Over thirty of the UK’s property and construction companies have joined forces in a bid to transform the sector into a “sustainable industry” within ten years.

In a formal launch today at Ecobuild, a green building exhibition at Earl's Court, London, the industry frontrunners are forming the UK Green Building Council.

To date over £1 million has been pledged by UKGBC founding members to support the development of the council and build the membership base.   

In the UK buildings are major consumers of energy, water and materials and have a significant effect on the environment and also on the health and productivity of their occupiers. They account for around 50% of total greenhouse gas emissions, with the production of materials accounting for a further 10%.

Similarly, infrastructure construction and renewal have major environmental impacts and make significant demands on natural resources.

The council's mission is to “dramatically improve the sustainability of the built environment by radically transforming the way it is planned, designed, constructed, maintained and operated.”

Their objectives are ambitious:

• Provide leadership and cohesion to the UK Green Building Movement
• Ensure that sustainability is built-in
• Promote the further development and application of the UK's world leading environmental assessment tools
• Transform the market for genuinely sustainable products
• Raise the international standing of UK industry
• Provide a single, powerful, pan industry voice to government
• Act as a catalyst and facilitator to bring people together and share knowledge
• Provide a ‘single source' knowledge base on sustainability matters
• Facilitate research and innovation.