Soils and Stones progress report 2024

Soils and Stones: 2024 Progress Report

Credit for photo, bottom right of the front cover montage: Jane Gilbert CEnv.

Copyright © Society for the Environment, 2024

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Suggested citation: SocEnv (2024). Soils and Stones Progress Report, London, UK: Society for the Environment. Published 3 June 2024 Available at: (Please insert weblink from download source).

About Society for the Environment: Society for the Environment (SocEnv) is an umbrella body tasked with championing and registering the expertise of environmental professionals. SocEnv is the custodian of the Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv), Registered Environmental Practitioner (REnvP) and Registered Environmental Technician (REnvTech) registers. Working as a partnership with 26 Member Bodies, we ensure the quality, relevance and awareness of our registrations and enable our partners and registrants to work together. We are in a unique position, bringing together a range of disciplines and sectors to reflect the multidisciplinary practice of environmental professionals. Find out more via our website: socenv.org.uk

Acknowledgements

This report was developed by the Soils and Stones Project Executive Team, comprising of (in alphabetical order by surname):

Diogenes Antille CEnv

Jonathan Atkinson CEnv

Martin Ballard CEnv (Project Lead)

John Carlon CEnv

Paul Dumble CEnv (Co-editor)

Robert Earl CEnv (Co-editor)

Jane Gilbert CEnv

David Hackett CEnv

Sarah Hamill

Liz Hart

Rebecca Hearn

Karen Jackson CEnv

Richard Moakes CEnv

Sarah Ridgeon (Secretariat)

Diane Robson CEnv

Ross Weddle CEnv

We are thankful to the organisations and initiatives who provided case studies for page 8 of this report, as follows (listed in no particular order):

WSP, West Dunbartonshire Council, DEME and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) E3P, Kellen Homes and McAuliffe Group

Ramboll, the Coal Authority, Environment Agency and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

UBU Environmental, Manchester Metropolitan University and Innovate UK Institute of Water

Ramboll, DS Smith, National Trust and FLI Group

ALIGN working in partnership with HS2, Jacobs, Cranfield University and Tim O’Hare Associates

Southern Water, S.Woodley Crop Services, Arun to Adur Farmers Group and Cranfield University

Executive Summary

Soils and stones underpin our nation’s natural capital

Soils and stones provide the essential resources and ecosystem services to support development, sustainable food production, biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Most of our wealth creation relies on these resources and their sustainable management. We believe:

• The recommendations of the 2023 UK Soil Health Inquiry fully support our own aims

• Delivering a National Soils and Stones Policy will drive economic growth and create skilled jobs

• The main obstacles to progress are knowledge gaps, uncertain governance and limited collaboration.

• The soil carbon and biodiversity offset markets will put financial and natural capital back into the land.

The Background to this Report

We published our influential Soils and Stones Report in 2021. It made more than thirty detailed recommendations to improve soil health, and to promote the markets for using surplus soils and stones as sustainable resources. The approach was innovative in that it brought together experts from all sectors of the economy to focus on a common goal. This goal was to inspire policy makers to remove barriers and to provide incentives to realise the optimum value of soils and stones. Three years after publication, we have now reviewed progress against our 2021 calls to action:

Progress since 2021

• Steady progress has been made but it has been slow.

• We published the Ten Principles framework for managing Soils and Stones.

• We gave evidence to the 2023 UK Soil Health Inquiry.

• Progress against the five categories of recommendation from the 2021 Report is shown below:

Our calls to action for policy makers in this June 2024 Progress Report:

THE TEN PRINCIPLES

OUR FRAMEWORK FOR GOOD SOILS AND STONES MANAGEMENT

1. Deliver sustainable economic growth from Soils & Stones.

2. Preserve, protect and enhance the value of in-situ Soils & Stones.

3. Promote and enhance the wider Natural Capital value of Soils & Stones.

4. Use a common standard of soil health for land management.

5. Use a common quality standard for all uses of ex-situ Soils & Stones.

6. Make Soils & Stones a material consideration for project planning and changes of land-use.

7. Develop and implement a resource hierarchy for managing Soils & Stones.

8. Underpin the voluntary offset market with assured financial metrics that reflect the impact on soil value of development projects.

9. Implement a national policy to harmonise legislation, regulation, best practice and monitoring to protect soils and enhance land values.

10. Periodically benchmark the natural and economic value of UK soils against international indicators.

We call for a National Soils and Stones Policy to drive economic growth, create skilled jobs and to deliver environmental benefits. These benefits include carbon sequestration, biodiversity improvements, food security, and the sustainable reuse of minerals.

We call for full cross-sector collaboration to support the UK government in delivering the policy by June 2025, and a recognised governance framework that will create financial and environmental assurance for the voluntary offset markets to implement the policy.

Introduction

Soils and stones provide the essential resources and ecosystem services to support development, sustainable food production, biodiversity, carbon sequestration and even medicine. Most of our wealth creation relies on these resources and their sustainable management. Our 2021 Soils and Stones Report (the SandS 2021 Report) called for action to protect soils and stones from damaging management practices and the impacts of climate change

Since 2021 we have moved closer to addressing these threats. Our network of Chartered Environmentalists continues to influence the UK government, removing barriers to sustainable practice and creating opportunities for sustainable growth that will benefit both the economy and the environment. This report reviews our progress and highlights what further action is now required to improve soil health, to realise the economic potential of protecting soils and stones, and to maximise financial value in their reuse.

This report provides an honest assessment of progress for our profession and our policy makers. This is the first triennial review of how far we have progressed and provides a focus for our efforts over the next three years.

Through routine progress monitoring, and by sharing updates, we hope that all those with interests in soil science, soil health, land management, ecology, quarrying or aggregates quality will be motivated to join and work with us. Please enjoy our first Triennial Society for the Environment (SocEnv) Soils and Stones Progress Report and if so enthused, reach out by contacting soilsandstones@socenv.org.uk.

All the services that soil provides. (Image retrieved from FAO, 2015).

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Background

Our SandS 2021 Report drew on volunteer Chartered Environmentalists from the Science, Engineering, Construction, Landscaping, Agricultural, Forestry, Conservation, Waste and Resources sectors to make recommendations under the following categories:

• Coordinating Stakeholder Response (CSR): Engaging and influencing key stakeholders

• Harmonising Legislation and Policy (HLaP): Harmonisation for multisector regulation to improve and extend sustainable land-use practice.

• Green Industrial Revolution (GIR): Influencing proposals for increasing natural carbon storage, significant increases in reuse and recycling, and for reducing crop yield losses. Encouraging initiatives to establish funding from the Environment Land Management Schemes in the HM Government Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution.

• Commercial Levers (CLs): Incentivising good practice and penalising unsustainable practices

• Supporting Good Practice (SGP): Support across all sectors and activities

The main recommendation was for the harmonisation of legislation and policy across all sectors and land-use issues. The SandS 2021 Report recognised the need for a common Soils and Stones Framework on which to focus this harmonisation.

The response to the SandS 2021 Report was positive. Supporters of the report included UK Soils and 11 professional bodies including the British Society of Soil Science (BSSS), with supporters citing the timeliness and high quality nature of the report, welcoming the Calls to Action in:

• Supporting a collaborative multisector approach

• Highlighting best practices for improving soil health, and the need for simple, low-cost test of soil health, despite its variability.

• Developing, sharing, using and referencing best practice.

• Demonstrating the importance of education and training.

• Emphasizing the importance of digital platforms for monitoring change and sharing best practice.

• Breaking down sector silos to create better solutions and opportunities.

We fully support the findings of the 2023 UK Soil Health Inquiry and the March 2024 Government response. We join the call to adopt the recommendations of the Inquiry, particularly:

• The introduction of statutory soil health targets by 2028.

• Putting soil health on the same footing as water and air quality within government policy, through improved soil monitoring data, agreed soil health indicators and widely accepted definitions of ‘sustainable soil management’.

