At UKGBC, we create space, through our forums, to enable our members – consultants, engineers, quantity surveyors, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) specialists and more – to discuss challenges and share ideas and solutions. Building upon the release of our work in relation to embodied carbon modelling and reporting, a Whole Life Carbon Modelling forum was proposed to continue the discourse on this topic.  This blog highlights how a working group of our members within this forum progressed from talk to action, in attempts to bring greater clarity, consistency and confidence to early-stage embodied carbon modelling.

The Challenge of Inconsistent Early-Stage Carbon Modelling

Across the UK’s built environment sector, one issue stood out to the forum working group – the lack of consistent, centralised data for construction materials.

During early design stages (RIBA Stages 2 and 3), the demand for embodied carbon data is growing, yet it seems practitioners are often relying on fragmented databases or assumptions in order to model. The result? Inconsistent and incomparable carbon calculations.

The working group found that some of the commercial WLC tools, while extensive, can overwhelm new LCA practitioners at early design stages, with thousands of material options. This can slow down assessments, introduce variability, and it makes benchmarking difficult.

For more guidance on approaches to embodied carbon assessment at each RIBA workstage click here

Developing a Shared Materials Database

Within the forum, consensus quickly emerged: a simple, shared, generic materials database is needed for early-stage carbon modelling. So, the working group pooled their collective knowledge to create a resource that lists generic construction materials and their associated Global Warming Potential (GWP) values.

Antonia Vavanou, Senior Consultant at Arup – formerly with Ramboll during the project – reflects on the importance of this work:

With so many variations in generic materials and loose specifications at early design stages, the need for a consistent baseline is urgent. By convening those on the front line of Whole Life Carbon modelling, we’re not just building a database, we’re building alignment, clarity, and a shared foundation for credible carbon performance across the UK built environment.”

Challenges and Considerations

The working group recognise that this is an early prototype rather than a finished product. The content included is generic rather than project-specific, and the resource will require regular updates to stay relevant as standards, products and data evolve. Questions around ownership, long-term governance and funding to maintain the resource remain to be resolved. These realities are shared openly because they underline the importance of ongoing dialogue and collaboration.

The resource currently covers a number of key materials common to most building and infrastructure projects, including concrete, reinforcement, steel, masonry, timber, aluminium, plasterboard, insulation, aggregates and other granular materials, glass, coatings, asphalt and bitumen.

The absence of standardisation in carbon values for generic materials has made it difficult to compare projects reliably. This work is a grassroots response to that gap, establishing a consistent baseline that supports credible assessments and offers clear guidance for both newcomers and seasoned professionals across the built environment.”

Miguel Angel Lopez, Principal Sustainability Engineer at WSP

Shape the Next Version

The prototype resource is just the start. The working group are inviting feedback from UKGBC members and others across the industry on:

Expanding the range of materials and products included.

Improving accuracy and usability.

Establishing governance, updating, and version control.

If you work in the built environment, email anz@ukgbc.org to review the resource and share your experiences, thoughts and suggestions with the working group. The resource will be made available for the next 12 months.

By working collectively, we can create a more consistent and transparent foundation for measuring, and ultimately mitigating, embodied carbon in the buildings we design, construct, and retrofit.

This resource is one small but important step towards that goal.

Built by the Industry, for the Industry

This resource was co-created through one of the UKGBC’s forums, with invaluable input from professionals across the UK’s built environment. We gratefully acknowledge contributions from individuals representing the following organisations: Arup; AtkinsRealis; Bennetts Associates; Buro Happold; CBRE; Currie & Brown; GCP Chartered Architects; Laing O’Rourke; Max Fordham LLP; Mott MacDonald; PLP Architecture; Ramboll; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM); Turner & Townsend; Verte Ltd; WS.

Join Us

UKGBC forums are an exclusive benefit of our membership and one of many opportunities for members to collaborate, network and co-create practical tools for the industry. We run a large number of topic-specific forums throughout the year. Find out more about UKGBC membership here and about our forums here.

Advancing Net Zero

Created in 2018 as part of a World Green Building Council former global Advancing Net Zero programme, �����ҵ���’s Advancing Net Zero programme has a mission to lead the UK’s transition to a net zero built environment. It has produced leading guidance such as the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework and the Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap, whilst working with organisations and experts across the industry.

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The post Taking Action for Consistent Early-Stage Embodied Carbon Measurement appeared first on UKGBC.

