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Image credit: Lower Thames Crossing

The Lower Thames Crossing – a new road connecting Kent and Essex through a tunnel beneath the River Thames – isn’t just reshaping transport, it’s redefining what sustainability looks like in major projects. Designed to be the greenest road in Britain, the project is setting new standards by combining carbon reduction, low-carbon culture change, and collaboration through Carbon Literacy to build a Net Zero future.

Delivered by National Highways, the Lower Thames Crossing will be the first major infrastructure programme in Britain to be carbon neutral in construction. As a carbon pathfinder, the project has an ambitious target to cut its carbon footprint by 70%, responsibly offsetting any further carbon that can’t be eliminated. To achieve this, the project is scaling up the use of low-carbon construction methods and materials, and earlier this year deployed the world’s first hydrogen powered excavator on its site.

Laying low-carbon foundations

Early on, the project made a commitment to use Carbon Literacy as a driver of culture change and as a measurable tool for reducing carbon across the project lifecycle.

Initially committing to achieve Silver Carbon Literate Organisation (CLO) accreditation, the Lower Thames Crossing exceeded expectations by becoming the first major UK infrastructure project to attain Gold CLO status, demonstrating a genuine belief that low-carbon leadership starts with people.

Carbon Literacy training became the foundation for developing and maintaining a low-carbon culture, leaving a legacy of low-carbon skills that will be put to use far beyond the initial project. More than half of its workforce has completed Carbon Literacy training, a milestone that demonstrates its commitment to embedding low-carbon understanding and behaviour across every element of project delivery.

For two years, the Lower Thames Crossing has delivered Carbon Literacy training to students on the Construction and the Built Environment course at New City College. Aligning with the project’s Skills, Education and Employment Strategy, the training helps students take action at home, in college and in their future careers to reduce emissions.

This approach helped the Lower Thames Crossing engage local communities, suppliers, and stakeholders with transparency – showing tangible, externally verified progress in building low-carbon capability.

Embedding Carbon Literacy in procurement

The project’s most pioneering move was making Silver Carbon Literate Organisation status a tender requirement for all three of its Delivery Partners: Skanska, Balfour Beatty, and Bouygues TP Murphy JV.

Within 52 weeks of the contract award, each partner was required to achieve Silver CLO status – a first in UK infrastructure. This simple but powerful decision ensured that all delivery partners shared a common language and approach around carbon reduction, embedding climate action into the heart of project delivery.

Speaking about the decision, Lucy Hayes, Head of Carbon Management, Lower Thames Crossing, said:

“We recognised the role that procurement can play in delivering on our carbon ambitions, so when procuring for our three design and build contractors, we included a variety of carbon requirements with the aim of establishing a best practice approach to carbon management among both the client team and our supply chain.

Alongside requiring our contractors to commit to a maximum level of carbon emissions and achieve PAS 2080, we asked them and their subcontractors to become Silver Carbon Literate Organisations. We felt this requirement would help Lower Thames Crossing minimise its carbon impact and deliver on its aim to leave a green skills legacy.

We valued the fact that the training courses would be checked and accredited by CLP and that participants would need to produce specific pledges that would also be independently reviewed before an individual became certified as Carbon Literate.”

Delivering real results

Each Delivery Partner integrated Carbon Literacy in unique but complementary ways. Within a year, all three Delivery Partners achieved Silver CLO status – proving that large-scale, multi-partner projects can meet ambitious sustainability goals without compromising delivery.

“Bouygues TP Murphy JV is proud of achieving Silver Level Carbon Literate Organisation accreditation. It is a milestone for our company and shows our commitment to workplace learning and climate action. As Delivery Partners for the Lower Thames Crossing, we’re helping to lead the way toward a zero-carbon future and setting a new standard for sustainability in infrastructure. Above all, the Carbon Literacy training empowers our staff to apply carbon-conscious thinking not just in our projects, but in their everyday lives.”

– Antoine Schwob, Project Director, Bouygues Travaux Publics Murphy JV

“Achieving Silver CLO accreditation from The Carbon Literacy Project reflects our deep commitment to embedding low-carbon thinking across every level of our delivery of Roads North of the Thames. It’s a testament to the passion and leadership of our teams, and a milestone in our journey to make the Lower Thames Crossing a carbon pathfinder project.”

– Paul Taylor, Head of Environmental Sustainability, Balfour Beatty

“Our ambition is to harness the power of our people and partnerships to drive real carbon reductions at every stage of the Lower Thames Crossing project – from embedding Carbon Literacy across our workforce to pioneering low-carbon materials and zero-emission fleets on site.”

“The Carbon Literacy training has helped shape a shared culture across the Kent Roads team and the wider programme during Stage One. Low-carbon thinking has been introduced early on, meaningful initiatives have been set, and designing for carbon reduction is unlocking savings in the main works. This foundation is now bearing fruit through collaboration with Delivery Partners and Lower Thames Crossing.”

– David Mason, Environment Technical Lead, Skanska

Blueprint for the future

The Lower Thames Crossing’s success is already inspiring wider change. By showing that Carbon Literacy can be embedded into procurement and delivery, the Lower Thames Crossing offers a replicable model for any major project seeking to align with the UK’s Net Zero ambitions.

The Lower Thames Crossing’s journey shows that Carbon Literacy isn’t just training; it’s a practical framework for collaboration, innovation, and measurable climate impact.

Download our shareable case study to explore how the Lower Thames Crossing is leading the way in low-carbon construction.