How construction can cut its carbon footprint by caring for soil

Soil is often dismissed as mere dirt, but it is one of the planet’s most powerful carbon stores, holding more than all of the world’s forests combined. Yet in our rush to build, pave and develop, we are neglecting one of our greatest natural climate allies.

For the construction industry, which moves and replaces millions of tonnes of soil each year, this is a hidden opportunity – one of the most practical, cost-effective steps it can take toward achieving net zero.

Soil is alive. It’s a dynamic ecosystem of minerals, organic matter, water, air and billions of microorganisms. Within this living matrix, carbon is continuously captured, transformed and stored. Globally, soils hold roughly three times more carbon than the atmosphere. But every time we strip, compact, or dispose of topsoil, we interrupt that natural process and release stored carbon back into the air.

When soil biology thrives, it sequesters carbon naturally through plant roots, microbial activity and the slow accumulation of organic matter. This carbon cycle reduces atmospheric CO2 and also improves fertility, drainage and biodiversity. Healthy soil literally breathes life into landscapes, supporting resilient ecosystems that is better at withstanding floods, droughts and erosion. For construction, this means one simple truth - how we move and manage the ground beneath us directly influences our carbon footprint.

The UK’s construction sector destroys 10 times the soil than is lost through natural erosion across the UK each year. With the associated loss of ability to store Carbon. Each dig, each heavy vehicle, each stripped layer of topsoil has a climate consequence. The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee estimates that while UK soils currently store 9.8 billion tonnes of carbon, they hold only about half of their full potential due to centuries of degradation.

Traditionally, soil has been treated as waste, something to be stripped, stored in heaps and replaced at the end of a project. But that approach destroys its structure and kills the biological life within it, dramatically reducing its ability to store carbon. At Ruskins, we’ve found that by restoring and managing soil biology, we can increase its carbon storage capacity by up to 75% in just six months. That is a measurable, achievable gain that starts the moment soil is treated as a living system, not an inert material.

Biodiversity within the soil also increases by the same rate, everything above the soil is supported by what is below (this is not obvious from BNG, as it is excluded, despite, holding 57% of the species on each and the total weight of life in soil outweighing all other on land).

Forward-thinking developers are already rewriting the rulebook. By integrating soil management plans into their environmental strategies, they are turning potential carbon losses into long-term gains. This means minimising soil disturbance, segregating different soil types on site and ensuring topsoil is reused and revitalised, not simply stored and forgotten.

The future lies in biologically active landscaping. Using proactive soil biology applications, we can design developments that actively capture and store carbon through healthy soils. This approach enhances biodiversity, improves drainage and even boosts flood resilience, all while supporting net-zero objectives.

In essence, every project has the potential to become a small carbon sink rather than a source of emissions. Multiply that across thousands of sites and construction could move from being a major carbon contributor to one of the most important players in climate mitigation.

We do have to acknowledge, however, that the biggest challenge is visibility. You cannot see carbon in soil, so it rarely makes it into sustainability reports or carbon audits. But that’s changing fast. Advances in digital mapping, soil sensors and carbon modelling now allow developers to quantify the carbon value of the ground they manage. Soon, soil carbon could even become a tradable asset, much like forestry credits, creating financial incentives for better soil stewardship.

For now, the strongest motivation is reputational and environmental. Clients, investors and regulators increasingly expect developers to go beyond compliance to prove that their projects genuinely support climate goals. Healthy soil therefore ticks multiple boxes to include carbon storage, biodiversity net gain, flood management and even long-term landscape performance.

Government policy is catching up too. The Environment Act mandates biodiversity net gain, yet most planning frameworks still overlook the soil’s fundamental role in delivering it. That will change. As we better understand how soil health underpins everything from water retention to carbon sequestration, the industry’s approach to land management will have to evolve.

For Ruskins, soil is not a by-product, it’s a foundation. Our work restoring and improving soil health on construction sites has shown that climate resilience starts from the subsoil up. Unlocking the carbon potential of soil is not about new technology or expensive interventions. It’s about mindset. It’s about seeing soil as an ally rather than an obstacle, a renewable, repairable and incredibly effective carbon storage system that we disturb at our peril.

All this means that the construction industry has an extraordinary opportunity to redefine its relationship with the ground it builds upon. Each site can either contribute to the problem or become part of the solution. If we’re serious about achieving net zero, the message couldn’t be clearer - we must start caring for the carbon beneath our feet. Soil is not dirt. It’s the foundation of our climate future and it’s time the construction industry built with that truth in mind.

This article first appeared in AT Journal issue 157