The FPS Sustainability Committee convened in December 2024 to address ongoing initiatives and new strategic priorities for enhancing sustainability in the piling sector. Chaired by Stuart Norman, the meeting covered key areas related to carbon reporting, circular economy commitments, and the advancement of sustainability guidance. Below is a summary of the latest developments:
Carbon Reporting and Project level scope 1,2 & 3 Emissions
The FPS continues to refine its carbon reporting framework. The committee aims to streamline carbon data collection (which is anonymised) across both large and small projects, to benchmark industry trends. Although minor delays in data submissions were noted, the focus remains on accuracy, ensuring reporting and aligning data with the FPS quarterly audit cycle. At the meeting it was proposed to reduce the mandatory requirement for project-based reporting to those projects with a value of £750k of greater.
A further goal is to facilitate project-level scope 1, 2 & 3 reporting through the enhanced EFFC Carbon Calculator. This calculator is set for updates, with plans for a web-based platform supporting mass data uploads, facilitating trend analysis through a new dashboard feature.
FPS Plug-in for EFFC Carbon Calculator
An FPS-specific plug-in for the EFFC Carbon Calculator is now available to members and will be incorporated into the latest version of the carbon calculator when next released. This plug-in assists in the standardisation of reporting, assisting the benchmarking and ensuring commonality across projects. This plug-in summarises the project specific Scope 1, 2 & 3 carbon emissions per project and ensures comprehensive tracking of the projects carbon impact.
Development of the EFFC-DFI Sustainability Guides
Progress was reported on the suite of EFFC-DFI sustainability guides, which now include circular economy and decarbonisation strategies enhanced with U.S. standards. Work continues on water resource management, biodiversity, and climate resilience guides, providing a comprehensive resource for sustainable practices in piling.
New Task Group Initiatives
The committee discussed proposals for several new task groups targeting critical sustainability challenges in the sector. These groups will explore topics such as:
- Social Value and Modern Slavery
- Low carbon materials, including FPS representation for advanced market commitment
- Continuation of carbon metrics collation & benchmarking including updating Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Values
- Site Idling Reduction
- Support to the wider historical project mapping, pile re-use and circular economy
Upcoming Conferences and Webinars
With the DFI/EFFC Conference in Bruges scheduled for May 2025, the FPS has been allocated a presentation slot. The committee expressed interest in presenting a vision of “Geotechnical Engineering Contracting by 2050” to showcase FPS’s commitment to sustainability and forward-looking strategies in geotechnical engineering.
Next Steps
The committee will review the progress of these initiatives, with updates expected on the FPS plug-in development, task group scopes, and carbon reporting processes.