Building a sustainable future: Exploring clean construction in Glasgow

The shift to a low-carbon world must be people-centred, especially in construction, a sector that faces challenges due to worker safety and a lack of diversity.

On 2-3 September, C40 Cities, Unite the Union and BWI - GLOBAL UNION - Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) visited Glasgow, UK, to explore how clean construction can create quality, sustainable jobs, reduce emissions, and foster inclusivity.?

Facilitated by C40’s VISIBLE project, which is supported by Laudes Foundation , London city officials also joined to learn from Glasgow’s experience of driving a just transition in the construction sector.?

How Glasgow is addressing the clean construction challenge

Glasgow, with a rich construction history, understands the challenges common across the industry, like safety and inclusivity. On average, around 50 workers die on UK construction sites each year, and mental health issues are widespread but often go unreported. While more women are entering the sector, it remains male-dominated. The visit explored public-private joint ventures supported by Glasgow’s city council that aim to overcome these challenges.

We first visited City Building—a leader in Scottish construction offering training and expertise in retrofitting and low-waste construction and manufacturing. In collaboration with workers unions, City Building advances the decarbonisation of its operations while ensuring a platform for workers' perspectives to be heard and respected in the company’s sustainable transition.

On the day of our visit, 50 new apprentices began their training journey with City Building;? its apprenticeship programmes support circular production methods, such as repair, reuse and recycling of materials, serving as a model for creating meaningful jobs while advancing sustainability.

Next, we travelled to the BE-ST ( Built Environment - Smarter Transformation ) facility, where innovation meets sustainability. BE-ST’s mission is clear: accelerate the built environment’s transition to zero carbon emissions, achieved by connecting academia, government bodies, and industry to tackle the construction sector's biggest climate challenges.?

The BE-ST Campus is home to an Accelerator Lab and a Zero Carbon Innovation Lab; these facilities support the development and delivery of ready-made solutions for building and retrofitting to zero-carbon standards, while helping develop workers’ skills in the sustainable technologies of the future.

BE-ST projects are helping to support the circular use of materials, improve worker safety and make construction more efficient.

Lessons from workers and unions

The two-day knowledge exchange gave city officials a chance to hear the perspectives of workers and union representatives on what needs to happen to ensure the move to clean construction is viable, fair and safe for workers. Key insights include:

• Safety and working conditions need urgent attention: Construction remains dangerous and physically demanding. Too often, procurement focuses on price, which drives contractors to prioritise time over safety and quality of work. Changes to construction and manufacturing practices arising from the low-carbon transition must ensure that workers’ health, safety and well-being are considered.
• Direction is needed to future-proof skills: Workers need clear guidance from governments on the future of the industry as it transitions to greener practices. Training and upskilling are critical to ensuring people remain in secure, skilled employment, but a lack of commitment to a long-term, low-carbon vision for the construction sector holds back the sector. The transition should be seamless, ensuring that workers are supported with skills training for any changes to their roles. Funding should be channelled through public sector actors, including cities, to ensure projects align with labour standards.
• Language matters: There’s a need for better engagement with workers on language surrounding the transition, as terms like "just transition" and "green jobs" are sometimes associated with job displacement. With better outreach and direct worker and union engagement, the benefits and opportunities of the shift to clean construction can be communicated, helping secure buy-in and addressing workers’ concerns.
• Inclusivity is essential: Unions like Unite and BWI emphasise that workers must be involved in decisions shaping the future of the construction industry. Their knowledge is crucial for improving safety, skills training, and social equity. Though efforts are being made to diversify the sector, additional dedicated programmes are required to boost women's and other underrepresented groups’ entry into the sector. C40’s Just Transition Toolkit for mayors, city leaders, and their teams offers guidance on ensuring that their climate policy leads the city to a just transition.

A collaborative path forward

The site visits facilitated valuable dialogue between city officials, unions, and industry representatives. London officials, part of the VISIBLE project, were eager to learn from Glasgow’s success in workforce integration and social value.?

The insights from this visit will serve as practical examples for other cities in the C40 network working towards a just transition in construction. By sharing knowledge and collaborating, we can build a cleaner, safer, and more inclusive sector that supports both workers and communities.

Learn more about C40’s work on clean construction

Since Glasgow hosted COP26 back in 2021, C40 and BWI have collaborated on climate justice for construction workers. Supported by Laudes Foundation, the VISIBLE project was launched in 2023 to help the cities of London, Madrid, and Oslo to pilot approaches for building a fair and achievable regenerative built environment.?

The VISIBLE project is working with these cities to build political and public support and to accelerate their building decarbonisation actions. By learning from diverse stakeholders about the social and economic barriers to a just transition, the cities are piloting clean construction practices that aim to mainstream social equity and economic viability.