Posted on:
09 December 2025
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Scottish Water Leads Way with Low Carbon Concrete Pledge
09 December 2025
"Hugely significant"
Scottish Water Procurement Category Manager, Chris Arnold, says the pledge is a key step in decarbonising construction practices.
Scottish Water has become the first UK organisation to sign a pledge committing itself to buying a certain amount of low carbon concrete over the next five years, helping pave the way for the development of next generation sustainable construction materials.
The publicly-owned utility has committed to buying almost 20,000 m3 of low carbon concrete over the next five years - around 30 per cent of its current annual concrete usage - as part of an Advance Market Commitment (AMC) led by Innovate UK and Carbon Limiting Technologies.
Funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), and highlighted in the recent Autumn Budget, the AMC is aimed at speeding up the development and commercialisation of innovative low carbon concrete.
The initial target is to secure commitments from signatories for up to 500,000 cubic metres of low carbon concrete, giving developers the security of knowing there will be a market for this product.
This approach means earlier carbon savings, faster cost reductions, and gives the UK an opportunity to lead in next-generation construction materials and methods.
Scottish Water Procurement Category Manager, Chris Arnold, said: "We are delighted to be the first signatory to the Advance Market Commitment for Low Carbon Concrete, which is hugely significant in enabling the decarbonisation of concrete.
“We invested more than £1 billion in infrastructure projects last year, with concrete being a significant contributor to our capital investment carbon emissions. The adoption of new innovative low carbon concrete products is a key step forward towards decarbonising construction practices and enhancing the sustainability and resilience of our infrastructure supply chains.”
Dr Stafford Lloyd, Innovation Lead, Clean Growth Strategy at Innovate UK, said: “This Advance Market Commitment exemplifies Innovate UK’s mission to drive economic growth by supporting businesses to develop new ideas.
“It is a bold, collaborative effort to create a market for sustainable solutions before they are fully commercialised, sending a clear signal to innovators that their efforts will be met with demand and providing an essential component in unlocking investment in scale-up companies.”
The publicly-owned utility has committed to buying almost 20,000 m3 of low carbon concrete over the next five years - around 30 per cent of its current annual concrete usage - as part of an Advance Market Commitment (AMC) led by Innovate UK and Carbon Limiting Technologies.
Funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), and highlighted in the recent Autumn Budget, the AMC is aimed at speeding up the development and commercialisation of innovative low carbon concrete.
The initial target is to secure commitments from signatories for up to 500,000 cubic metres of low carbon concrete, giving developers the security of knowing there will be a market for this product.
This approach means earlier carbon savings, faster cost reductions, and gives the UK an opportunity to lead in next-generation construction materials and methods.
Scottish Water Procurement Category Manager, Chris Arnold, said: "We are delighted to be the first signatory to the Advance Market Commitment for Low Carbon Concrete, which is hugely significant in enabling the decarbonisation of concrete.
“We invested more than £1 billion in infrastructure projects last year, with concrete being a significant contributor to our capital investment carbon emissions. The adoption of new innovative low carbon concrete products is a key step forward towards decarbonising construction practices and enhancing the sustainability and resilience of our infrastructure supply chains.”
Dr Stafford Lloyd, Innovation Lead, Clean Growth Strategy at Innovate UK, said: “This Advance Market Commitment exemplifies Innovate UK’s mission to drive economic growth by supporting businesses to develop new ideas.
“It is a bold, collaborative effort to create a market for sustainable solutions before they are fully commercialised, sending a clear signal to innovators that their efforts will be met with demand and providing an essential component in unlocking investment in scale-up companies.”