We also welcome the recommendations of the Kourmouli et al. (2024) Lancaster University Report “Potential for a Soil Reuse and Storage system in England”. The report builds on many of the actions we called for in the SandS 2021 Report. We are especially pleased to see Environment Agency endorsement for its proposals on legislative change to encourage the use of soil depots

OUR VISION: To inspire policy makers to remove barriers and to provide incentives for our profession to realise the optimum value of soils and stones. Page | 6

Overview of Progress – the Successes

In the last three years, political, economic and professional recognition of the importance of soils and stones has been growing. The UK Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 (EIP), developed by Defra, proposed returning 60% of the nation’s soils to good health by 2030. The report from the 2023 UK Soil Health Inquiry recommended key actions to improve soil management, such as the urgent need for a measure of soil health Our SandS 2021 Report provided the impetus to develop a policy framework to promote soil health and reuse across all sectors. SocEnv published this in March 2023 as the Ten Principles of Good Soils and Stones Management (the Ten Principles), and the Soil Health Inquiry drew on this in making its recommendations

In 2024 the Scottish Government consulted on a draft Circular Economy & Waste Route Map to 2030 Its four strategic aims included the development of regional hubs and networks for reusing construction materials and assets from 2025. It also proposed reducing disturbance to soils and stones and reducing the volumes going to landfill by 2026/27. The final Route Map will be published later in 2024, and we hope to see the objective relating to construction practices taken forward.

Progressive discussions have begun between the Sustainable Soils Alliance (SSA) and SocEnv to agree a uniform, risk-based approach to soil ecology and health. Despite the drive for a circular economy in which materials are reused, the legal definition of waste often presents an economic constraint on the reuse of soils and stones. Midlands Land Events (MidLE) and the East Land Quality Forum are, however, addressing the issue regionally BSSS is leading the cross-sector drive for apprenticeships in Soil Science.

The debate on the future of soils and stones legislation has begun, and we hope that this will extend to exploiting efficiencies for the built environment sector:

• Soils recovery through treatment centres is gaining traction with EIP pilot projects; and after a two-year hiatus, the Environment Agency is leading a review of standards governance for recycled or secondary aggregates, as well as aggregates recovery.

• Indicative plans for training, learning and development have been drafted. The plans depend on mapping land types, agreements with existing providers and on agreeing the strategic direction with our partners.

• Research projects have identified opportunities for collaboration but developing them effectively and consistently requires the alignment of technical standards to offer a way forward to soils and stones managers in all sectors and for all land-types

Additionally:

• Risk-based soil health and ecological standards focused on intended use have begun to take shape. We hope that this will extend beyond agriculture to all soil types and uses.

• Biodiversity Net Gain is now mandatory in England under planning law. Currently this focuses on habitat rather than the ecological value of soil health in supporting habitats.

• There is growing acknowledgement that the natural capital and embedded carbon in soils reflect their economic value, and that natural capital accounting should reflect land management and soil health improvements and be used for policy making and delivery

• CL:AIRE’s code of practice for soils recovery and reuse, redrafted some years ago with industry feedback and submitted to the Environment Agency for review, appears to be making significant progress in 2024.

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Good practice

Highly valued urban soils: intensive soil management in that great British institution, the allotment garden. Credit: Robert Earl CEnv.

To progress the SandS 2021 Report recommendation on ‘Supporting Good Practice’ (SGP), we issued a call for case studies which demonstrate the Ten Principles in action. Case studies on a range of topics relating to soil health and reuse can be accessed on the SocEnv website via the link below. Topics include:

• Sustainable reuse of metal impacted sediments

• Soil health in agriculture.

• Nature Based Solutions in the water industry.

• Soil profile trials to support calcareous grassland

• Recycling soils and aggregates from street sweepings

• Remediation of a former oil terminal.

• Remediation of a former mill

• Redevelopment of a former waterproof textile manufacturing site.

Access case studies here

We would encourage anyone with further case studies that support our Ten Principles to submit them for publication on our website. Please email us on soilsandstones@socenv.org.uk

OUR VISION: To inspire policy makers to remove barriers and to provide incentives for our profession to realise the optimum value of soils and stones. Page | 8

The Challenges

We recognise that many challenges remain, and that the SandS 2021 Report did not address issues such as microplastics in soil, governance in the voluntary carbon and biodiversity markets, or the changes of direction that come following a change of government. A National Soils and Stones Policy would provide the framework for improving soil health and the reuse of soils.

We regret that the Environment Act 2021 omitted mention of soils or aggregates and that, for the reuse of soils from construction, it gave no commitment to measuring or reporting the volumes recovered for reuse on or off site. We acknowledge that our collaborative cross-sector efforts need to be strengthened to realise the opportunities for generating sustainable economic growth and offsetting the risks to property, biodiversity and human health. Much of this we can achieve with or without a regulatory framework. Greater professional collaboration will drive coordinated research that will bring greater understanding of soil biodiversity, the carbon sequestration potential of soils and the inherent value of soils and stones.

We believe, however, that governance and structured oversight are the key to an effective strategy, to the reduction of risk and to achieving our aims. Fewer and better supported action groups, rather than a large number of smaller forums, will bring coordinated effort and energy to improve the neglected but essential material beneath our feet

This report attempts to address these challenges. The pie chart below illustrates current progress to show the scale of these challenges. Nonetheless, during 2024, we shall:

• Meet other soils and stones professionals to discuss in detail how we will collaborate on, for example:

o Soil monitoring

o Making links between regional land events and their activities.

• Develop a communication strategy to influence policymakers and fellow professionals.

• Form an action plan to present on World Soil Day (5 December 2024)

• Encourage additional interested people to become involved in our Soils and Stones Project.

Progress against our SandS 2021 Report recommendations (See Appendices 2 and 3)

Green Good progress made on 2021 recommendation

Amber Moderate or encouraging progress made on 2021 recommendation

Red Little or no progress made on 2021 recommendation

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Towards a Policy Framework for Soils and Stones

Our SandS 2021 Report recommended the development of a policy framework to promote soil health and reuse across all sectors. Following consultation with our partners, SocEnv published these in March 2023 as the Ten Principles.

BRIEFING NOTES:

➢ We need a National Soils and Stones Policy to remove barriers to economic growth

➢ SocEnv already has a bespoke solution: our Ten Principles.

The Ten Principles provide an overarching vision for a medium that had previously been considered too variable and poorly understood to merit targets in the Environment Act 2021. They appear to be unique in providing a universal policy framework for all soils and stones. Their closest international match is the 2021 European Union Soils Strategy The Ten Principles largely found favour with SocEnv’s professional body network The main criticism was that Principle 9 should have been more explicit about governance.

In January 2024 we assessed how far the Ten Principles had been adopted in a sample of 21 soil policies drawn from different countries and professional organisations. These included the UK, the USA, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, and the European Union, as well as professional bodies such as the Sustainable Soils Alliance and the Institute of Quarrying

The results showed widespread acceptance of the need to preserve soils in situ, to recognise the natural capital of soils and to develop a reliable standard for soil health. Three of the Ten Principles had yet to find widespread adoption (highlighted in red above), and these related to excavated soils and the potential for using soil value as currency for the carbon and biodiversity offset markets. The latter, however, is being increasingly adopted separately in the voluntary carbon offset market.

An explicit proposal for a soil use hierarchy (Principle 7) was found nowhere else. A resource hierarchy for the management of land, soils and stones could, if adopted, have the same policy status as the waste hierarchy. The hierarchy would protect virgin soils in situ wherever possible, with other management options ranked in order of desirability when in-situ preservation is unachievable. Adoption of the hierarchy would foster a circular economy and safeguard the environment. The final structure of the resource hierarchy has yet to be agreed with all parties, including the quarrying and aggregates sector, so that it supports any planning obligations associated with the post-extractive use of land, as well as the beneficial reuse of all types of extracted matter This obstacle, however, should not be insurmountable.

