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Guest feature by Dr Helen Bailey CEng FIQ FIAT FCIHT FHEA
For those of us working across quarrying, asphalt and the wider mineral products supply chain, achieving net zero carbon is not an optional sustainability add-on. It goes to the heart of the sector’s future. Our materials underpin infrastructure and that means our carbon footprint is effectively embedded in everything society builds and maintains. If our supply chain does not decarbonise, neither can the wider economy. It is widely cited that 45% of carbon emissions are related to materials’ lifecycle.
Net zero is fast becoming a licence-to-operate issue. Policy and procurement requirements are tightening and expectations are increasingly shaped by frameworks and approaches such as PAS 2080, PPN 06/21 and ISO20400. In other words, carbon performance is becoming instrumental to market access.
Delay is not a neutral choice
When I speak with operators and clients, the question is rarely whether we should act, but what happens if we do not. The risks of inaction are becoming clearer and more immediate. As well as market access, issues include:
• Greater exposure to regulatory and reporting obligations
• Rising operational costs linked to energy and carbon
• Reputational risk and reduced investor confidence
• Attracting next-generation talent
Alongside these commercial pressures sits a more fundamental reality. Climate change is no longer a future issue. As highlighted in the 2025 Emergency Briefing, "extreme weather is not a future threat, it’s happening now", and we are already seeing the consequences through accelerated asset deterioration and operational disruption across infrastructure systems. Anyone with a vehicle can see this is a real and immediate issue.
Evidence suggests early movers are gaining tangible benefits. Those who are improving their client positioning, securing cost efficiencies, and influencing emerging standards are leading the change and setting the rules for others – raising the bar of expectation for the industry.
Net Zero is a people challenge disguised as a technical one
I often say that net zero is frequently framed as a technical transition, but it is, in practice, a cultural one. Technology matters, of course, but transformative change will not be delivered through technology alone. It depends on a shift in mindset, behaviours and expectations across organisations and supply chains.
That is why Carbon Literacy is so important. It plays a critical role in translating ambition into action by turning carbon from an abstract concept into a practical decision-making tool.
On the ground, I see Carbon Literacy translate into real, day-to-day operational choices, such as:
• Reducing transport emissions through better planning
• Increasing recycled content in materials and enabling material reuse
• Choosing more efficient production methods
• Embedding carbon considerations into procurement and design decisions
The overall impact is that carbon shifts from a reporting exercise to something actively managed in everyday operations – part of the organisational consciousness.
The leadership dimension is fundamental. Unlike other business improvements where benefits can be rapid and visible, the outcomes of decarbonisation are not always immediate or obvious. That requires leaders who recognise we are not simply optimising for short-term gain but acting as custodians of systems and resources on which future generations will depend. The full benefits of many decisions we take now may not be realised within our own working lifetimes, but they will shape the resilience and viability of the next.
While quick wins such as energy efficiency, waste reduction and behaviour change can deliver early progress, they are insufficient on their own. Evidence increasingly shows that the greatest value is realised when sustainability is fully embedded across the organisation, integrated into strategy, operations and decision-making rather than treated as a peripheral initiative or compliance exercise. As highlighted in economic briefings on climate risk, organisations that fail to take this systemic long-term view risk locking in inefficiencies, missing growth opportunities, and exposing themselves to escalating transition and physical risks.
Investing in the long term is not always easy, but it is essential. Sustainability should not be viewed solely as risk mitigation or reputational benefit, but as a core driver of value creation, innovation and competitive advantage. I argue this shift in mindset is fundamental if we are to deliver the emissions reductions required to address climate change while building resilient, future-ready businesses.
Where we are today: progress, but uneven capability
From my vantage point across highways, asphalt and quarrying, I believe the sector has made meaningful progress. However, maturity is uneven. Awareness is often strong at leadership level, yet capability at site and operational level still varies.
Most organisations have a reasonable grasp of Scope 1 and 2 emissions. The major challenge is Scope 3, particularly where impacts are driven by materials choices and value chain decisions and often in areas where there is only influence and not control.
This pattern reflects a wider national picture. The Climate Change Committee has been clear that delivery and implementation of adaptation is lagging behind policy, with significant gaps in governance, responsibility and funding. Put simply, direction is set, but delivery is not keeping pace.
Misconceptions that slow progress
Two misconceptions are common.
First, the belief that carbon reduction is prohibitively expensive or dependent on future technologies. In reality, many solutions already exist and are commercially viable. The bigger challenge is often deployment (at scale), prioritisation and organisational confidence.
Second, the assumption that carbon is purely an energy issue. Energy is important, but material choices and design decisions can dominate overall impact. Globally, around 45% of emissions are linked to materials, yet much of the current focus still sits on energy reduction, which risks a partial response to a systemic challenge.
