The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) Sustainability Committee met in July, chaired by Cerys Orriss (Aarsleff). The meeting focused on ground investigation advocacy, pile reuse and competence, company and project carbon reporting, sustainability guidance, industry standards, and progress across FPS task groups and digital initiatives.

Key Updates and Actions:

– Ground Investigation Advocacy and Industry Engagement – The committee reviewed ongoing work to promote the importance of appropriate ground investigation and improve awareness among clients, regulators and the wider construction industry. This includes collaboration with the Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists (AGS), the British Drilling Association (BDA) and the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), together with opportunities to incorporate the subject into CPD activity and wider industry communications.

– Site Competence and Learning Pathways – The committee also discussed how sustainability can be embedded more consistently within site roles, training and competence frameworks, including practical behaviours around anti-idling, material tracking, efficient resource use and reduced water consumption.

– Company and Project Carbon Reporting – The committee reviewed the latest company-level reporting data and the continued need to improve participation, consistency and data quality. Fourteen members are currently reporting regularly, with further engagement planned to support companies that have not yet submitted. Data cleaning remains important, particularly where incorrect units, changing templates or outdated emissions factors have affected returns.

The latest reporting dashboard provides expanded anonymised benchmarking, including company-level comparisons and box-and-whisker analysis. A UK-only view is also to be added to provide members with more relevant comparisons, while the process for correcting individual submissions is being clarified and communicated.

At project level, the 2025 data has been cleansed, ratified and scaled using FPS order statistics to produce a high-level sector carbon baseline. The current dataset represents around 11% of the market by spend, and the FPS understands this to be the first construction sector-specific baseline of its kind.

The committee stressed that the baseline is an important first step rather than a definitive measure. Data coverage varies considerably by technique, with driven piling and mini piling among the areas requiring more submissions. The priority for 2026 is therefore to increase participation, improve supplier-specific data and refine the accuracy of future benchmarks and reduction targets.

– EFFC-DFI Carbon Calculator and Standards Alignment – The digitised EFFC-DFI carbon calculator is progressing through beta testing, with user guidance issued and two testing phases planned to identify bugs and improve functionality. The committee heard that the calculator is already recognised within European guidance, with adoption in France and the Netherlands, and is currently the only sector-specific standard accepted for VSME reporting.

Members discussed the opportunity for the FPS to support a more consistent UK approach by responding to relevant government consultations and advocating for a single, credible sustainability performance standard for the built environment. The project reporting data may also help update the calculator’s default ratios, many of which were established when the original tool was developed in 2007 and no longer fully reflect current materials, fuel, electricity and working practices.

– Sustainability Guides:

• Nature Guide – The guide is undergoing edits following feedback from DFI and US contributors and will be circulated for comment before publication.
• Wellbeing and DEI Guides – Development work is continuing, with members and relevant HR or social value colleagues invited to contribute. Neurodiversity has been identified as one area for inclusion within the wellbeing work.

The committee noted that the guides follow a practical structure, covering definitions, relevance to the sector, actions organisations can take and approaches to measurement. Further member input will help ensure that the guidance reflects a wide range of company sizes, disciplines and experiences.

– Common Assessment Standards and Competence Verification – The proliferation of sustainability standards, pre-qualification requirements and client frameworks highlights the importance of the topic within the industry but can create inconsistency and duplication across the supply chain.

Members have been asked to compile examples of current client and main contractor requirements, including certifications, targets, frameworks and verification requests. This evidence will help FPS assess whether a more unified approach can be promoted through organisations such as Build UK and inform any future lobbying or industry engagement.

Task Group Updates:

– Carbon Metrics Group – The group’s immediate priority is to strengthen the 2025 baseline by increasing project submissions in under-represented techniques and improving the quality and granularity of the data. Further work will develop carbon intensity metrics by piling technique, produce a technical note explaining the methodology and limitations, and explore realistic sector reduction pathways linked to the adoption of lower-carbon materials and working practices.

Members were encouraged to submit qualifying project data and relevant case studies. Greater participation will support more reliable benchmarking, help update assumptions within the EFFC-DFI calculator and enable FPS to engage collectively with suppliers on the need for more detailed product-level carbon information.

– Lower Carbon Concrete Guidance – Work is progressing on a concise FPS guidance note designed to help members understand lower-carbon concrete terminology, identify the questions they should ask clients and suppliers, and apply a practical best-practice checklist. The draft will be condensed and developed with input from the Concrete Centre, rather than individual suppliers, to maintain balance and impartiality.

The guidance will be supported by existing webinars, articles and other learning resources, with the intention of giving non-specialist audiences practical information without oversimplifying the technical and commercial considerations involved.

– Sustainability Awareness and Engagement Sub-Group – A new Sustainability Awareness & Engagement Sub-Group is being established to strengthen internal awareness, improve member participation and support the Federation’s external sustainability profile. Its work is expected to include communications resources, engagement initiatives and clearer signposting of the guidance, data and practical support already available through FPS and its partners.

– HVO Knowledge Sharing – Members offered to share articles, project experience and case studies relating to the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in ground engineering. These resources will be circulated to relevant FPS groups to support a more informed understanding of the operational benefits, limitations and appropriate use of HVO across the sector.

– FPS Digital Project Map and Foundation Reuse Research – The FPS Digital Project Map has been shortlisted for a GE Geotechnical Award, while discussions continue around potential links with the National Underground Asset Register and the Dingo database. The map signposts previous project activity and can help prompt early consideration and investigation of whether existing foundations may be suitable for reuse, although it is not evidence in itself that piles can be reused.