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An illustration of how the Ten Principles integrate policy, governance and the economy

Each land-use sector focuses on specific aspects of the Ten Principles as shown below:

Land-use Sectors

Natural Environment

Parks and Leisure

Agriculture and Forestry

Mineral Mining

Description

Re-wilding, Nature Reserves, moors, natural forests, National Parks

Parkland, gardens, golf courses, recreation areas

Farmland, commercial forestry, food and energy crops, regenerative farming, polytunnels

Quarries, aggregate extraction, soil and tailings management

Built Environment Infrastructure, industrial, commercial and housing development including vertical farming and solar farms

Contamination and Waste

Despoiled land management, In-situ & ex-situ land remediation, soil banks, recycled soils, aggregates, and substrates

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The diagram above shows that all Ten Principles pertain to the Built Environment Sector, and that Principles 9 and 10 pertain to all six sectors. It should be noted that the current challenges of climate change, “forever chemicals”, ubiquitous plastic pollution and invasive non-native species require land designated as “natural environment” to be managed in a way to preserve and enhance its natural capital.

The Ten Principles are innovative and unique in that they:

• Cover all land-use sectors.

• Combine the objectives of professionals wishing to preserve and enhance soils in situ, those tasked with managing excavated soils and stones, and those obliged to remediate contaminated sites

• Focus on the economic potential of a sustainable future based on the services provided by healthy soils and reused aggregates

They propose a universal and quantifiable value for soil health that will promote:

• The preservation, protection, remediation, and enhancement of natural soils as a living system.

• A hierarchy of options for managing soils, excavated and reclaimed soils, stones and dredgings.

• Making soils and stones a material consideration in all land-use and development projects.

The Ten Principles align well with the UK Government’s EIP:

The focus on using this soil health value as a benchmark to generate economic growth is widely accepted in agricultural economies, where the sustained fertility of soil is seen as the keystone of economic success and food security. In Western economies the markets for carbon offsets and biodiversity net gain are discovering the financial benefits of improved soil carbon sequestration and increased soil biodiversity. By developing a method of assessing soil health to drive the trade in these offsets, the Ten Principles promote a methodology based on that used successfully by the Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC). The governance behind the methodology will set standards for:

• Professional development, training and certification

• Best practice for all custodians of the land

• Assurance in basing real estate value on soil health.

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Soils and Stones Progress Report 2024

The Ten Principles provide the basis of a comprehensive soils and stones policy for the UK and beyond. They encourage the collaboration between industry sectors and between a wide range of professional bodies. They also provide a launchpad for the development of an effective governance structure for soils and stones, particularly in relation to the voluntary offset markets, remediation of despoiled land and the reuse of excavated soils. The development of a soils and stones resource hierarchy should be achievable by the end of 2024.

Our Calls to Action on an Enabling Policy:

We call on the UK Government to publish a National Soils and Stones Policy by June 2025 to set the framework for reforming and implementing regulation and legislation pertaining to soil health and the beneficial reuse of soils and stones.

We call on CL:AIRE and representatives from all professional bodies managing the reuse of soils and stones to agree a workable resource hierarchy for presentation to the UK Government by December 2024.

References from the SandS 2021 Report: HLaP1, HLaP3, HLaP5, HLaP6, HLaP7, HLaP8, GIR5, GIR6, CL1, CL2, CL3, and CL4

Relevant section of the Ten Principles: 7, 9

OUR VISION: To inspire policy makers to remove barriers and to provide incentives for our profession to realise the optimum value of soils and stones. Page | 13

An earthworm in soil and the soil aggregation that results from their activity. Credit: USDA-NRCS.

Barriers to and Opportunities for Cross-Sector Collaboration

SocEnv has drawn together professionals from a wide range of sectors for the Soils and Stones Project, the majority of whom have been Chartered Environmentalists.

BRIEFING NOTES:

➢ We need cross-sector collaboration to make a Soils and Stones Policy deliver growth and skilled jobs

➢ SocEnv is an umbrella body which is ready to harness its network and build partnerships to effect growth

Much wider groups of professionals have been working independently to pursue similar aims but in specialised areas, such as soil science and the voluntary carbon offset market. Our SandS 2021 Report called for greater collaboration between the interested parties to harmonise regulation, best practice and education, and to combine resources to pursue common aims. The SandS 2021 Report did not specify who should collaborate or by when.

In considering progress over the last three years, we acknowledge that:

• Cross-sector harmonisation of soil quality and professional competence standards has been limited.

• Integration of soil-related land-use planning processes has been slow.

• Change in financial markets, real estate markets, the civil engineering sector and the agricultural sector is difficult to achieve.

• Identifying partners with whom to address deteriorating soil health, poor practice, pollution, and inappropriate policy barriers has been challenging.

• Implementing digital networking and harmonised cross-sector soil monitoring requires resources that have not been available.

• Working with International organisations to improve soil health has been a challenge for SocEnv volunteers, considering the complexity of coordinating data on issues such as sustainable land management practices, soil biodiversity, soil carbon retention, mitigation of soil compaction, soil salination, microplastic contamination, pollution by “forever chemicals” and the challenges of climate change and sea level rise.

Limitations in our partnership working to date are explained by limited resources. There are many opportunities for achieving our aims by coordinating partnerships with other bodies and we intend to implement the following over the next two years:

• Cross-sector consensus on a resource hierarchy and policy framework for implementing sustainable soils and stones management standards.

• Cross-sector consensus on competence, professional standards and training in sustainable soils and stones management.

• Consistent expert advice on the opportunities for economic growth and increased real estate value through improved soils and stones management

• Coordinated engagement with National and devolved Government bodies on soils and stones policy.

• Pooled resources for initiatives such as digital information platforms and communication. Improved collaboration will provide policy makers with consistent professional advice and, therefore, greater clarity for making decisions about skilled job creation, economic growth and meeting commitments on net zero in relation to soils and stones policy. Despite its limited resources, SocEnv has significant experience in coordinating constructive cross-sector engagement with its network working across the soils and stones professions.

OUR VISION: To inspire policy makers to remove barriers and to provide incentives for our profession to realise the optimum value of soils and stones. Page | 14

Our Call to Action on Enabling Greater Collaboration

By October 2024, we call on the SocEnv Licensed Members network, CL:AIRE, the BSSS and the UK Soils network to develop a Collaboration Plan with SocEnv to pursue initiatives and opportunities to improve influence, communications, standards, policies, information sources, research, training and competency for the sustainable management of soils and stones across all sectors.

References from the SandS 2021 Report: CSR1, GIR1, GIR2, CL5, CL6, SGP1, SGP2, SGP6, Relevant section of the Ten Principles: 4, 5, 9, 10

Women’s Land Army members in 1944, when the value of soil was high in the nation’s consciousness. Credit: Robert Earl CEnv.

The collaborative effort of the “Dig for Victory” campaign helped feed the nation in wartime but left a legacy of increased mechanisation and the expansion of intensive arable production onto less suitable land. Graves et al. (2015) estimated that agricultural soil degradation, “mainly linked to loss of organic content of soils (47% of total cost), compaction (39%) and erosion (12%)” was costing England and Wales £1.2 bn a year We are now calling for a new collaborative effort to reverse soil degradation

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The Urgent Need for Governance

BRIEFING NOTES:

➢ We need to build financial assurance in the soils and stones reuse and voluntary offset markets.

➢ Delivery of the Ten Principles will create a robust governance framework for these markets.

Our SandS 2021 Report recommended a variety of governance opportunities for the holistic management of soils and stones. Since then, the expansion of the voluntary carbon and biodiversity offset markets has revealed an urgent need for professional standards, self-regulation and financial assurance to foster sustainable economic growth both in the offset and recycling markets.

