Built environment clauses and resources

We have over 30 climate clauses spanning the built environment lifecycle. The tools on this page help you navigate and use them in your contracts.

If you are new to The Chancery Lane Project and looking for the best place to begin, start with Introducing Climate Clauses.

Built environment lifecycle clause map

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Our built environment focus

In 2022, TCLP launched its built environment project with the support of Laudes Foundation. Working with high impact real estate and construction stakeholders, the project will:

Identify key intervention points for climate clauses in targeted sector contracts;
Enable sector actors to operationalise their net zero targets through contracts; and
Extend use our climate clauses in built environment sector contracts, with a particular focus on the UK, European Union, Switzerland, Norway, APAC, China and the US.

Why? According to the UNEP, the built environment generates almost 40% of global energy-related C02 emissions. Using climate clauses in the sector’s relatively small pool of precedent contracts has huge potential to reduce its carbon footprint.

Updates: Follow the project on LinkedIn, our updates page or sign up for our newsletter. Read about our built environment project work so far, here:

Get involved: We advertise opportunities to take part in the built environment project on our pro bono opportunities page. If you would like to support this project but do not see a suitable opportunity advertised, please get in touch with your experience, expertise and what you can bring to the project.

Transpose clauses for your jurisdiction

If you could help adapt our built environment clauses for use in your jurisdiction, please contact us. We are particularly keen to transpose clauses for use in the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, APAC, China or the US.

What are transpositions?

In the context of TCLP’s climate clauses, there are several different types of transpositions:

Jurisdiction – Adapting a climate clause relevant in England and Wales to be relevant in another jurisdiction.
Sector – Taking a clause drafted for one sector and adapting it for use in another.
Shades of green – Increasing the level of climate ambition of a climate clause from light green (low ambition) to dark green (high ambition).
Combinations – A mix of the above.

TCLP believes transpositions are the key to accelerating and scaling its impact across sectors globally. The collaborative efforts of our community will help us to realise a world where every contract enables solutions to climate change.

Built environment podcasts

In the first series of our Contracts for the Climate podcast, we were joined by sector experts to discuss key built environment clauses. Each episode explores how one clause works in practice, the climate benefits it delivers and opportunities to add it to your contracts.

Listen to all episodes on our Contracts for the Climate web page, or on 🍎 Apple, 🌱 Spotify and Anchor.

S1E1 covers Aatmayʼs Clause, which tackles greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the production of new materials by encouraging landlords and tenants to re-use goods and materials during repairs, alterations and yielding up.
S1E2 covers Tristanʼs Clause, which manages GHG emissions caused by procurement of unsustainable materials by setting a carbon budget for construction projects.
S1E3 covers Roseʼs Clause, which encourages project finance companies or borrowers to develop and adopt a whole life decarbonisation management plan.
S1E4 covers Ayshe’s Clause, which tackles emissions and human rights abuses in renewable energy supply chains.
S1E5 covers Izzyʼs Clause, which helps clients to compare a contractor’s carbon footprint against the market.