People want employers to open up about environmental impact

People want employers to open up about environmental impact

environmental impactResearch from?PLAY, a product development studio, suggests that more than three-quarters of people (77 percent) want the company they work for to be more transparent about their environmental impact. More →

Councils can meet net zero targets with help of building renovation

Councils can meet net zero targets with help of building renovation

Public Sector Estate and net zeroThe UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), together with the World Green Building Council, several European Green Building Councils, Climate Alliance and the Buildings Performance Institute Europe, has published a framework to support cities and local authorities to measure the impacts and wider benefits of building retrofit as a way of meeting their net zero targets. More →

Corporate boards struggle to act on climate change

Corporate boards struggle to act on climate change

climate changeHeidrick & Struggles (Nasdaq: HSII) in partnership with INSEAD, have published a report titled Changing the Climate in the Boardroom. The report addresses corporate leadership’s take on climate change, what boards around the world are currently doing to address climate change, and what they should be doing moving forward. More →

We must wake up to the realities of workplace sustainability

We must wake up to the realities of workplace sustainability

workplace sustainabilitySustainability has been steadily moving up the business agenda over the past few years, with COP26 placing more emphasis on the need for organisations to demonstrate that their operations are sustainable and lessening their overall impact on the planet. Many businesses may feel daunted by the challenges ahead, and there are certainly big steps that need to be taken in order to reduce corporate carbon footprints and move to more sustainable models. More →

Government publishes Net Zero guidance for buildings

Government publishes Net Zero guidance for buildings

net zeroA new guide to decarbonising public sector buildings and creating a net zero public estate has been launched by the Cabinet Office. The authors of The Net Zero Estate Playbook claims it will ensure consistent approaches, such as using solar panels, LED lighting and greener building materials, are applied across public buildings as they help decarbonise Britain’s largest property portfolio. More →

Real estate players join forces with Urban Land Institute to fast-track decarbonisation

Real estate players join forces with Urban Land Institute to fast-track decarbonisation

real estateThe Urban Land Institute (ULI) has kicked off a new project in partnership with several major real estate organisations – including Allianz Real Estate, Catella, Hines, Redevco and Schroders Capital – that will support the built environment in Europe on its urgent journey to carbon neutrality. More →

Time to stop playing around with the issue of workplace sustainability

Time to stop playing around with the issue of workplace sustainability

workplace sustainabilityThe  so-called green agenda, sustainability and climate change have finally hit centre stage. Various announcements are being made by UK Government and numerous high profile figures are crying a call to action to implement carbon reduction plans now. Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman William Russell, stated at the Annual Lord Mayor Gresham Lecture early in 2021: “Climate change is a bigger threat to the world than COVID-19.” He called on the financial and professional services sector to take urgent action to tackle climate change and ensure sustainability is at the heart of every financial decision. More →

‘A New Space Race’ to transform infrastructure

‘A New Space Race’ to transform infrastructure

infrastructureA new research report released by Siemens Smart Infrastructure, titled ‘A New Space Race,’ has highlighted the increasingly urgent need to transform global infrastructure to focus on adaptability, resiliency and decarbonisation. Data from the report claims infrastructure leaders worldwide recognise the need for digitalisation to tackle challenges in energy systems and the built environment. More →

Post-pandemic surge in demand for sustainable business travel

Post-pandemic surge in demand for sustainable business travel

sustainable business travelNew research from Trainline Partner Solutions (TPS) claims Covid-19 will usher in a new era of sustainable business travel. The vast majority of business travellers (75 percent) want to reduce their reliance on air travel for business because of the impact it has on the environment. More →

More firms sign up to WorldGBC’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment

More firms sign up to WorldGBC’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment

Net Zero Carbon Buildings CommitmentWorldGBC has announced 44 businesses who have signed up to the market-leading whole life carbon requirements of the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment (the Commitment), pledging to take increased action to decarbonise the built environment across their portfolios and business activities, representing annual turnover of $85 billion. More →

Built environment sector lacks clarity around its carbon emissions

Built environment sector lacks clarity around its carbon emissions

environmentAccording to new research, the majority (58 percent) of built environment professionals believe the sector is already doing enough to tackle its carbon impact, despite the built environment contributing 36 percent of total global energy-related CO2 emissions, and the most recent available data highlighting that CO2 from operational energy use of buildings reached its highest level yet in 2019. More →

Commercial property markets in major UK cities won’t meet sustainability targets

Commercial property markets in major UK cities won’t meet sustainability targets

Bristol commercial propertySix of the UK’s key regional economic centres risk not achieving their net zero targets, unless significant action is taken to upgrade and improve their commercial property in the next 10 years, according to new analysis by JLL. The report, Sustainability and Value in the Regions, suggests that 90 percent of the office stock in England and Wales’ largest regional office markets is at risk of not meeting the UK government’s target for all non-domestic properties to have an EPC B rating by 2030. These findings come at a time when three of the cities analysed – Birmingham, Bristol (pictured) and Cardiff – have committed to achieving net zero status by 2030. Leeds and Manchester, both aim to be net zero by 2038. More →