Governance needs more than measurement, recording and validation to provide assurance for economic investment. It requires an accountable structure to maintain training, professional competency and best practice standards, as well as a robust independent audit process. It is in this overarching context that we must see progress.

In 2021, The World Bank published its “Soil Organic Carbon MRV Sourcebook for Agricultural Landscapes” The Sourcebook recognised that soils capture carbon, and that soil health and fertility improved with a greater organic content. The World Bank acknowledged that better soil health would generate financial benefits from the carbon offset markets. The Sourcebook stated, however, “Despite the significant potential of soil to sequester organic carbon, there are challenges to implementing carbon sequestration projects.”

Paul et al. (2023) cast doubt on whether carbon farming can be an effective means of climate change mitigation without a governance structure to assess the long-term retention of captured carbon in the soil profile.

Economic growth will be a priority for the next UK Government. This is against the background of national commitments to net zero and biodiversity net gain. The British Chamber of Commerce (2024) has said, “Politicians will need to demonstrate to firms that they have a sustainable long term economic plan that … gives companies confidence.” We believe that with effective collaboration, and with a robust and stable soils and stones policy, the UK can achieve both economic growth and its environmental goals through the sustainable management of in-situ and ex-situ soils.

The principal driver for growth for improving soil health and promoting the reuse of soils and stones will be the voluntary carbon offset and biodiversity net gain markets. PwC has estimated that, by 2037, FTSE 350 companies will have purchased £2.6 billion of carbon offsets. With such high stakes, the financial sector will need assurance that offsets and soil health can be verified against an accepted standard. Metrics for soil carbon capture are currently not transparent in the voluntary offset market. We welcome, however, the proposed new BSI standard (2024) for nature markets BSI Flex 701 “Nature markets – Overarching principles and framework – Specification” which should improve transparency and consistency in the offset markets generally.

The 2023 UK Soil Health Inquiry recommended “The Government should also finalise the soil health indicators by December 2024 at the latest.” Feeney et al. (2023) proposed soil health benchmarks for managed and semi-natural landscapes. These were based on bulk density, pH, soil organic matter and earthworm abundance We understand, however, that the Government metric will be based on the four elements of carbon storage, biodiversity, runoff prevention and fertility, and will underpin effective governance. We called for this metric in our SandS 2021 Report and regret that, while Biodiversity Net Gain is now mandatory in England (Defra, 2023), there is still no provision for assessing

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soil biodiversity in the statutory guidance. A recent review estimated that soil contained about 59% of all species on Earth

The development of soil health indicators appears to be focused on agricultural land. It is currently unclear how the proposed indicators will be used to assess the health of reused and recycled soils.

A simple governance structure for assessing soils and stones value is suggested in the figure above. Governance structures need not be bureaucratic or publicly funded. For example, the JORC is neither and works on a simple governance model to assess the value of ore reserves. JORC works collaboratively with other bodies to provide an assured code of practice that is internationally recognised by financial institutions.

A multi-sector governance model for managing soils and stones, both for the voluntary offset markets and for the valuation of land, reused soil and secondary aggregate could be phased as follows:

• Phase I: Set up a cross-sector Soils and Stones Body to:

o Establish acceptable soil metrics on soil health

o Be accountable to financial and government institutions

o Set professional standards for soils and stones management

o Publish codes of practice and professional conduct

o Award professional status by certification of competent persons

o Undertake disciplinary action to maintain professional standards

• Phase II: Identify competent persons who will:

o Meet the standards to assess soils and stones value

o Undertake audits of soils and stones practitioners and land managers.

o Be accountable for assigning offset valuations and real estate value.

• Phase III: Roll out the implementation of:

o Training programmes.

o Soil and risk management systems.

o Specific procedures to meet the standards.

The benefits to both policy makers and fellow professionals will be the creation of skilled jobs to exploit the financial opportunities in the reuse of soil and soil-based offset markets. It will give financial assurance to investors, insurers and landowners for the value that will be invested in the natural capital of land and the added value of reused soils and stones.

The development of soil health indicators by December 2024 will create opportunities for policy makers and soil-based professionals to collaborate on building a governance structure that will deliver these benefits. The application of the BSI Flex 701 standard to soil offset markets will help to focus resources on building such a governance structure.

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Our Call to Action on Creating Assurance

We call on the UK Government, by April 2025, to bring together representatives of the voluntary offset markets, soil-based professionals and economists to agree and implement an assurance structure that will foster economic growth and real estate value through the sustainable management of soils and stones.

We also call on Defra, by December 2025, to have consulted with relevant stakeholders on the practicality of including assessments of soil biodiversity in the mandatory guidance for calculating Biodiversity Net Gain in England.

References from the SandS 2021 Report: CSR2, CSR3, HLaP2, SGP3, SGP6

Relevant section of the Ten Principles: 9

How can the UK, within its relatively small land area, balance the competing needs of housing, industry, agriculture, conservation and climate change adaptation without the incentive of economic growth to provide for improved soil health?

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The city of Brighton and Hove seen from a high point in the South Downs National Park Credit: Robert Earl CEnv.

The Call for Targeted Research

BRIEFING NOTES:

➢ We still have knowledge gaps and opportunities to develop effective information platforms.

➢ SocEnv calls for private sector R&D funding from the voluntary offset markets to promote growth.

In our SandS 2021 Report we called for research to address the uncertainties surrounding a measure for soil health and the threats to soil health, as well the development of digital platforms for monitoring soil data. We recognise that there have also been widely divergent assessments of the potential of soils to capture and retain carbon from the atmosphere.

The urgent need for a soil health index is widely acknowledged, and we believe that research is in hand to develop a cheap, effective and easy method of assessing soil health by the end of 2024. We recognise that the cost of research is high and it is a protracted process. We also recognise that financial resources are limited for the development of digital platforms and other initiatives.

The principal success since our SandS 2021 Report has been the effort to develop soil health indicators. There has also been a greater understanding of the potential of soil to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The application of soil health indicators for ex-situ soils has not yet progressed, and the understanding of how long carbon stays locked in the soil is still being studied.

On creating digital platforms, the Joint Nature Conservation Council’s Report 737: “Towards Indicators of Soil Health” (Harris et al., 2023) proposed an interactive app for indicating soil health, provided the guidance for using it was clear. Digital platforms exist for meteorological data, irrigation and land classification, but not necessarily in the national format envisaged in the calls to action inn our SandS 2021 Report. We look forward to the further development of digital provision and tracking systems.

Since 2021 the Soil and Stones project has recognised microplastics and nanoplastics as increasing threats to soil health (Dumble et al., 2023), but standards for soil-safe plastics have yet to be created.

Heckman et al. (2023) suggested that soil moisture is the main predictor of how long soil carbon is stored. In 2011 the European Union published “SOIL: the hidden part of the climate cycle” in which the land management practices that encouraged soil carbon sequestration were outlined. The publication called for further data and research on the ability of soil to retain the carbon it had captured from the atmosphere. A more recent briefing note from the BSSS in 2022 cast doubt on whether soil carbon sequestration could be a quick fix for climate change mitigation. The paper also noted that efforts to boost soil carbon storage using carbonised biomass (biochar) must carefully consider “the whole life cycle carbon costs of such techniques before any genuine sequestration benefit can be claimed.”

Various research in Brazilian rain forests has found evidence of biochar-amended anthropogenic soils that would have supported “a complex agricultural network capable of sustaining significant populations.” These soils date from between 500 and 2500 BCE and survive as Terra Preta in which carbon has been held for more than two millennia. Another example of long-term carbon sequestration is found in the 3,000-year-old anthropogenic soils of Orkney. Research by Simpson et al. (1998) identified buried soils manufactured from waste organic matter and ash on Sanday. The proportion of carbon from decomposed organic matter in the dry fossil soil were on average 2.06% These findings show how early farmers developed sustainable food production through the management of waste and biochar both to enhance natural soils and to manufacture growing media. Examination of archaeological reports will help to rediscover sustainable agricultural technologies and

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will provide evidence on the long-term sequestration potential of carbon in the soil. This will help to promote the carbon market for recycled organic waste and composted biowaste.

