EAC recommends RICS WLCA amid push to deliver 1.5 million homes

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) today welcomed the Environmental Audit Committee’s (EAC) Environmental Sustainability and Housing Growth report on the challenge of delivering 1.5 million new homes while cutting the built environment’s carbon impact. The EAC’s findings echo RICS’ evidence and highlight the benefits of measuring whole life carbon.

The EAC report highlights the need for increased measurement and reduction of embodied carbon alongside operational emissions to ensure the UK can align its housing ambitions with its net zero commitments. Whole life carbon assessment (WLCA) is an established industry standard that helps to measure and report the total life cycle emissions of buildings – a critical tool to deliver environmental sustainability in tandem with housing growth. RICS’ Sustainability report 2025 reveals that around 46% of construction professionals are not measuring embodied carbon emissions across projects.

RICS CEO Justin Young said: “Today’s EAC report affirms the importance of a consistent approach to measuring whole life carbon across the built environment.

“The EAC rightly emphasises that embodied carbon regulation must be addressed. We welcome the Committee’s renewed focus on the value that the RICS WLCA offers as a UK industry standard and the need for a consultation on regulating embodied carbon in England.

"It is timely as RICS joins policymakers from around the world in Belém at COP30.

“RICS will continue to work with government, industry, and regulators to ensure that WLCA is consistently embedded across the planning system, procurement frameworks, and national housing policy to support sustainable construction.”

-ENDS-

Notes for editors: More information about RICS WLCA may be found at this link.

About RICS

We are RICS. Everything we do is designed to effect positive change in the built and natural environments. Through our respected global standards, leading professional progression and our trusted data and insight, we promote and enforce the highest professional standards in the development and management of land, real estate, construction and infrastructure.

Our work with others provides a foundation for confident markets, pioneers better places to live and work and is a force for positive social impact.

For more information:

Kris Hicks

Khicks@rics.org

press@rics.org