Scottish Water has become the first utility company in the UK to formally sign an Advance Market Commitment (AMC), pledging to buy a set volume of low carbon concrete.

This move is a significant step aimed at fostering the development and uptake of next-generation sustainable construction materials across the sector.

The publicly-owned utility has committed to purchasing almost 20,000 cubic metres of low carbon concrete over the forthcoming five years. This volume represents approximately 30 per cent of Scottish Water's current annual concrete consumption.

The AMC initiative is led by Innovate UK and Carbon Limiting Technologies, with funding supplied by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). The programme, which was highlighted in the recent Autumn Budget, is strategically designed to accelerate the development and subsequent commercialisation of innovative low carbon concrete.

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The initial target for the AMC is to secure purchase commitments for up to 500,000 cubic metres of low carbon concrete from various signatories. This pooled commitment provides developers and manufacturers with the crucial security of guaranteed market demand for their products. This mechanism is expected to result in faster carbon savings, quicken cost reductions, and position the UK as a leader in advanced construction materials and methodologies.

Chris Arnold, Procurement Category Manager at Scottish Water, expressed delight at the commitment: "We are delighted to be the first signatory to the Advance Market Commitment for Low Carbon Concrete, which is hugely significant in enabling the decarbonisation of concrete.

"We invested more than £1 billion in infrastructure projects last year, with concrete being a significant contributor to our capital investment carbon emissions. The adoption of new innovative low carbon concrete products is a key step forward towards decarbonising construction practices and enhancing the sustainability and resilience of our infrastructure supply chains."

Dr Stafford Lloyd, Innovation Lead for Clean Growth Strategy at Innovate UK, noted the collaborative and strategic nature of the agreement:

"This Advance Market Commitment exemplifies Innovate UK's mission to drive economic growth by supporting businesses to develop new ideas.

"It is a bold, collaborative effort to create a market for sustainable solutions before they are fully commercialised, sending a clear signal to innovators that their efforts will be met with demand and providing an essential component in unlocking investment in scale-up companies."