The wish list for developing better information, such that other professionals can influence and benefit from the data, includes:

• Integrating data collection technologies such as sensors, satellites and drones to support the sustainable management of soil and stones.

• Development of waste and resource monitoring systems for soils and stones to achieve zero waste and the needless landfilling of reusable resources, and to influence regulatory change.

• Improved land capability classification

• Dissemination of best practice studies, reports on developing non-soil food and other green technologies, research on restoring contaminated and despoiled land, assessments of soil carbon sequestration, guidance on avoiding and mitigating plastic pollution in soils, and initiatives to make cities greener.

• Further research into soil, stone and dredgings enhancement schemes to improve reuse options.

• Quality standards to embed value in all materials for reuse to avoid their default definition as “waste”.

• Development of reuse initiatives, including the use of soil depots, to add value to ex-situ soil and stones.

Many of these ideas will have commercial applications but require the collaboration of all interested parties to influence and advise on the direction of the initiatives to make the best use of funding for the maximum economic benefit. In this way, for example, business cases can be developed for the carbon and biodiversity offset markets using spoil, peatland, forestry and areas set aside for wilding

There are many research initiatives that appear not to be coordinated in a way that meets the needs of both in-situ and ex-situ soil managers. There is existing relevant research, such as archaeological data, that may have been overlooked. A coordinated approach to research is required to make the best use of limited funding and to reap the maximum benefit for the economy.

Our Call to Action on Targeted Research and Development

We call on bodies identified in the Collaboration Plan to publish, by October 2025, a prioritised and costed cross-sector research and development programme, to identify where research and development initiatives will generate the best value for money for the greatest economic benefit in the sustainable reuse of ex-situ soils and stones, and assurance in the carbon and biodiversity offset markets.

References from the SandS 2021 Report: HLaP4, HLaP9, GIR3, GIR4, SGP4, SGP5

Relevant section of the Ten Principles: 4, 5, 8, 10

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Natural Capital Accounting and Policy Making

BRIEFING NOTES:

➢ Natural Capital Accounting provides the means to deliver an effective Soils and Stones Policy.

➢ The methodology will help provide financial assurance for investing in soil health and land value.

Natural capital accounting (NCA) is a method used to assess and measure the value of natural resources and ecosystems in economic terms. It involves quantifying the various benefits that humans derive from nature, such as healthy soil, biodiversity, fresh water and climate regulation. By assigning economic values to these ecosystem services, natural capital accounting aims to integrate environmental considerations into policy and economic decisionmaking processes.

HM Treasury recognises the importance of NCA in its guidance to public servants on how to appraise projects, programmes and the development and delivery of public policies (The Green Book). Detailed supplementary guidance to this has been developed by Defra (2020), called Enabling a Natural Capital Approach (ENCA). This provides a framework (see below) and toolkit for policy makers to use in determining if and how NCA should be applied. ENCA includes an assessment template, data sources and case study examples. Notably, it also includes estimates of the annual value of soil erosion: between £130-£211/hectare/year in 2020/21 prices.

The Natural Capital Framework, © Defra

Despite this wealth of information and inclusion of soil in ENCA, Defra’s own 25-year plan and 2023 update through the EIP failed to incorporate NCA, or use it to underpin the development of a dedicated soils and stones strategy. This represents a lost opportunity and one that could have supported other governmental policy actions, such as the new Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme.

Since the publication of our SandS 2021 Report, the UK has experienced its two warmest years on record i.e., 2022 and 2023, where high temperatures and dry soils adversely affected agricultural

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productivity (Davie et al., 2023). Moreover, between October 2022 and March 2024 England experienced its highest level of rainfall for any 18-month period since 1836 when records began, prompting Defra to launch a recovery fund for flooded farms. This highlights both the vulnerability of soils to extremes in weather caused by climate change, and the direct impact it is having on the UK’s capacity to grow sufficient food to feed its citizens.

Natural Capital Accounting should be used consistently in all future government environmental policy making. The ENCA developed by Defra implicitly incorporates a systems-based approach, recognising the potential positive and negative impacts of policies or investments across several areas, such as air quality, biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions and habitats. As such, it has potential to identify synergies between complementary government policies and establish a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to soil health management and climate change adaptation.

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Our Call to Action on Natural Capital Accounting

We call on the UK Government to incorporate natural capital accounting in the 2028 update to the 25 Year Environment Plan.

A country churchyard providing amenity, wildlife habitat, carbon capture and soil protection

Credit: Robert Earl CEnv.

Specific Challenges and Opportunities for SandS 2021 Report Calls to Action

Managing Peat Soils (HLaP6)

Our SandS 2021 Report called for mandatory protection and maintenance of degraded peatland and wetlands, substantially to increase the UK’s carbon storage capacity. In May 2021, the Peat Action Plan promised: "we will immediately fund at least 35,000 ha of peatland restoration by 2025". In Scotland funding primarily from the Scottish Government delivered through partnerships such as Peatland ACTION The aim is to restore 250,000ha of Scottish peatlands by 2030. The Scottish Government has pledged £250m to achieve this, as part of its Net Zero Strategy.

Peat Soils fall into different categories, ranging from those that are unsuitable for agriculture in boggy upland uplands, to the drained peat soils of the Fens. Peat covers about a tenth of the UK land surface. The peat soils of the Fens contain a quarter of the lowland peat in England and Wales but represent half of England’s Grade 1 agricultural land. Peat provides other environmental services with estimates that it has already stored about three billion tonnes of carbon in the UK As peat forms it is able to capture carbon In addition, upland peat soils provide water retention and mitigate the risk of downstream flooding (Holden, 2009)

The BSSS has promoted several projects to restore peatlands in Wales and Scotland without involvement of the voluntary carbon markets in the private sector (Keenor et al., 2021). While peat may provide the greatest opportunity for carbon storage in the UK, the Australian and US governments have recognised the value of the marketplace for supplementing farm incomes through the sale of soil carbon offsets (Raymond, 2023) The concept may incentivise the protection and maintenance of degraded peatland in the UK without the need for mandatory regulations

There are, however, widely differing assessments of the capacity of improved soil health to capture carbon dioxide. At COP28, BSSS President Dr Hannam stated that improvements in soil health could offset the annual carbon emissions of the USA. This is about 13% of an earlier estimate that soil restoration globally could sequester all anthropogenic carbon emissions.

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Topsoil for sale: a way to add value to soil when the ban on peat products comes into force?

Credit: Robert Earl CEnv.

Soils and Stones Progress Report 2024

Implementing Nature Based Solutions (SGP3)

Our SandS 2021 Report recommended improvements in land management. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are used, for example, in reed-bed and grass-plot technologies for wastewater treatment, and nature conservation initiatives to protect the quality of water abstracted for potable water supplies. Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) often utilise NbS to manage rainwater runoff from hard surfaces such as roads, paved pedestrian areas in city centres, car parks and roofs.

While SuDS are designed primarily to protect water bodies and property, they also protect soils. As green infrastructure, they are compatible with the natural water cycle by providing soil percolation and bio-filtration. The British Geological Society considers them to mimic natural drainage systems. Not only can they provide local environmental improvements, such as the creation of wetlands, but they also enable a degree of drought resilience, improve soil health and moisture retention capacity, and feed groundwater resources. Retention ponds create new habitats, for example for protected species, and present opportunities for biodiversity gains. SuDS also help to create wildlife corridors.

