What is PAS 2080?
PAS 2080:2023 Carbon Management in Buildings and Infrastructure is the leading standard for managing and reducing carbon across buildings and infrastructure projects. It provides a framework for measuring and managing whole life carbon throughout the asset lifecycle, including across the supply chain.
Updated by the BSI in 2023, the standard has expanded its focus from buildings to infrastructure as a whole, bringing all parties in the value chain into the carbon management process, from planning and design through to construction and operation. It sets out clear requirements for reducing emissions, improving carbon data and tracking progress across projects.
In the UK, PAS 2080:2023 is increasingly being specified for major public infrastructure projects, with verification often required as part of the tender process. A recent example is Gatwick Airport’s Northern Runway development, where certification was adopted to embed carbon management across the full asset lifecycle.
How you can manage the supply chain effectively
Supply chain collaboration sits at the heart of PAS 2080:2023 because the standard is fundamentally built around managing carbon across the entire value chain, rather than within isolated organizations. It explicitly promotes early engagement, shared data, and integrated decision making between clients, designers, contractors, and suppliers to identify and reduce whole-life carbon emissions more effectively.
As PAS 2080 becomes a fundamental requirement for major UK infrastructure projects, success is no longer judged solely on cost and programme, but also on the organization’s ability to work collaboratively to reduce carbon and demonstrate credible, system-wide management approaches.
References
1 UN Environment Programme Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction
