November, 11.00am–12.00pm | Carbon in Transport Infrastructure: Fundamentals
The first of two transport carbon webinars introduces footprinting, emissions factors and carbon hotspots. Speakers from the School and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) will also introduce the TII Carbon Tool for assessment and reporting. Find and register for Transport Carbon Fundamentals
4️⃣ 3 December 2026, 11:00am – 12:00pm| Carbon in Transport Infrastructure: Action
A standalone follow-on webinar will examine green procurement, carbon hotspots, mitigation and practical case studies in transport projects. It will also introduce TII carbon guidance. Check the School calendar for the transport carbon follow-on session
The School’s event catalogue carries current booking details. Its June VSME Virtual Conference can also be revisited through the on-demand learning resources featured earlier in this issue.
Constructing Equality Ireland
Constructing Equality Ireland brings organisations together to improve the attraction, retention and progression of women in construction. A series of facilitated roundtables will help develop a practical, scalable Gender Equality Action Plan, informed by industry experience.
CIF and Women in Construction Ireland are strategic partners, with facilitation by Business in the Community Ireland. The first roundtable, on 6 October 2026, focused on early-career recruitment. Organisations of different sizes can contribute experience of what helps women enter the sector and what barriers still need to be addressed.
Women in Construction Ireland
Women in Construction Ireland supports women across career stages through mentoring, education, webinars, networking and knowledge sharing. Its work connects individual support with the changes employers can make to recruitment, retention and progression.
Participation offers businesses a practical way to support colleagues, learn from peers and strengthen inclusive workplace practices. Its involvement in Constructing Equality Ireland connects this experience with a wider industry programme of action.
WorldSkills 2026
WorldSkills Ireland 2026, held at the RDS from 16–18 September, gave young people a chance to see skilled careers in action. CIF joined many of our member construction firmsat the event, speaking with students, parents and guidance counsellors about the breadth of opportunities across our industry.
Construction professionals see a sector shaped by technical skill, innovation and the satisfaction of creating places and infrastructure people rely on. Events like WorldSkills help close the gap between that experience and how some people outside the industry still view construction. By meeting the people behind the work and seeing their skills first hand, visitors can picture a wider range of futures for themselves in the sector.
CIF Benevolent Trust: Support when life takes an unexpected turn
After 25 years with CIF, Dermot Carey thought he knew the organisation well. Becoming Welfare Officer with the CIF Benevolent Trust after his retirement opened his eyes to a source of support that many in construction may not know exists
In this personal article, Dermot explains how the Trust provides confidential financial assistance to current and former construction business owners, directors and senior managers, and their families, facing hardship following bereavement, serious illness or other difficult circumstances. He shares the difference this support can make and encourages employers and HR professionals to help ensure those who may need it know where to turn.
🧍🏻Read Dermot Carey’s full article here.
CIF members in action
Across construction, CIF members are putting sustainability and social responsibility into practice. Our latest member showcase brings together over 90 updates from over 60 companies, covering lower-carbon construction, resource efficiency, biodiversity, skills, inclusion, wellbeing and community support.
The examples range from changes on individual sites to sustained charity partnerships, employee development and company-wide sustainability programmes. Together, they show the breadth of activity taking place across our membership and offer ideas that other businesses can adapt.
- ♻️ Circular thinking in action through MMC, recycling and waste reduction
- 🌱 Driving decarbonisation through energy efficiency and low carbon construction
- 🤝 Creating lasting impact through community engagement and social action
- 🏆 Leading with strong governance, recognition and responsible business
- 🎓 Inspiring future talent through education, STEM and skills development
- 🎊 Advancing inclusion, diversity and accessibility across construction
- 🌿 Championing biodiversity, environmental stewardship and community action
- 🦺 Prioritising health, safety and wellbeing across the workforce
- 🏗️ Delivering infrastructure, community spaces and lasting social value
Progress depends on the decisions we make across our businesses: how we use materials, gather information, develop our people and support the communities around us. The initiatives featured in this edition offer practical examples and opportunities to learn from one another.
Thank you to our members, contributors and partners for sharing their experience, and to Dermot Carey for highlighting the work of the CIF Benevolent Trust. Please explore the member carousel, share relevant resources with colleagues and consider where your business could take its next step.
To contribute an initiative to a future edition of Built for Better, or ask about CIF’s ESG work, contact [email protected].
Stay connected,
PJ Ryan, Head of ESG, Construction Industry Federation
