How PAS 2080 Standard Implementation Supports Nature-based Solutions

The PAS 2080 standard implementation provides a consistent, system-wide approach to carbon management that goes far beyond compliance for the built environment. It encourages innovation, leadership and the integration of nature-based solutions to achieve feasible decarbonisation outcomes. Developed by the British Standards Institution (BSI) and led by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the PAS 2080 standard offers a common framework for managing and reducing whole-life carbon in infrastructure and construction projects. It also plays a role in accelerating nature-based solutions, improving climate resilience and promoting whole-systems decarbonisation across the built environment.

Understanding PAS 2080 and Its Core Principles

What the Standard Covers

First published in 2016 and updated in 2023, PAS 2080: Carbon Management in Buildings and Infrastructure sets out clear PAS 2080 requirements for reducing carbon emissions throughout the life cycle of built assets, from concept and design to construction, operation, and eventual decommissioning. The accompanying PAS 2080 guidance issued by ICE in 2023 outlines best practices and case examples that help practitioners translate the standard into practical delivery. According to the guidance, “carbon emissions and removals through land-use change and nature-based solutions are the only proven interventions that contribute towards the ‘net’ part of the net-zero equation.”

The standard recognises that the greatest opportunity for decarbonisation occurs at the earliest project stages, when fundamental decisions about need, design and delivery are still being made.

A Framework for Systemic Carbon Reduction

PAS 2080 standard implementation encompasses a systemic process that integrates whole-life carbon management into every part of the value chain. The framework focuses on:

• Leadership and governance: embedding decarbonisation objectives into organisational strategy.
• Baseline and target setting: establishing a carbon baseline across all life-cycle stages.
• Whole-life carbon assessment (WLCA): applying consistent methodologies (e.g., BS EN 15978, BS EN 17472) to quantify impacts.
• Supply-chain collaboration: ensuring that every participant, from asset owners to material suppliers, shares accountability.
• Procurement integration: aligning contractual requirements with carbon reduction outcomes.
• Continuous improvement: reviewing performance, sharing lessons and driving innovation.

These principles ensure a consistent approach across the sector, aligning carbon management with corporate sustainability and net-zero targets.

Why Nature-based Solutions Matter in PAS 2080 Implementation

Nature-based solutions (NBS) use natural systems, or engineered ecosystems, to deliver environmental, social and economic benefits. In the built environment, this might include floodplain restoration, green infrastructure, reforestation, or constructed wetlands, all of which mitigate climate risks while sequestering carbon. As ICE’s PAS 2080 guidance highlights, integrating NBS can “avoid or defer the need for conventional hard-engineering approaches,” cutting embodied carbon while improving ecosystem health. This alignment between infrastructure and ecology underpins PAS 2080 climate resilience and contributes to a more whole-systems decarbonisation in the built environment.

Embedding Nature into Carbon Management

The carbon hierarchy promoted by PAS 2080 prioritises avoiding carbon emissions before reducing, substituting or offsetting them. Nature-based solutions align with this hierarchy by:

• Avoiding emissions — for example, preserving natural floodplains instead of constructing concrete barriers.
• Reducing emissions — using vegetated systems that reduce heat island effects and energy demand.
• Substituting materials — using natural, renewable materials such as timber or bamboo in place of high-carbon steel or concrete.
• Removing and storing carbon — through afforestation, soil restoration, and ecosystem regeneration.

This approach positions nature as a key enabler of decarbonisation, not merely an aesthetic or secondary design feature.

How PAS 2080 Standard Implementation Enables Nature-based Solutions

1. Leadership and Strategy Integration
   Senior teams must embed decarbonisation and NBS objectives within their strategic goals, setting clear expectations for project teams and suppliers. The standard’s Clause 5 on leadership requires that organisational leaders “own” the carbon management framework, ensuring that governance structures and resourcing are in place. As seen in Tunley’s PORR Case Study, companies achieving PAS 2080 alignment develop long-term strategies for supply-chain engagement and reporting transparency, both of which are essential when integrating NBS that rely on ecosystem processes over time.
   Learn More: PORR Case Study with Tunley
2. Early-Stage Optioneering
   One of the most powerful aspects of PAS 2080 standard implementation is the emphasis on early decision-making. Here, nature-based options should be explicitly considered alongside conventional alternatives. For instance, in place of a new concrete stormwater network, a constructed wetland could achieve the same hydraulic performance while delivering carbon removals, biodiversity gains and social amenity benefits. This aligns with the ICE guidance under Clause 4, which directs practitioners to evaluate “removals, land-use change and nature-based solutions” as part of the decision-making process.
3. Whole-Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA)
   PAS 2080 standard implementation mandates the use of whole-life carbon assessment to quantify emissions across all life-cycle stages, including construction, operation and end-of-life. When NBS are incorporated, WLCA must also account for carbon removals, soil sequestration and long-term storage potential. A mature carbon management system must extend beyond operational efficiency to quantify and verify natural carbon sinks where relevant. Through WLCA, organisations can credibly compare the performance of green and grey infrastructure options, ensuring that NBS decisions are evidence-based rather than aspirational.
   At Tunley Environmental, our sustainability scientists conduct first-rate Whole Lifecycle Carbon Assessments (WLCAs) in compliance with the guidelines set by Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Greater London Authority (GLA). Learn more about our WLCA service here: Whole Lifecycle Carbon Assessment | Tunley Environmental
4. Procurement and Value Chain Collaboration
   Clause 10 of PAS 2080 emphasises that procurement processes should incentivise carbon reduction and collaboration. Successful implementation requires coordinated engagement across asset owners, designers, contractors and material suppliers.
   Embedding NBS within procurement means:

• Including NBS design and performance criteria in tender documentation.
• Requiring suppliers to demonstrate environmental competency and ecosystem management experience.
• Contracting for outcomes, such as carbon reduction and biodiversity enhancement, rather than traditional input-based metrics.

This ensures that the entire value chain contributes to carbon and ecosystem outcomes, not just isolated project teams.

5       Monitoring, Verification and Continual Improvement

To maintain integrity, the PAS 2080 standard implementation requires transparent monitoring and verification of carbon performance. Clause 9 of the standard focuses on measurement, reporting and verification (MRV). For NBS, this includes tracking both carbon emissions avoided and carbon sequestered. It may also involve the use of geospatial data, vegetation inventories or soil sampling to verify removals over time.

In practice, this means establishing baseline data for NBS and refining methodologies as evidence and technology improve.

The Bottom Line

The PAS 2080 standard implementation represents a transformative framework for decarbonisation and resilience in infrastructure. When organisations embed PAS 2080 nature-based solutions, the standard supports a new paradigm of whole systems decarbonisation in the built environment, where natural processes and engineered systems work in harmony. Ultimately, successful implementation aligns with the UK’s net-zero and climate-resilience goals, proving that managing carbon is about integrating nature, innovation and leadership into every stage of development.