--- title: "How to Write a Carbon Reduction Plan for PPN 06/21 (Template & Steps)" description: "A step-by-step guide to a compliant PPN 06/21 Carbon Reduction Plan: the template, the six required sections, Scope 3 categories, and director sign-off." metaTitle: "How to Write a Carbon Reduction Plan" ogTitle: "How to Write a Carbon Reduction Plan (PPN 06/21)" ogDescription: "The template, the six sections, the Scope 3 categories, and the sign-off — a step-by-step guide to a compliant Carbon Reduction Plan." category: "Compliance" date: "2026-07-24" dateModified: "2026-08-24" readingTime: "8 min read" cardDescription: "A step-by-step guide to the template, the six required sections, the Scope 3 categories, director sign-off, and how to keep a Carbon Reduction Plan valid." lead: "If a tender asks for a Carbon Reduction Plan, it's a pass/fail gate — get it wrong and your bid is out before it's scored. Here's exactly how to build a compliant one, section by section." ctaHeading: "Generate a PPN 06/21 Carbon Reduction Plan from real data" ctaBody: "VerdCore tracks your Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions as you work and produces a PPN 06/21-ready Carbon Reduction Plan — DEFRA factors and the required template built in." footerNote: "This guide is general information, not legal or compliance advice. Always follow the current PPN 06/21 guidance and Carbon Reduction Plan template on GOV.UK." faq: - q: What are the six sections of a PPN 06/21 Carbon Reduction Plan? a: Commitment to Net Zero, baseline emissions footprint, current emissions reporting, emissions reduction targets, carbon reduction projects, and declaration and sign-off, following the UK Government's published template. - q: What is the most common reason a Carbon Reduction Plan is rejected? a: Reporting only Scope 1 and Scope 2 and omitting the five mandatory Scope 3 categories, the single most frequent cause of a plan being marked non-compliant. - q: Who has to sign off a Carbon Reduction Plan? a: A director or equivalent must formally approve the plan, with a declaration confirming who reviewed it, their role, and the date. A plan without sign-off is non-compliant regardless of content quality. - q: Does a Carbon Reduction Plan need to be published? a: Yes, on your own UK website where it is publicly available, not just emailed to the buyer, and it must be reviewed and republished at least annually to remain valid. --- ## What a Carbon Reduction Plan has to prove A **Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP)** is the document [PPN 06/21](/resources/ppn-06-21-explained.html) requires before you can bid for qualifying central-government contracts (broadly, those above £5 million per year). It isn't scored like a quality answer — it's a **selection requirement**. If your CRP is missing, out of date, or incomplete, the bid can be rejected outright. To be compliant, a CRP has to do three things convincingly: **commit** your organisation to Net Zero, **report** your emissions honestly, and **show** the measures you're taking to reduce them. The good news is there's a standard structure to follow — you're not inventing the format. It's worth knowing where a CRP sits alongside your other carbon paperwork: it reports your *company's* emissions, distinct from a project-specific [Whole-Life Carbon Assessment](/resources/whole-life-carbon-assessments.html) or a [PAS 2080](/resources/pas-2080-for-contractors.html) report on how carbon was managed through delivery. ## The template you should follow The UK Government publishes a recommended [**Carbon Reduction Plan template and technical standard**](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/60ba4d208fa8f57ce980b5b7/PPN_0621_Technical_standard_for_the_Completion_of_Carbon_Reduction_Plans__2_.pdf), and buyers expect your plan to follow it. Sticking to the template is the single easiest way to avoid rejection, because assessors are checking that each required element is present. The plan has six parts: 1. Commitment to Net Zero 2. Baseline emissions footprint 3. Current emissions reporting 4. Emissions reduction targets 5. Carbon reduction projects 6. Declaration and sign-off Work through them in order.
The six-section CRP template
1. Commitment
Net Zero by 2050, stated explicitly.
2. Baseline
A fixed reference year, fully reported.
3. Current emissions
Same scopes, same methodology, this year.