This is the central question that the UKGBC Non-Domestic Retrofit Forum has sought to answer through a series of meetings and workshops over the last nine months.

The Forum comprised practitioners across the built environment value chain, from those who design and consult, those who construct and deliver, and those who manage and occupy buildings. Building on the UKGBC report “Building the Case for Net Zero: Retrofitting Office Buildings”, we have reflected on common challenges faced by the sector when delivering retrofit of non-domestic buildings, and identified solutions that can be scaled or shared to accelerate uptake.

The purpose of retrofitting a building is, in essence, to upgrade it to meet current or preferably future standards, to futureproof operations and to enhance its long-term value. A successful retrofit strategy considers not only the current conditions of the building (e.g. occupant needs, building defects) but also exposure to future climate risks, regulatory requirements, and changes to energy infrastructure. As a result, the process often requires deep technical expertise from a wide range of disciplines as well as buy-in from different stakeholder groups from an early stage.

Maximising Value from Retrofit

Take time to get the baseline performance understood, then frame the business case with a retrofit pathway”

Austen Bates, sustainability director at ramboll

Retrofit projects are often delayed or abandoned due to lack of an obvious ‘return on investment (ROI)’. To capture the full value proposition, it is essential to define clear objectives, such as energy savings, reduced maintenance costs, or increased property value, from the outset. These goals will help frame the benefits of renovation in terms of immediate and long-term financial gains. Careful planning and iterative studies on cost, carbon, and leasing impacts are crucial to maximise value to both the building owner and the occupier.

Measuring Performance

Before embarking on a retrofit project, it is important to assess a building’s current performance to identify the most necessary and cost-effective interventions. The great thing about designing a retrofit for an operational building is the ability to  use real operational data to design the new systems, instead of relying on theoretical assumptions. This data should include historic energy consumption, maintenance costs, and operational efficiency. It is key to comparing post-retrofit performance. 

Case study: 3 Sheldon Square

The , a British Land commercial office retrofit in Paddington, successfully retained the façade and key building services while achieving NABERS Design for Performance 4.5 stars and BREEAM Outstanding ratings. By retaining key MEP plant, the project saved 30% on building services installation costs without compromising performance. The project sought to future-proof the building while also enhancing occupier experience and wellbeing. To achieve this, balconies were added to the existing façade, creating valuable external amenities and opportunities for landscaping. This retrofit resulted in high leasing velocity for the building, with one occupier leasing seven floors.

Key Takeaway – This project demonstrates that reusing existing building elements can significantly reduce costs while enhancing occupier experience and building performance.

Photo from Morris + Company Architects

Funding Arrangements

For multi-let buildings, it is key for the building owner or operator to engage with the occupiers in the funding process. Occupiers who benefit from reduced energy costs and improved building performance may be willing to contribute to retrofit costs through adjusted lease agreements. Building owners or operators can identify and quantify opportunities by utilising the building’s Planned, Preventative, and Maintenance and Business Plans. Technology can help by leveraging smart building technologies to collect real-time data on building performance, providing accurate and timely insights into the effectiveness of the work and  informing the next project’s business case for retrofit. 

Useful resource: tracks the investment performance of energy-efficient buildings against less efficient properties, highlighting differences in capital growth, returns, and rental value. This supports the financial case for retrofitting inefficient buildings.

The solutions, technology and expertise exist today – if you aren’t retrofitting now, you should be planning for it”

chris newman, zero carbon design manager at mitsubishi electric uk

Minimising Disruption during Retrofit

Deep retrofit refers to works to enhance a building’s long-term prospects, going beyond the removal of on-site gas systems, and often involving more intrusive and expensive fabric upgrades. Taking a holistic approach during the planning stage is crucial to capture impacts on occupiers and neighbours, changes in energy demand on the grid, operational costs and expected rental value post-retrofit. Managing these various aspects through effective phasing, occupier engagement, and clear communication is key to success.

Case study: Unnamed c. 18,000 sq/m office refurbishment project on behalf of Hollis Global

The key occupier of this early 2000s office building in London engaged a team of specialists to identify a workplace that aligned with their ambitious sustainability goals. Their priority was securing a net zero carbon workspace with best-in-class environmental credentials. To retain this premium occupier, the landlord developed a comprehensive refurbishment strategy, focused on the decarbonisation of building services, targeting NABERS 4.5-star rating, alongside BREEAM RFO Excellent and WELL Gold certifications. Circular economy principles were embedded throughout, enabling the reuse of raised access floors, ceiling panels, fan coil units, and glass partitions. This approach limited embodied carbon to under 225 kgCO₂/m². By comparing the whole life carbon impact of the proposed refurbishment against that of a new-build office in the City of London, the project presented a compelling sustainability narrative – one that ultimately led the occupier to renew their lease for an additional 15 years.

