44 Businesses Sign Up to Net Zero Carbon Buildings

AT COP26 44 businesses have signed up to the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment. on the Cities, Regions and Built Environment Day on 11 November 2021, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) has announced.

The signatories pledge to decarbonise the built environment across their portfolios and business activities, representing annual turnover of $85 billion.

These signatories will by 2030:

• • Reduce all operational emissions of new and existing built assets
  • Achieve maximum reductions in embodied carbon for new developments and major renovations over which they have direct control
  • Compensate for any residual operational and upfront embodied emissions that cannot be mitigated
  • Advocate for wider emission reductions via their business activities and report on their impact, to enable and accelerate the sector wide transition to net zero

Decarbonising the Built Environment

The global buildings and construction sector is responsible for 37% of global carbon emissions, with 10% as embodied carbon in materials and construction processes.

To keep a global temperature rise of no more than 1.5°C within reach, as set out in the Paris Agreement, the #BuildingToCOP26 Coalition has called for emissions from buildings globally
to be halved by 2030, and to reach net zero life-cycle emissions for all buildings by no later
than 2050.

Signatory businesses are frontrunners in the Race to Zero, going further and faster to tackle operational and embodied emissions from their real estate assets. They are stimulating the innovative approaches, solutions and business models necessary for the entire sector to reach 2050 goals.

Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment

The Commitment now has a total of 156 signatories, with 122 businesses and organisations; 28 cities; and 6 states and regions. The businesses and organisations signed up to the Commitment account for approximately 6.5 million (tCO₂e) of portfolio emissions annually and more than $300 billion annual turnover.

The list of Commitment signatories includes main contractors such as BAM and Lendlease, architectural practices including Foster+ Partners, Bennetts Associates and Make Architecture and contractors including Wilmott Dixon.

The actions of Commitment signatories will lead to the creation of an EU whole life decarbonisation roadmap as well as ten national roadmaps produced by Green Building Councils, galvanising climate action in the built environment.

Cristina Gamboa, CEO of the World Green Building Council: “Acting on whole life carbon creates a powerful catalyst towards keeping a 1.5°C future within reach and achieving the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. The Commitment has representation from all stakeholder types across the building lifecycle, whose business activities and actions influence emissions reductions beyond their own buildings. Their efforts to advocate for further market transformation will be crucial to increasing mainstream uptake of net zero and meeting our shared goals.”

Commitment in Action

Commitment signatories are already taking action in line with the new requirements to tackle whole life carbon emissions in their own buildings and beyond.

Bennetts Associates have published their first LETI Embodied Carbon Ratings for completed projects. The declarations for King’s Cross Sports Hall and for 11-21 Canal Reach are the culmination of over 5 years of embodied carbon calculation and reduction on both projects, in collaboration with other Commitment signatories: Argent and BAM Construct.

Developers from around the world such as British Land (UK), IPUT (Ireland), City Developments Limited (Singapore), and NEO (Philippines) have committed to only own, occupy and crucially, develop assets that operate at net zero carbon and achieve maximum reduction of embodied carbon in new developments and major renovations, compensating for any remaining residual operational and upfront embodied emissions by 2030. These signatories are sending demand signals to the supply chain to accelerate further market transformation. This, in turn, will show policymakers that the private sector is ready for bolder policies and regulations, cumulatively contributing to the faster uptake of net zero in the mainstream.

Esther An, Chief Sustainability Officer, City Developments Limited: “The emerging ecosystem of collaboration is what is needed to help us achieve net zero whole life carbon for our new developments by 2030, while strengthening our value creation model along the value chain. The decade of decisive action is truly now, and the built sector is poised to continue innovating and digitalising to make an impact that will last far beyond our generation.”

Arup also announced this week that they have committed to undertaking whole lifecycle carbon assessments for all its buildings projects – new or retrofit – from next year. The Green Building Council is encouraging architecture, design and engineering firms to join firms such as AESG and Integral Group.

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