The concept of SuDS was enshrined in the enabling legislation of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. Supported by CIRIA’s SuDS Manual, these systems are mandatory in Wales, but will not become so in England, until later in 2024. OFWAT and the Environment Agency have recognised SuDS as best practice since 2013. SuDS for new developments have been mandatory in Scotland since 2007 under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (as amended).

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A retention pond and soakaway on a new development in Kent. Credit: Robert Earl CEnv.

Soils and Stones Progress Report 2024

Developing Non-Soil Food Technologies (GIR5)

In our SandS 2021 Report, we called for the development of hydroponics and other non-soil food production. These included vertical farming, which has had mixed fortunes in recent years, but also intensive farming in polytunnels using growbags of coconut coir The increased use of vertical farming could relieve pressure on land for specialised high-value crops. A more controlled growing environment could also reduce the damage caused by extreme weather events, such as drought and floods. Reduced crop yields caused by extreme weather are evident across the world and are manifested in the UK as higher food prices.

Regenerative farming may also offer some opportunities for carbon capture while improving food security. Initiatives to promote regenerative agriculture in the UK include those practised at the Knepp Estate and the “Six Inches of Soil” campaign

Addressing the Skills Gap (CSR2)

Our SandS 2021 Report called for improved training to allow soils and stones practitioners to build their professional competence. Geoscientists (e.g., geologists, geographers and geophysicists) are listed on the UK skills shortage register. Apprenticeships for such roles are limited, and degrees are often required for them. This has left skills gaps in many sectors which interact with soils and stones. A new apprenticeship in soil science, however, opened up in 2024. At earlier stages in education, GCSEs are to be offered in natural history and Environmental Management from 2025. Nonetheless, further cross-curricular approaches to environmental studies, as well as the broadening of provision for apprenticeships will be required to fill the skills shortage as new generations enter the workplace. Policy makers and industry should together drive the necessary changes in education and vocational training to make these skilled earth science professions more attractive.

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Polytunnels for high-value fruit cultivation with an associated wildlife corridor, Kent Credit: Robert Earl CEnv

The Cycle of Resource Management Planning (CL1)

Soils underpin the Five Capitals Model of Sustainability across many sectors and organisations. Most Local Authority Plans do not mention soils and stones, whereas air quality often has its own chapter. Local Planning Authorities increasingly add sustainability reporting as conditions of decision notices. They ask for Whole Development assessment, Ground to Gate assessments and the use of Material Passports. The absence of soils and stones in the Local Plan means that a local planning authorities cannot insist that developers add soils and stones to these assessments

Dual regulation, when both planning and waste legislation are applied to the same activity, has created challenges in the planning sector, and continues to affect brownfield regeneration. Landfills that have accepted inert matter can often be safely developed. Soils and stones are largely the inert matter in these landfills. There is high quality regulation and guidance within the planning regime, setting out the risk-based, phased approach to land quality assessments. This often conflicts, however, with attempts to co-regulate brownfield regeneration projects under Environmental Permitting Regulations. This happens when surplus soils and stones are defined as “waste”. To remove this anomaly, soils and stones should be classed as a primary, transferable resources. They should only become “waste” when, for example, industrial land use has caused hazardous contamination and soil treatment is not viable, when there is an intention to discard them, or when they have been abandoned.

Environmental searches and home sale search enquiries will flag the status of a site-based permit. These have often created unnecessary confusion and land blight, which actively deter regeneration of useful and usable brownfield land. This was one reason for developing a Definition of Waste Code of Practice (DoWCoP) in 2006-2008 and implementing mobile treatment permits.

Surplus soils and stones, rather than being valued as a resource are classed as waste and allocated a waste code. Waste codes are based on hazard rather than risk and this can result in both over- and under-prediction of actual risk. Once soils and stones are classed as waste, they can only be reused in accordance with waste management rules, including:

• No mixing of different waste codes,

• No mixing of hazardous and non-hazardous waste,

• A requirement for an environmental permit (with its additional costs and timeframe).

Dual regulation in planning does not adhere to our Ten Principles. It does not provide an efficient or effective basis to preserve, protect or remediate soils and it does not easily enable a workable hierarchy of options for excavated soils and stones.

Currently DoWCoP does not cover the reuse of topsoil on agricultural land. Whilst DoWCoP may not currently be the appropriate tool for this, a mechanism is required to protect soil, and to support its reuse as a resource across all sectors. We would like to see the development of other options in conjunction with the proposals made for soil depots (or earthbanks), as outlined in the EIP. Brownfield site regeneration is a policy priority, but we still have a high proportion of development on greenfield land with surplus soils and stones arising from greenfield developments.

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Dredgings (HLaP5)

Soils and Stones Progress Report 2024

Dredged silts, rich in organic matter and nutrients, can be used for landscaping, for agricultural benefit and for the creation and restoration of habitats. Although the potential for the beneficial use of dredgings has been well documented, there remain considerable challenges to their reuse. Most of the dredged material from UK ports and harbours is deposited in seabed disposal sites (CEDA, 2019) In 2020, around 1.3 million tonnes of dredgings were deposited in landfills in England (HM Treasury, 2021)

Our SandS 2021 Report identified that by classifying dredgings as “waste”, barriers were created for their safe and sustainable management. Implementing best practice for managing dredgings requires them to be valued as a resource that should be used for beneficial purposes. Achieving a consistent regulatory position and developing best practice guidance will need collaboration between regulators and navigation associations.

The SandS 2021 Report proposed quality standards for dredgings, applicable to specific end-uses. Dredgings may not always meet technical specifications, such as the British Standard for topsoil, but it may still be suitable for reuse on a site-specific basis. The ReCon Soil project has increased awareness of how waste materials can be used. Nutrient-rich dredged sediment was used successfully to develop reconstructed soils and provide a viable growing medium.

A further barrier to the reuse of dredgings is the lack of information about the availability of dredged materials to potential end users. The SandS 2021 Report recommended the development of a national digital platform, based on DoWCoP, for soils and stones reuse. Defra has begun developing a soil reuse and storage depot scheme and will pilot the scheme by 2026; dredgings should also be considered as part of this initiative. We believe that improvements in the reuse of dredgings will minimise the loss of a valuable resource and will contribute to delivering a circular economy.

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Silty dredgings being disposed of in a dredging disposal lagoon Credit: Karen Jackson CEnv

Aggregates (GIR6)

Urban growth and economic development require stones and aggregates extracted from mines and quarries. There is, however, a squeeze on new virgin sources, particularly of sand used in construction. This encourages mining and dredging companies to extract minerals from the seabed, which can damage habitats that support vulnerable aquatic species. Old dredging lagoons and landfills could, however, offer a secondary source of these valuable resources; current technology could produce quality aggregates from these sources. A joined-up national soils and stones policy, shared by each nation within the United Kingdom, would promote this sustainable activity.

Recovering materials, such as concrete, from demolition work is already commonplace. The additional quality assurance process being developed under the Aggregates Frameworks should help achieve higher recovery rates for construction wastes.

Land retains about 10% of atmospheric CO2 emissions. Many types of minerals support carbon dioxide sequestration. They include limestone, dolomite, and alkali feldspars which provide the essential elements for photosynthesis and sequestering atmospheric CO2 (Lackner, 2002). Research in Sheffield has shown that adding minerals to agricultural land can enhance soil carbon sequestration.

Construction (CL2)

The construction sector contributes 62% of the total waste generated in the UK, with 137.8 million tonnes of construction, demolition, and excavation (CD&E) waste generated in 2018 (Defra, 2023). Of this, 47% (65.1 million tonnes) was mineral waste from construction and demolition, and 42% (58.1 million tonnes) was soils. Defra statistics show that 97% of mineral waste from construction and demolition, and 46% of soils are recovered. The data include backfilling of voids under recovery permits but not soils and stones reused through DoWCoP.

