Environmental Policy & Sustainable Procurement Statement

1. Our Commitment

Wyatt Carruthers Jebb Ltd (WCJ) is committed to preventing pollution, protecting and enhancing the natural environment, and supporting the UK’s legally binding transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. We recognise our responsibility to manage and minimise the environmental impacts of our activities, products, and services and will meet or exceed all applicable UK environmental legislation and embed recognised built environment standards into our design, procurement and project delivery activities.

This policy applies to all WCJ staff, offices, project teams, and supply chain partners acting on our behalf.

Legal & Policy Framework

WCJ will comply with the following UK legal and policy requirements, where relevant to our operations and projects:

• Environment Act 2021, including environmental improvement plans and regulatory oversight.
• Climate Change Act 2008 (amended) mandating the UK’s net zero by 2050 target. 
• Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG): requirement for ≥10% biodiversity uplift for relevant developments in England, with 30 year habitat management secured. 
• Building Regulations Part L: conservation of fuel and power for dwellings and non domestic buildings. 
• Procurement Act 2023, effective 24 February 2025, including covered procurement objectives (value for money, public benefit, transparency, integrity). 
• Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 06/21 / PPN 006: carbon reduction plans for contracts ≥£5m/year and reporting of Scope 1, 2 and required Scope 3 emissions. 

3. Industry Standards & Professional Guidance

WCJ applies reputable, widely adopted UK and industry standards:

• RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA), 2nd Edition (2024) as the core WLC methodology. 
• IStructE “How to calculate embodied carbon”, 3rd Edition (2025) for structural embodied carbon methods.
• PAS 2080:2023 for whole life carbon management and value chain collaboration across infrastructure and buildings. 
• BREEAM UK New Construction v6 for recognised sustainability assessment routes and building level performance. 
• UKGBC Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework for net zero design and reporting until superseded by the forthcoming UK NZC Buildings Standard. 
• CIBSE TM65 for embodied carbon estimation in MEP products where verified EPDs are unavailable. 
• CLC CO₂nstruct Zero priorities to align with sector wide decarbonisation targets. 

4. Objectives & Targets

4.1 Whole Life Carbon (WLC)

• Conduct Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA) at key stages: options, planning, technical design, and handover.
• Apply PAS 2080 principles (“Avoid, Reduce, Switch, Improve”) with early client engagement to minimise carbon across the asset lifecycle. 
• Prioritise retrofit over new build where viable and design for circular economy: adaptability, reuse, and disassembly.

4.2 Operational Energy & Building Performance

• Meet or exceed Building Regulations Part L using recognised modelling tools (SAP/SBEM).
• Promote fabric first, low energy design and support clients wishing to pursue BREEAM v6 energy and IAQ credits.
• Include Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) and BREEAM ratings in contract specifications wherever agreed.

4.3 Biodiversity, Water & Pollution

• Deliver statutory ≥10% BNG where applicable, using Defra’s metric and securing 30 year habitat management. 
• Reduce water consumption, specify efficient technologies, and mitigate pollution risk.
• Promote water conservation and management of grey water resource.
• When a project involves either deleterious materials or contaminated land, ensure that all appropriate steps are taken to avoid damage to either the environment or to individuals.

4.4 Materials, Health & Circular Economy

• Avoid deleterious materials and harmful emissions.
• Prefer materials with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs); use TM65 for MEP where EPDs are unavailable. 
• Reduce VOCs and encourage circularity through reuse, remanufacturing, and recyclability.
• Avoid the specification of unacceptable materials such as CFC’s, HCF’s, PCP’s etc., and any materials giving rise to toxic or hazardous emissions or particles.
• Avoid the specification of tropical hardwoods. Where they are required, we will endeavour to ensure that they are available from replenished stocks.

4.5 Transport & Construction Emissions

• Reduce construction phase emissions through efficient logistics, electrified plant where feasible, and diesel reduction in line with CLC CO₂nstruct Zero. 
• Encourage the use of green transport wherever possible.
• Prevent pollution, minimise our inputs of utilities and resources and the outputs of emissions to the atmosphere, effluents to waters/sewers and wastes to disposal facilities; endeavouring to re-use, recover or recycle materials where practicable, or safe disposal where not.

5. Design, Delivery & Verification

• Encourage Clients to consider designing and specifying low energy buildings and recycled materials by carrying out cost in use studies comparing capital cost against running cost.
• Integrate sustainability standards (BREEAM, RICS WLCA, PAS 2080) from the earliest RIBA stages to prevent late stage redesign and maximise carbon savings. 
• Provide post construction verification including as built WLCA and operational energy assessment.

6. Roles, Competence & Training

WCJ will:

• Ensure that environmental responsibilities are defined, communicated, and understood at all levels within our organisation through the provision of appropriate training.
• Provide staff training in WLCA (RICS), embodied carbon (IStructE), PAS 2080 techniques, BNG compliance, and relevant government guidance.
• Ensure that suppliers and contractors understand the organisation's Policy and assist them in developing appropriate systems and a responsible approach regarding environmental issues.
• Define environmental responsibilities across all roles.

7. Monitoring, Reporting & Review

• Report progress internally and to clients, authorities and stakeholders as required.
• Review this policy annually, or earlier if major regulatory or industry changes occur (e.g., updates to RICS WLCA, PAS 2080, BREEAM, or Procurement Act guidance). 

Signed: John Wyatt - Managing Director
Last updated: February 2026

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