Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard
The Scottish Government's Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard is a voluntary standard and is applicable across all new, or major refurbishment construction projects.
The development of the Standard was led by infrastructure specialists, the Scottish Futures Trust in collaboration with Zero Waste Scotland and National Services Scotland to support public bodies meet their net zero commitments.
Following approval of the Standard by Ministers in 2020, a suite of support documents was published in 2021 at COP26 before being refreshed and re-launched on this website in August 2023.
The Ambition
The Scottish Government is committed to all public sector buildings achieving net zero emissions by 2045.
To deliver this ambitious target, the public sector must show leadership and demonstrate, through its own estate, what can be achieved.
What is the Standard?
The Standard helps support public bodies define objectives for their construction project in pursuit of a credible path to net zero operational energy.
It has been developed to make project teams aware of current and forthcoming local, regional and national net zero policies for the construction of new buildings and retrofitting existing ones.
Public bodies are encouraged to apply industry good practice in quality assurance to give them confidence that the design, delivery and facilities management work of their project meets with the objectives of the Standard.
Independent checks must be secured at key points to support public bodies to declare their project's conformance with the requirements of the Standard.
Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard and Document Suite
The Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard is a voluntary standard, owned by the Scottish Government and applicable to all major construction projects.
Strategic Partners
The Scottish Government’s Directorate of Energy and Climate Change is the sponsoring directorate of the Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard and plays a central role in its development and implementation.
The Scottish Futures Trust is a Scottish public sector body established by the Scottish Government to drive innovation and maximise the benefits from infrastructure in Scotland.
Zero Waste Scotland is a not-for-profit environmental organisation funded by the Scottish Government to support the transition to a circular economy and achieve the goal of a zero waste society.
National Services Scotland (NSS) is a public body in Scotland that provides a range of support services to the National Health Service (NHS) and other public sector organisations. NSS works to improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of health and care services in Scotland by delivering shared services and implementing innovative solutions in areas such as procurement, estates and facilities management, and information technology.
External resources
Sitting within the Standard are numerous third-party resources and they can all be accessed by clicking the link below.