To facilitate the works, the occupier was temporarily relocated to a ‘swing space’, ensuring business continuity and minimising rental income disruption. The result was a future-proofed asset aligned with the Net Zero Carbon 2050 trajectory and a long-term commitment from a sustainability-driven occupier.

Key Takeaway – Lease breaks/ends are opportunities for landlords/asset managers to enhance building performance, to future proof them or reposition them, so plan in advance with a team of specialists.

modernising existing structures isn’t merely a matter of compliance: it is a forward-looking strategy.”

Paul Groves, Business development director at ecoduct ltd

Avoiding Unintended Consequences

Retrofitting buildings, especially those with historic characteristics, requires extra care and technical expertise to avoid unintended consequences. For example, failing to consider the fabric construction and ventilation needs of older properties could lead to negative outcomes like mould growth and fabric damage. Regardless of when the building was originally constructed, suitable assumptions of construction method and materials should be applied (where information is lacking) to ensure compatibility with current methods and technologies. Specialist skills and materials may be required to protect existing features and ensure the works undertaken are appropriate to the specific building.  

Decarbonisation and Planning

Decarbonisation of heat is undoubtedly a key component to many retrofit projects, however we should also recognise the other benefits retrofit can bring, especially to older or historic properties. Developing a retrofit plan that is sympathetic to a building’s unique needs, and sensitive to the wider opportunities presented by retrofit, such as enhanced cultural value, will lead to a targeted approach with clear project outcomes.

Case study: Bath Abbey Footprint Project by Buro Happold

As a 16th-century Grade I listed building, Bath Abbey required significant retrofit works to futureproof its operations, including replacing the heating system and stabilising the historic floor. The Abbey had a unique opportunity to harness Bath’s natural hot spring water, but there were numerous technical challenges, including water quality assurance and suitable locations for the new heating system. To allow the Abbey to use water from the neighbouring hot springs for the heating system, a closed-loop heat exchange system using Energy Blade heat exchangers was agreed, capable of extracting 160 kW of energy. This system supplies water at 20–25°C to electric heat pumps, which raise the temperature to 50–55°C suitable for the Abbey’s new underfloor heating, and trench heating during milder weather. Extensive trials ensured that submerging the Energy Blades in the “Great Roman Drain” would not impact the nearby Roman Baths. As the site is part of an ancient monument area, multiple consents were required, and a new licence agreement was established between the Local Authority and the Abbey. This project not only safeguards the historic building for future generations while repurposing a wasted local resource, but also continues to attract thousands of visitors each year.

Key Takeaway – Achieving net zero carbon ambitions requires a collaborative approach between asset owners, local councils, and the community. By working together, the potential of underutilised local resources can be unlocked by transforming them into catalysts for sustainable development and climate resilience.

Photo from Buro Happold

*Useful Resource: The UK’s heritage bodies, Cadw, Historica England, and Historic Environment Scotland, have published a to support developing retrofit skills and qualifications. The handbook emphasises a holistic approach needed in retrofitting heritage buildings. Heritage England also provides and an which can be a useful resource in providing clarity on typical permissions and other guidance specific to heritage buildings.

Speaking the right language to the right audience will win you half the battles.”

Michelle Wang, Sustainability manager at deloitte

A common thread throughout all the challenges and solutions explored by the group is the importance of stakeholder engagement and management at every stage of the retrofit planning. The first step to a successful engagement strategy is identifying the right stakeholders for each phase of the project from the outset.

To account for everyone’s interests, stakeholder engagement must take place both on the asset level, and within the landlord and occupier organisations to ensure alignment on ambition and expectations throughout. This ensures the intentions of corporate-level ESG commitments (which often drive green investments) are adequately reflected in asset-level decision making and retrofit business cases. Stakeholder collaboration can take many forms – a landlord-occupier forum that meets regularly to discuss ESG topics or a specific working group dedicated to a retrofit project can both be effective if the right people are involved at the right time.

Useful resource: Better Buildings Partnership’s sets out example drafting language for commercial landlords and occupiers to agree on an approach to cost recovery from works that improve the environmental performance of the building. 