Operators are, in many cases, compelled to backfill quarries to fulfil their planning obligations for mineral workings. Although an obligation, this is not always the best use of high value soils and stones which could otherwise be recovered as a valued aggregate or substrate. Lower value matter could then be used to fill the void. An alternative option for quarries might also be to review such planning constraints and repurpose the void for nature conservation, or high value development.

The 2021 Mineral Products Association (MPA) report estimated that total recycled and secondary sources of aggregates accounted for 28% (69.6 million tonnes) of total aggregates supply in Great Britain. This compares with the estimated 183.3 million tonnes of primary aggregates generated in the same year (MPA, 2021). The Soils in Planning and Construction Task Force (2022) suggests that when the wider functional value of soil is taken into consideration, the cost of soil lost to backfilling voids in the UK may be £1.5bn per year.

Better pre-planning, early engagement with the regulators and good waste minimising design can lead to a more sustainable solution. As the Defra waste statistics have shown, usable materials, particularly soils, are not always being used to maximise their value. Both DoWCoP and the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) Quality Protocol on aggregates from inert waste assist with the reuse of site-won materials. These procedures and protocols are long-established within the construction industry. For example, between 2008 and 2022 more than 240 million cubic metres of soils have been sustainably reused through the DoWCoP process.

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Inappropriate practices by a few have often led to a false perception that the construction industry does not take its obligations seriously or is undertaking sham waste recovery operations

Research by Clive Williams et al., highlights the impact that dual regulatory control is having on the construction industry, particularly in relation to stockpiles (Williams et al., 2023) Contractors must now secure Deposit for Recovery permits for this activity. Researchers have recorded that almost 20% of projects were being abandoned because of increased costs and programme delays caused by the permit application process taking between eighteen months and three years to complete.

The first three of the Ten Principles are at the heart of the engagement needed between industry, supporting bodies and the regulators.

The long-awaited version 3.0 of DoWCoP is in progress to benefit the construction sector and the wider circular economy. The improvements to DoWCoP, and the introduction of both the Insight Service and the International Soil Passport Scheme, demonstrate CL:AIRE’s ambition to have this powerful tool used more widely in the construction industry. Although DoWCoP is self-regulated, when used correctly it provides a clear and auditable record of work undertaken to use valuable soil and stones resources effectively. A recent CIRIA guide brings together current guidance and examples of good practice to help navigate the process. We look forward to the updated version of the Defra Code of Practice for Sustainable Soils Use in Construction, now past its original 2023 publication date.

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Demolition and material processing at a former coal fired power station.

Credit: Richard Moakes CEnv

Conclusions

This report has outlined the successes achieved since our SandS 2021 Report and analysed the reasons for the areas where progress has been limited to date. We have identified the opportunities to address the causes of limited progress. We have shown how greater collaboration, improved governance and a National Soils and Stones Policy will create skilled jobs, meet environmental objectives and boost economic growth In view of the urgency of achieving net zero carbon our findings are timely and provide achievable solutions to the UK’s current economic and environmental challenges.

The 2023 UK Soil Health Inquiry looked to the development of Soil Health Indicators as key to progressing its recommendations. The focus of these indicators will be on in-situ and agricultural soil. We understand that the indicators will not address the health of reused and recycled soils and stones, despite their being a useful guide for re-establishing soil health in disturbed soils. A holistic approach to cater for all land-use sectors, therefore, does not appear immediate, but this remains our unique and primary objective.

The planning, development, quarrying, aggregate, reuse and recycling sectors may not occupy as much land as the agricultural, forestry and conservation sectors. They are nonetheless able to add economic value to soils and stones through the holistic approach we are championing.

We argue that the lack of a National Soils and Stones Policy is the main barrier to fulfilling the calls to action from our SandS 2021 Report. Before this can be achieved the following needs to be established:

1. The identification and collaboration of all interested land-use professional bodies

2. A governance structure in which the interested professions will collaborate to develop training, best practice guidance and professional standards.

Only when these are in place will it be possible to develop a workable National Soils and Stones Policy. Our Ten Principles could provide the basis of such a policy, as they will:

• Protect in-situ soil, promoting carbon capture, food security and biodiversity gains

• Promote opportunities for sustainable economic growth and skilled job creation in sustainable resource use and the voluntary carbon and biodiversity offset markets

• Provide financial assurance and accountability in both the public and private sectors for valuing resources, real estate and offsets

We believe that this is achievable within eighteen months. Once a national policy is in place it will set the framework for regulatory changes that will promote an energised circular economy, drive sustainable economic growth and remove barriers to sustainable land management. It will also lead to a more targeted approach to Research and Development proposals, making best use of the funding to fill knowledge gaps or disseminate data. This ambitious programme will make the UK a world leader.

We want to see the improvements in the natural capital of soils and stones reflected in their financial value. We believe that what is best for the environment will be best for the economy and for the longterm wellbeing of the UK. To that end, we make the calls to action below, which, alongside our original SandS 2021 Report recommendations, we will monitor over the next three years. We will then report on our progress in 2027.

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Summary of Actions

The following strategic calls to action are in addition to the recommendations of our SandS 2021 Report. Achieving them will remove the barriers to delivering our 2021 recommendations.

Call to Action

Develop a Collaboration Plan to pursue initiatives and opportunities and to improve influence, communications, standards, policies, information sources, research, training and competency, for the sustainable management of soils and stones across all sectors.

We call on representatives from all professional bodies managing the reuse of soils and stones to agree a workable resource hierarchy for presentation to the UK Government

Bring together representatives of the voluntary offset markets, soil-based professionals and economists, to agree and implement an assurance structure that will foster economic growth and real estate value, through the sustainable management of soils and stones.

Publish a National Soils and Stones Policy to set the framework for reforming and implementing regulation and legislation pertaining to soil health and the beneficial reuse of soils and stones

Publish a prioritised and costed cross-sector research and development programme, to identify where R&D initiatives will generate the best value for money with the greatest economic benefit for the sustainable reuse of ex-situ soils and stones, and for assurance in the carbon and biodiversity offset markets.

Complete a consultation exercise with relevant stakeholders on the practicality of including assessments of soil biodiversity in the mandatory guidance for calculating Biodiversity Net Gain in England.

Incorporate Natural Capital Accounting in the 2028 update to the 25 Year Environment Plan.

Target Date Lead Organisation

October 2024

December 2024

SocEnv Licensed Members network, CL:AIRE, the BSSS and the UK Soils network

SocEnv Licensed Members network, CL:AIRE, the UK Soils network and the Mineral Products Association

April 2025

UK Government

June 2025

UK Government

October 2025

SocEnv Licensed Members network, the BSSS, the UK Soils network, the Mineral Products Association and Wilder Carbon

December 2025 Defra

December 2027

UK Government

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Appendix 1 – The Ten Principles of Good Soils and Stones Management

Principle

1. Implement soils and stones management practices to drive sustainable economic growth.

2. Preserve, protect, and enhance the value of all soils and stones in situ.

3. Promote and enhance the inherent value of soils and stones as part of a wider integrated environmental system (e.g., for carbon sequestration, food security and biodiversity).

4. Use a common standard for soil health in relation to land-use, taking underlying soil conditions and functions into account in the management of land.

5. Use common quality standards for soil based on principle #4 for excavated soils, stones and dredgings to be used in specific end-uses.

6. Understand and identify site specific soil conditions at the start of project planning or change of land-use. Define the status of any excavated soils and stones according to their value as an end-use resource and avoid the intention to discard them as surplus to the needs of the project. Protect undisturbed soils to enhance soil health.

7. Develop and implement a resource hierarchy for the management of land, soils and stones.

8. Implement financial metrics for the life cycle of all projects based on the impact on soil value in order to drive the market for offsetting (e.g., metrics for biodiversity loss, carbon sequestration and loss of food security).

