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UK Government Publishes New Whole Life Carbon Management Guidance for Infrastructure & the Built Environment
Mar
The UK Government has released new guidance on Whole Life Carbon (WLC) Management, published on 5 March 2026 by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority.
The guidance sets out best practice for assessing and reducing carbon impacts across the full lifecycle of infrastructure and built environment projects, linking WLC principles directly to the Government’s legally binding 2050 net zero target and intermediary reduction targets legislated for in Carbon Budgets.
The new handbook outlines overarching principles, key process guidelines and alignment with PAS 2080:2023, clarifying how whole life carbon assessments should be integrated into project development and the HM Treasury Project Business Case process. It emphasises carbon considerations from early concept through design, construction, operation, and end of life, encouraging consistent adoption across public programmes.
This release marks another step toward more consistent whole life carbon reporting. As whole life carbon practices evolve, Circular Ecology sees this as a welcome addition to improving whole life carbon assessments of infrastructure and the built environment.