Conclusion

Retrofitting non-domestic buildings does present many challenges. However, there are solutions and learnings to be taken forward, and case studies to enable scaling. By showcasing a range of success stories, we hope the discourse around retrofit continues to move beyond carbon reduction benefits, and towards a holistic view capturing opportunities in health and wellbeing, social cohesion, and long-term economic growth.

Net Zero Forums

A space where organisations from across the built environment come together to share learnings and experiences on the pathway to net zero carbon, enabling collective progress to be made through industry-wide collaboration.

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UKGBC Non-Domestic Retrofit Forum members:

• Amy Holland, MAPP
• Austen Bates, Ramboll
• Bethany Whitehouse, DEFRA
• Chris Newman, Mitsubishi Electric UK
• Claire Murray, Knight Frank
• Deepika Singhal, Hollis Global
• Deepthi Ravi, PLP Architecture
• Emma Georgitsi, Mott MacDonald
• Giulia Jones, MAPP
• Harry Sumner, Bennetts Associates
• Michela Ravaglia, Wates
• Michelle Wang, Deloitte
• Monica Donaldson-Balan, Mott MacDonald
• Nazli Dabidian, CBRE
• Nick Taylor, Building Atlas
• Patrick Swain, Creative Energy Consulting
• Paul Groves, EcoDuct
• Pragya Gupta, Buro Happold
• Ross Russell, Stride Treglown
• Simon David, RSHP
• Ying Gu, Deloitte
• Zeljka Abramovic, DEFRA

The post Challenges and Opportunities in Commercial Retrofit appeared first on UKGBC.

This publication forms part of a series called the Industry Pulse Check, a periodic report on the built environment sector’s progress in reducing emissions in line with the . Each publication highlights areas where the industry has made strides on the priority actions identified in the Roadmap and where it is falling short. It identifies stakeholders responsible for essential future actions and features voices of industry professionals urging the sector to elevate its efforts.

Embodied carbon emissions account for approximately 50% of lifecycle emissions for new builds, yet they remain unregulated, and measurement and mitigation within design and construction is mostly voluntary. As a significant contributor to the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions, embodied carbon must be tackled in order to meet the UK’s carbon budgets.

Addressing this issue requires a dual approach: enhancing design efficiency and optimising material choices by building designers, while also decarbonising the supply chain through industrial strategies and carbon pricing policies. The development of the UK building stock should prioritise a “retrofit first” strategy, driving the circular economy, fostering second-hand materials markets, and increasing re-use. 

The development of the UK building stock should prioritise a “retrofit first” strategy, driving the circular economy, fostering second-hand materials markets, and increasing re-use. 

Will Arnold, Head of Climate Action at The Institution of Structural Engineers, said:

Recent years have seen significant voluntary action on whole life carbon from across the sector. Guidance, tools and training continues to increase the capacity of project teams to understand and reduce the carbon emissions from their designs. Exemplary projects touch the ground more lightly each year, and the launch of the 1.5°-aligned UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard provides the watermark against which such projects can be judged. 

The challenge now is to ensure the take-up of such skills across every project, not only the exemplars. The time is right for whole life carbon regulation to be introduced, bringing industry-wide consistency on reporting requirements, and levelling the playing field between projects. Experts have been calling for such regulation since 2007, and the 200+ statements of support shown on the Part Z website demonstrate wide backing from industry.” 

What is the industry doing about Whole Life Carbon?

The industry is beginning to shift its approach to decarbonisation, driven by an improved knowledge and awareness of whole life carbon and the urgent need to reduce embodied carbon emissions. Leading private companies, industry organisations, and local authorities have been taking initial steps in this area by setting operational energy and upfront embodied carbon targets, demonstrating a commitment and drive to reduce emissions associated with development.

Currently, the measurement and mitigation of embodied carbon at project level is voluntary, with regulatory or statutory mechanisms only in place in a handful of local authorities. While leading developers and infrastructure clients measure and optimise the embodied carbon footprint of new projects, and technical standards and guidance are available to support this, this practice is not yet mainstream across the industry. 

New standards to support Whole Life Carbon reductions

In July 2024, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) introduced the  , updating the previous 2017 Professional Statement. The new Standard sets a high bar for consistency and reliability in whole life carbon modelling and reporting. To advance further the industry needs to collectively contribute their whole life carbon data to open-access resources, such as the (BECD). Shared and accessible data is vital for further informed target-setting, decision-making and industry-wide improvement. 

