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Sustainability at RSS Infrastructure Our route to Net Zero by 2050

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CARBON REDUCTION PLAN
Ecologist attaching camera in woodland

RSS Infrastructure is committed to reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050. Our Carbon Reduction Plan, published in July 2025, measures our 2025 carbon footprint at 3,165.7 tonnes of CO2e and sets a target to cut it by 20% by 2031. Our environmental management system is certified to ISO 14001.

Our carbon footprint

We measure our emissions with the RSSB Carbon Calculator, following the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and the UK Government’s conversion factors for company reporting. 2025 is our baseline year, the first year we measured all three scopes of emissions, and we are still finalising the baseline.

  • Scope 1 (fuel and vehicles we own or control): 772.5 tCO2e
  • Scope 2 (electricity we buy): 49.8 tCO2e
  • Scope 3 (included sources in our value chain): 2,343.4 tCO2e
  • Total: 3,165.7 tCO2e

Our targets

We plan to cut our emissions by 20% on our 2025 baseline by 2031, on the way to Net Zero by 2050. Once the baseline is finalised, we will report our progress against it each year. Our Carbon Reduction Plan follows Procurement Policy Note 06/21 and was signed off by our board.

What we are doing to reduce our impact

These measures are already in place across our business.

Cutting emissions on site

  • Battery-powered equipment, including chainsaws for vegetation work, in place of petrol tools.
  • Energy-efficient site lighting that uses 66% of the power of equivalent fluorescent lighting, so fewer generators are needed.
  • Less travel, with public transport, car sharing and a Cycle to Work scheme for our people.
  • Telematics across our fleet monitor speed, braking, fuel use and emissions, helping us cut CO2 and fuel costs.

Standards and pledges

Our people and suppliers

Sustainability in our services

Our specialist teams help clients meet their own environmental commitments.

Zero-emission tools

Battery chainsaws produce no exhaust emissions and run at 90–95 dB, compared with 105–115 dB for petrol models.

Ecology built into planning

Our ecologists carry out protected species surveys, act as Ecological Clerk of Works and advise on Biodiversity Net Gain.

Less waste

We recycle on site and in our offices, reuse PPE or donate it to heritage railways, and use tablets on site instead of paper packs.

Lineside habitats

Our vegetation teams keep the railway safe while protecting the habitats alongside it.

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Social value

For us, sustainability also means the people we employ and the communities we work in.

We are a Disability Confident Leader, the highest level of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme, and have signed the Care Leavers Covenant, the Building Mental Health Charter and the Railway Mental Health Charter. We hold the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award under the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, and in 2021 we won the Social Value Portal’s “Pioneering Equality” award.

In our communities

Read our social value case studies, or more about our social value work, charity fundraising, support for the Armed Forces and our full list of accreditations.

Ecology Services: Ecologist conducting a survey

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. We published our Carbon Reduction Plan in July 2025, in line with Procurement Policy Note 06/21, which requires suppliers bidding for major government contracts to publish one. It sets out our 2025 carbon footprint, our commitment to Net Zero by 2050 and the measures we have in place, and it was signed off by our board. Read our Carbon Reduction Plan (PDF).

We are committed to reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050. Our first milestone is to cut our emissions by 20% on our 2025 baseline by 2031.

We use the RSSB Carbon Calculator. Scope 1 and 2 emissions are reported in line with Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR), and the required Scope 3 emissions in line with the reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, using the UK Government’s conversion factors.

Yes. Our environmental management system is certified to ISO 14001:2015, alongside ISO 9001 for quality management and ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety. See all our accreditations.

Our Ecology team carries out protected species surveys, provides Ecological Clerks of Works and advises on Biodiversity Net Gain. Our vegetation teams use battery-powered tools, and we work to Network Rail’s environmental standard NR/L2/ENV/015. We can share our Carbon Reduction Plan for tenders.

Contact Rohan Jhamat, HSQE & Sustainability Apprentice, at rohan.jhamat@rssinfrastructure.com or call 0330 113 0004.

Projects

GWSR Heritage Line Welding Project
Welding

GWSR Heritage Line Welding Project

Our Welding Division is helping the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway upgrade its Didbrook to Hayles section, replacing WWII-era sleepers and welding every other joint so trains can run during the Cheltenham Festival.
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TFW Vegetation Management Project
Ecology

Transport for Wales (TFW) Vegetation Management Project

On Transport for Wales’ Core Valley Lines vegetation framework, our tree climbers worked with licensed bat ecologists to survey and manage trees where bats were present, keeping the work safe and legally compliant.
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brent reservoir drained
Ecology

Canal & River Trust Nesting Bird Surveys of Brent Canal

Our Ecology team carried out nesting bird surveys at Brent Reservoir, London, for the Canal & River Trust from March to June 2024, helping it meet its legal duties while short of staff.
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Ecological Survey for Wharf Road Development in Kings Norton
Ecology

Wharf Road Development

Our Ecology Services team carried out an ecological survey for Avaro Midlands at Wharf Road, Kings Norton, supporting planning permission for 14 homes on a canal-side site where the previous survey had expired.
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Vegetation Management and Clearance | Managed Environments | RSS Infrastructure
Vegetation Management

Vegetation Clearance for Skanska Bridge

For Skanska, RSSI cleared a large area of trees and vegetation in Birmingham over four weeks, using an excavator with a tree shear attachment, to make way for a new railway bridge.
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Vegetation Management Support | Infrastructure Services & Solutions | RSS Infrastructure
Vegetation Management

Vegetation Management Support

Our Rail Projects team supplied strimmer operatives to help deliver a de-vegetation framework around bridges at sites across Wales, with accommodation arranged to keep workers within fatigue limits.
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Social Value Case Studies

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