4. Reduction targets
The trajectory from baseline to Net Zero.
5. Reduction projects
Measures completed and planned, quantified.
6. Sign-off
Director declaration, name, role, date.
## Section 1: Commitment to Net Zero State clearly that your organisation is committed to achieving **Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050** across your UK operations. One or two sentences is enough — but the words "Net Zero" and "2050" need to be there explicitly. Assessors look for the commitment as a specific statement, not an implication. ## Section 2: Baseline emissions footprint Choose a **baseline year** — a fixed reference year you'll measure future reductions against — and report its emissions in full. This is the anchor for your whole plan, so pick a year you have good data for. You must report: - **Scope 1** — emissions you burn directly (site diesel, plant, gas, company vehicles) - **Scope 2** — purchased energy (grid electricity) - **A defined subset of Scope 3** (see the callout below) - The **total** across all reported scopes, in tonnes of CO₂e State the baseline year, the methodology, and the emission factors used. ## Section 3: Current emissions reporting Repeat the same breakdown for your **current reporting year**. This lets a reader compare current emissions against the baseline and see the direction of travel. Use the same scopes, the same methodology, and the current-year DEFRA conversion factors. > **The Scope 3 categories you must include.** PPN 06/21 doesn't require full [Scope 3](/resources/scope-1-2-3-emissions-construction.html) reporting, but it does mandate five categories as a minimum: **business travel, employee commuting, upstream transportation and distribution, waste generated in operations, and downstream transportation and distribution.** Reporting only Scope 1 and 2 is the most common reason a plan is marked non-compliant. ## Section 4: Emissions reduction targets Set out where you're heading. Confirm your Net Zero target year and describe the reduction you expect between your baseline and future years — ideally shown as a simple **trajectory or graph**. Targets don't have to be dramatic, but they must be stated and credible. If you have an interim target (for example a percentage reduction by a given year), include it. ## Section 5: Carbon reduction projects This is where you show you're actually *doing* something. List the **measures already completed** and those **planned**, and — where you can — the carbon they save. For a contractor, typical measures include: - Switching plant to [**HVO** or electric equipment](/resources/net-zero-site-plant-hvo-fuel.html) - Specifying **lower-carbon materials** (cement replacements like GGBS, recycled steel) - **Logistics optimisation** to cut delivery miles - **Waste reduction** and higher recycling rates - Site energy efficiency (LED, smart meters, reduced idling) Quantify the impact wherever possible — "we did X, saving Y tonnes CO₂e" scores far better than a list of intentions. ## Section 6: Declaration and sign-off The plan must be **formally approved at board or director level** and say so. Include a declaration confirming it was reviewed and signed off by a director (or equivalent), with a name, role and date. A CRP without sign-off is non-compliant no matter how good the content is. ## Publishing and keeping it current Two final requirements catch people out: - **Publish it on your own UK website.** A PDF emailed only to the buyer does not meet the requirement — it has to be publicly available. - **Review and re-publish at least annually.** A plan published two years ago and never updated is treated as out of date, and out-of-date means non-compliant. ## Common reasons a CRP gets rejected - Reporting only Scope 1 and 2 and omitting the required Scope 3 categories - No director sign-off, or no baseline year stated - The plan isn't published on the company website - It hasn't been refreshed within the last 12 months - Emissions figures with no traceable methodology (DEFRA factors) | Section | Where the evidence comes from | | --- | --- | | Baseline & current emissions | Site fuel, materials, transport and waste logs, converted on DEFRA factors | | Reduction targets | The trend between your baseline and current-year figures | | Reduction projects | Specific measures taken — HVO switch, material substitution, logistics changes — each with a saving attached | | Sign-off | A director's name, role and date, recorded formally | The hard part is rarely the template — it's having accurate, year-round emissions data ready so the numbers are defensible the moment a tender lands, and ready to back up the answers in [your wider tender response](/resources/winning-construction-tenders-on-carbon.html). VerdCore's [construction carbon reporting software](/construction-carbon-reporting-software.html) keeps that data ready year-round.