Industry organisations have also played a pivotal role in advancing the decarbonisation mandate through the development of the , a landmark initiative which established limits that align with the 1.5°C global heating threshold set by the Paris Agreement. The Standard provides clear, time-bound limits for upfront embodied carbon, creating a definitive pathway for industry to align with a 1.5°C heating scenario. The industry’s collaboration in creating this standard underscores the shared understanding of the urgent need to address climate change and willingness to lead by example.

Advocating for legislative support

The campaign, driven by industry advocates, continues to push for mandatory whole life carbon measurements and upfront embodied carbon limits to be included in UK building regulations. This campaign highlights the necessity of legislative support to drive widespread adoption and ensure that carbon considerations are part of every stage of a building’s lifecycle. Many leading companies and organisations support this campaign, recognising that regulatory frameworks are essential for achieving systemic change. 

We need government policy on Whole Life Carbon

robust action from the national government is critical to bring the rest of the industry up to speed

Despite these advancements, robust action from the national government is critical to bring the rest of the industry up to speed. This requires mandating whole life carbon assessments in building regulations and ultimately introducing legal limits to upfront embodied carbon, with a view to future revision and tightening as required. Without such intervention, the progress made by leading companies and organisations may not be enough to drive the widespread, systemic change required to meet the UK’s carbon reduction targets. 

Local authorities leading by example

Several local authorities, including the , , , and , have taken commendable steps to incorporate whole life carbon measurements and limits into their planning requirements. These actions set a benchmark for other regions and demonstrate the potential for local governance to drive progress at a regional level.

Alex Benstead, Senior Advisor at UKGBC, said:

With the urgent need to cap global temperature increases at 1.5°C, it’s alarming that around 1 in 10 tonnes of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions, specifically those related to embodied carbon, remain unregulated. We need responsible government action to mandate whole life carbon measurement in building regulations and introduce legal limits on embodied carbon. 

This is crucial for supporting ongoing positive actions. Industry consultants are constantly improving the consistency and reliability of their carbon modelling and reporting. Several Local Authorities are leading by example, incorporating whole life carbon measurements and limits into their planning requirements. Now bold steps need to be taken to mainstream these practices.” 

Stakeholder Action Plans

The Whole Life Carbon Roadmap includes 14 individual Stakeholder Action Plans that set out specific recommended actions for key industry stakeholders. These plans enable stakeholders to contribute effectively to achieving the Roadmap’s goals. Below is a summary table of the actions related to this Key Priority: Whole Life Carbon Measurement and Agreed Limits. 

To learn more about the Stakeholder Action Plans, join our unique collaborative programme with our membership to drive greater action, and understand the industry status on delivery of the actions within the plans – where are we and what more do we need to do?  

Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap

The industry’s pathway to net zero by 2050.

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Advancing Net Zero

Created in 2018 as part of a World Green Building Council former global Advancing Net Zero programme, �����ҵ���’s Advancing Net Zero programme has a mission to lead the UK’s transition to a net zero built environment. It has produced leading guidance such as the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework and the Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap, whilst working with organisations and experts across the industry.

View more

The post NZWLC Industry Pulse Check: Whole life carbon measurements and agreed limits�� appeared first on UKGBC.

The need for impactful offsetting in the built environment 

Written by Gemma Drake, UKGBC: 

To be net zero, an individual building must do two things. Firstly, it must meet minimum energy use intensity and embodied carbon limits in order to follow a science-based decarbonisation pathway in line with 1.5˚C (to be defined by the forthcoming ). Secondly, after these targets have been achieved, carbon offsetting of residual emissions along with the procurement or generation of additional renewable energy is needed to reach the net zero state. 

While there has been much important journalism on the challenges of offsetting effectively, . The critical question of how to offset in a way that truly has an impact, remains at the forefront of the climate crisis. Realising projects that remove greenhouse gases and enable the transition is paramount. Effective offsetting has a real emissions impact through additionality, permanence, no double counting and robust quantification of emissions reductions and removals (see the for more detail), whilst also enabling a broader positive impact through its co-benefits. 

�����ҵ���’s Carbon Offsetting and Pricing Guidance provides the built environment industry with a step-by-step process for taking a holistic approach to ambitious offsetting. The guidance was updated in June 2024 to bring it in line with the revised and the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market’s (ICVCM) .  

There are various types of offsets available, and these can be categorised into avoidance, reduction or removal offsetting projects. , there can be a place for reduction offsetting projects, particularly when they come with numerous co-benefits, such as .  