The first 12 months: build momentum with low-regret actions
For companies beginning a structured decarbonisation journey, my advice is to spend the first year focusing on practical, low-risk actions that reduce emissions now and strengthen capability for the longer term. That means:
• Improving energy efficiency across plant and operations
• Increasing material reuse where technically appropriate
• Optimising transport and logistics
• Establishing a clear carbon baseline, performance metrics and a reduction plan
This combination matters. Efficiency and logistics deliver immediate benefits; while baselining and metrics create the visibility and discipline needed to sustain improvement. Take a step-back and look in on our operations, how efficient are we, really? Reducing clean-outs, spillage, non-conforming products are all meaningful places to start.
From pilots to normal practice, and why that is not enough
I am encouraged by what has moved from pilot to standard practice in recent years. Warm mix asphalt, increased RAP usage and carbon baselining are now widely accepted, alongside greater use of early contractor involvement to embed carbon reduction into project planning.
But we also need to be honest with ourselves. Doing less harm is no longer sufficient. As I often say in presentations, "doing less bad is not good enough". The sector now needs to move towards genuine system-level change.
What credible near-term reductions look like
In the near term, the most credible carbon reductions will come from deploying solutions that already exist at scale. Energy efficiency, fuel switching, logistics optimisation and material efficiency offer immediate and practical opportunities. These are not distant ambitions. They are actions we can implement now.
This is also why delaying is not a neutral choice. As I have heard in recent policy discussions, "delaying until you can afford it assumes costs won’t increase and that isn’t true. Learning by doing delivers savings."
Looking ahead, I see the pathway to 2030 being defined largely by optimisation, doing existing things better. That includes increased recycling, grid-driven electrification and better use of data to reduce inefficiencies.
Towards 2050, however, we will need more fundamental transformation. That means rethinking not just how we build assets, but what they are, moving towards circular systems, alternative materials and concepts such as urban mining, rather than reinforcing legacy approaches.
Making the business case in language decision-makers recognise
Quantifying the financial value of decarbonisation helps accelerate uptake. I encourage organisations to view it through four lenses:
1. Direct cost savings (waste reduction, fuel, energy, maintenance)
2. Reduced exposure to future carbon pricing and regulation
3. Increased ability to win work in carbon-sensitive procurement
4. Improved resilience to market and policy changes
When carbon is framed in these terms, it becomes a performance issue, not a compliance exercise.
Investment choices: electrification, alternative fuels and context
When operators are planning the next investment cycle for mobile and fixed plant, there is no single best answer. Decisions need to be context specific. A simple hierarchy can help:
• Optimise operations for maximum efficiency
• Electrify plant where grid capacity allows
• Use transitional fuels such as HVO where electrification is not yet feasible
• Assess options based on duty cycle, infrastructure constraints and asset lifespan
The goal is informed, system-level choices, rather than chasing the latest option without considering operational realities.
Materials and specifications: the lever with the biggest reach
Material innovation and specification will play a defining role in whether we reach net zero. Performance-based specifications can unlock lower carbon solutions, whereas overly prescriptive approaches risk locking in emissions.
Practical levers include increasing recycled content, enabling alternative materials, and focusing on performance outcomes rather than composition. Ultimately, this is about decoupling, breaking the link between economic growth and environmental impact.
Collaboration and Carbon Literacy: how we make learning move faster
In my view, the pace of change now depends less on technology and more on alignment. One of the biggest barriers is inconsistency in understanding across the value chain.
That is why collaboration between IQ, IHE and IAT can make such a difference, particularly through:
• A shared language and aligned training, with Carbon Literacy programmes as a strong starting point
• Cross-sector case studies linking quarrying, asphalt and highways
• Practical, unified guidance that supports delivery on the ground
My priority for the next 12 months is clear: establishing a consistent, sector-wide foundation of Carbon Literacy. Innovation is essential, but it is shared understanding that enables innovation to scale.
Net zero demands new thinking, not just new technologies
The reality is this: transformative change is not just about new materials or new fuels. It is about new thinking. It asks us to move beyond short-term wins and accept that not all value is immediate, visible or captured on this year’s balance sheet.
This is not only about performance. It is about stewardship. We are not just building for today. We are shaping the conditions for tomorrow. And while the true impact of what we do now may not be realised in our lifetime, it will be felt in the next.
About the author
Dr Helen Bailey works across the highways, asphalt and mineral products sectors and is Founder and Director of The Driven Company Associates Limited, a specialist consultancy providing strategic advisory, research, innovation and training to support the transition to low-carbon, future-ready infrastructure. Driven’s work is underpinned by its ethos: Strategic Vision. Sustainable Impact.
She supports organisations in translating net zero ambition into practical, deliverable action, embedding carbon management, circular economy principles and resilience into strategy, operations and supply chains. Her work focuses on carbon baselining and climate impacts, PAS 2080-aligned approaches, material efficiency and building the capability required to deliver sustainable outcomes in day-to-day practice.
Helen currently serves as President of the Institute of Asphalt Technology (IAT) and Deputy Chair of the Institute of Quarrying (IQ), contributing to sector-wide leadership on sustainability, skills and innovation.
Dr Helen’s independent company, Driven, provides further training opportunities surrounding carbon literacy. For further information, please contact Dr Helen at hb@driven.co.com.