9. Implement a national policy progressively to harmonise legislation, regulation, best practice guidance and monitoring programmes to protect soils. Include the fields of planning, land contamination, forestry, agriculture, ecological restoration, and waste management. Aim to promote integrated markets for soils and stones, offset trading and policies thereby allowing land values to reflect optimum soil health based on metrics in principle #4.

10. Periodically benchmark the natural and economic value of UK soils against both base-line UK and international metrics, taking into account global social, economic and environmental sustainability (e.g., the supply chain impacts of ensuring UK food security, and the valuation of soils and stones).

Appendix 2 – The SandS 2021 Report Recommendations

Key to box colours:

Good progress made on 2021 recommendation

Moderate or encouraging progress made on 2021 recommendation Little or no progress made on 2021 recommendation

Ref Recommendation from the SandS 2021 Report and Progress Indication

CSR1

CSR2

Establishing key areas of mutual cooperation, assessing risks and barriers to sustainable changes and engaging with policy and sector decision makers on the way forward to the adoption of sustainable soils and stones practices.

Building competence in application of soils and stones good practice within stakeholder groups.

Working with key colleges and universities and key sector entities in developing sector-adaptable graduates able to gain experience in developing and demonstrating good practices.

Policy

Collaboration

Collaboration

CSR3

HLaP1

HLaP2

HLaP3

Developing regulation and quality accountability through an auditable assurance process for soils and stones reuses that is needed for all sectors, with due rigour and regulatory accountability, as well as consistency of standard, discipline, and action. Requiring expertise for legislature, commercial incentive and regulation, policy guidance, knowledge awareness and training standards.

Creating a soil legislation framework to enable sustainable use of soils across different sectors.

HLaP4

HLaP5

HLaP6

HLaP7

Policy

Collaboration

Creating a more efficient and effective inter-sector regime of permitted soils and stones operators and the introduction of a bonded risk-based exemption scheme for UK self-regulation of soils and stones activities. GOVERNANCE Collaboration

Reviewing existing legislation and regulation for protection and restoration of healthy soils, for their sustainable use and management, with simpler common regulations within a common ‘Soils and Stones Framework’ and an ACoP for all soils reuse and recycling.

Creating mandatory frameworks to generate harmonised guidance and standards for healthy soils based on land use and supporting the UK Government’s 25-Year Environment Plan to develop a soil health index that can be used on farms to monitor the implementation of best practices.

Reviewing current fiscal and environmental barriers to the safe and sustainable reuse of soils and dredgings from land drains, ditches, canals, waterbodies and engineering works, including a review of waste exemptions, permits and a process to meet ‘End of Waste’ status, with sector equivalence.

Supporting mandatory protection and maintenance of degraded peatlands and wetlands as well as other aspects of the UK’s natural capital, substantially to increase the UK’s carbon storage capacity.

Influencing UK Government to enable the principle of reducing the carbon intensity and increasing sequestration or mitigation to be incorporated into land-use planning, master planning and development regulations supported by online platforms and tools.

POLICY Collaboration

RESEARCH Policy

POLICY Collaboration

POLICY Research

POLICY Collaboration

Ref Recommendation from the SandS 2021 Report and Progress Indication

HLaP8

HLaP9

GIR1

GIR2

GIR3

GIR4

GIR5

Supporting legislation to reduce rapid land degradation caused by crop farming intensity and curb the excessive use of fertilisers causing eutrophication in surface water bodies and pesticides eliminating insects and pollinators.

Revising and updating the current Land Capability Classification systems for both agriculture and forestry, including the updating of the meteorological data set, used to determine climatic limitations and irrigation for crop growing purposes – encouraging their wider use by land managers.

Encouraging the development of a national digital platform, based on the DoWCoP managed by CL:AIRE, for soil and stone reuse. Influencing sector wide adoption of sustainable best practices with access to self-governance features, including guidance checklists and online tools to aid and inform day-to-day management.

Developing a [new or existing] soils platform to provide a means to share information and collaborate in areas of mutual interest.

Digital platform monitoring of land use and land-use changes in relation to biodiversity, carbon intensity and sequestration in existing and new developments, agriculture, forests, wetlands, and peatlands, as well as areas set aside for natural wilding.

Creating a digital platform of land irrigation and water use, to enable adaptation features involving crop selection and irrigation management improving crop yields in areas prone to increasingly long periods of drought.

Encouraging the development of hydroponics (and other non-soil) food production, monitoring key aspects and impacts to ensure supply chains, crop grown, processes, wastes, water usage and pollinators are sustainably maintained.

Collaboration

GIR6

1

Encouraging urban infrastructure and building design that makes use of and maximises the reuse of soils and stones, reduces virgin aggregate and stone and soil use, and minimises its impacts from use of materials such as concrete and plaster – by selection of suppliers reducing supply chain embedded emissions in their supply chains and providing practical recycling routes or options.

Intervening to influence government policy review and the decision makers of implementation plans to ensure that barriers caused by relatively short commercial time frames are addressed and aligned with longer-term strategic sustainability targets.

Influencing HMRC to provide incentives through a waste levy that is tiered in favour of material reuse declarations, which would make the market transparent and dissuade sham recovery practices.

Collaboration

2

CL 3

Encouraging the market development of permitted consolidation centres for ‘End of Waste’ non-hazardous soils and stones, that enable registered producers to drop off and users to pick up supplies for reuse.

Allowing or exempting short-term storage or banking for ‘End of Waste’ nonhazardous soils and stones within development boundaries for up to 3 months where space allows, when suitable options for reuse elsewhere are not immediately available or a consolidation centre for soils and stones is not available within a 30-mile radius of the development site.

Governance

Research

Collaboration

CL

CL

CL 4

Soils and Stones Progress Report

Recommendation from the SandS 2021 Report and Progress Indication

Encouraging the use and renewal of annual bonds by self-regulating operators to assure compliance with regulatory requirements linking the annual bond value to operator good practice performance in reusing and recycling soils and stones, providing evidence via an online resource and random compliance checks made by the devolved regulatory authorities.

CL 5

CL 6

SGP1

SGP2

SGP3

SGP4

The adoption of national digital platforms to encourage self-regulation, heathy soils, managed crop choices and irrigation as well as land management of carbon and increasing soils and stones resource reuse and recycling across all sectors.

Incentivising farmers and landowners to adopt sustainable best practices in eliminating land degradation and carbon intensity, working with healthy soils, and options to make contributions to carbon sequestration and biodiversity by working with nature.

Bringing together key stakeholders in the adoption of best practices to improve soil health, efficiency in reuse and recycling of soils and stones, and utilising land-use management across all sectors as a means of substantively increasing natural carbon storage in existing and new developments.

Demonstrating the benefits (financial and otherwise) of good soil management through case studies, highlighting best practice through beacon or demonstration schemes.

Adopting best practices that improve land management, soil carbon and health, or as an engineered base for urban and industrial development as well as an adaptation means to alleviate flooding from extreme weather events including SuDS.

Identifying and assessing new green technologies that provide work and prosperity supporting biodiversity and healthy soil and making use of soils and stones as a resource within the circular economy working towards zero waste.

SPG5 Supporting research on the impacts of salination from coastal water flooding of lowlying land.

SGP6

Working with key stakeholders in signposting sources of information, guidance, standards, management options and interventions, for example through a regularly updated website.

Improving professional standards of those able to advise, monitor and manage soils and stones issues.

Governance

COLLABORATION Governance

COLLABORATION Governance

COLLABORATION Governance

COLLABORATION -

RESEARCH Collaboration

RESEARCH Collaboration

COLLABORATION -

GOVERNANCE Collaboration

Appendix 3 – A summary of progress against the SandS 2021 Report recommendations

OUR VISION: To inspire policy makers to remove barriers and to provide incentives for our profession to realise the optimum value of soils and stones. Page | 36

Get in touch

To find out more about the project and how to join us, please contact: soilsandstones@socenv.org.uk

Or head to our website: socenv.org.uk/soils-and-stones-project