Why construction must cut carbon now and how the South is leading the way – Kate Cusack, Knights Brown

Published: March 19 2026

Why construction must cut carbon now and how the South is leading the way

By Kate Cusack, Head of Marketing & Communications, Knights Brown

If there’s one industry that can no longer afford to look the other way on climate change, it’s construction. Here in the South, where our communities live with the reality of coastal erosion and rising sea levels, the need to cut emissions isn’t abstract. And while plenty of companies are still sketching out their intentions, Knights Brown is proving that real progress doesn’t come from talking about change but from getting on with it.

In the last five years, we’ve cut our carbon emissions by 40%. That’s not a forecast or a boardroom aspiration; it’s a matter of record. We’re already ahead of our science-based target for 2030 and we’ve got there by swapping out old habits for smarter, cleaner ways to build.

Take temporary power. Diesel generators have been industry standard for decades, despite being one of the dirtiest parts of any site. We’ve been trialling hybrid systems that rely on batteries first and only fire up a smaller generator when needed. The result? Dramatic drops in fuel use and carbon output, all without delaying a single programme. If that’s possible for us, it’s possible everywhere.

Then there’s fuel itself. Last year we brought Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) onto our projects as our go-to alternative to diesel. It cuts emissions by around 80% and unlike some “future solutions”, it works today. Is it perfect? No. But it’s the best transition fuel available now. And because responsibility matters, we only use HVO that meets accredited sustainability criteria, with traceable supply chains based on genuine waste-derived feedstocks.

We’re also tackling the carbon hidden in materials. If you’ve walked past one of our coastal schemes, there’s a good chance the stone under your feet started life as excavated rock just metres away. By crushing and reusing it on site, we’ve avoided thousands of tonnes of new imports, meaning less carbon, less traffic and less disruption for local residents.

Transport is another quiet polluter the industry often accepts as unavoidable. We’ve made local supply chains a priority, with 75% of suppliers based within 50 miles of recent projects. That means fewer lorry miles on Hampshire and Dorset roads and more investment kept in the local economy.

And then there’s the simple stuff, like not leaving engines running for no reason. It sounds small but unnecessary idling across vans and plant pumps out avoidable CO₂ and NOₓ into the air our communities breathe. We’ve cracked down on it with telematics and awareness campaigns because cleaner air shouldn’t be optional.

Our coastline, our communities and our future depend on us adapting to change and building resilience. The good news is, we are on it. Cleaner fuels, smarter power systems, lower-carbon materials and simple behaviour changes are reducing emissions today.

Our experience shows that with practical steps, honest assessment and a willingness to disrupt long-held practices, we can cut carbon while still delivering the projects our communities rely on.

The future of construction will be lower carbon. The only question is which companies will shape that future – and which will be left behind.