There has been an increasing discussion amongst �����ҵ���’s members in the UK built environment around local offsetting. According to the , in 2021, only 0.1% of the credits purchased by UK companies in the voluntary carbon market were sourced from UK offsetting schemes. A growing local offsetting market would deliver positive environmental and social co-benefits to the UK and enable companies to more easily conduct due diligence on the offsetting projects they are supporting.  

In a recent report from Arup and BusinessLDN, , they propose a London offsetting fund comprising three distinct portfolios. These portfolios are retrofit, nature, and engineered. By having three portfolios, organisations can procure a combination of credits that align to their climate ambitions and business goals.  

The nature portfolio encompasses credits from protected nature-based removals schemes, and this offers the co-benefits of biodiversity and ecosystem protection.  

Regenerative agriculture is an example of a nature-based scheme

 Written by Archana Veerabahu, Agreena: 

This summer, UKGBC ran a visit to in collaboration with to showcase a regenerative agriculture offsetting project to our members and meet Rob Waterson, the Farm Manager at Welford Park Estate, to understand how they are moving towards regenerative agricultural practices.����

is a climate-smart approach to farming that restores natural processes to deliver resilient agricultural systems. Regenerative farming practices include cover cropping, crop rotation, reduced tillage, sustainable use of crop residues and use of organic fertilisers.

By transitioning to regenerative agriculture farmers can reduce their carbon emissions and sequester carbon in their soils. Regenerative agriculture also delivers many additional ecosystem benefits such as improved soil health, greater water retention and enhanced biodiversity.����

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The need for a wide scale transition to regenerative agriculture in the UK has never been more urgent. In England and Wales intensive agriculture has caused arable soils to lose about and soil degradation was calculated in 2010 to cost £1.2 billion every year.��

The potential for storing carbon in our soils is significant though – UK soils currently store about 10 billion tonnes of carbon, roughly equal to 80 years of annual UK greenhouse gas emissions.��

The built environment sector has a vital role to play in supporting this by helping to channel climate capital toward the principal stewards of our land – UK farmers. The greater the speed and flow of climate capital, the faster and more effectively UK farmers can undertake the transition.��

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How does Agreena facilitate regenerative farming? 

In the early years of transitioning to regenerative farming, farmers can face a short-term drop in yields and a need for additional investment. Given that many farmers are operating with razor thin margins, they are unable to make the move to regenerative agriculture in the absence of transitional financial support.  
 
Agreena is working with organisations to address this ‘finance gap’, bringing corporate finance into the farming sector. As Europe’s largest soil carbon programme, AgreenaCarbon supports more than 1,000 farmers as they adopt regenerative practices across 2,000,000+ hectares of arable farmland in 19 countries. 

The generates high-quality, verified credits from UK farms, adhering to and traceable to the exact fields they were generated in. 

Agreena uses a combination of advanced remote-sensing technology, machine learning and physical soil sampling for robust measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) that underpins its carbon credits. Each high-quality soil carbon credit represents one metric tonne of CO₂e removed or reduced due to regenerative practices. These credits act as a much-needed financial incentive for farmers to adopt sustainable methods. In the long term, this scalable model supports the transition to regenerative agriculture, restoring soils, and enhancing biodiversity in the UK and Europe. 

What did UKGBC members learn during the visit?

Discussions focused on the generation of soil carbon credits, carbon financing, and ensuring credit integrity through ���������Բ�’s advanced – including how Agreena matches farmers’ data and satellite information with ground-truthing and soil sampling. Demonstrations provided a practical understanding of the importance of regenerative practices, such as crop residue management (utilising the waste materials left over after harvest such as leaves, stalks and stems).��

Rob Waterston, Farm Manager at Welford Park Estate said: 

It was really interesting to chat with these businesses and learn about the challenges they’re facing with their carbon footprints. Networking with them gave me a chance to explain how agriculture can sequester CO₂ and what we need to do to make it happen.

The visit reinforced how important it is to have these conversations to promote awareness about sustainable agricultural practices and how carbon farming is part of our future.” 

If you would like to learn more about carbon offsetting and pricing in the built environment, you can read �����ҵ���’s Carbon Offsetting and Pricing Guidance and attend our on the 8^th of October.  

Carbon offsetting and Pricing Guidance

Guidance to empower industry to deliver an ambitious approach to carbon offsetting and associated carbon pricing that supports the shift towards net zero buildings.

Learn more

Carbon Offsetting and Pricing Masterclass

This workshop is designed for decision-makers and their teams who are embarking on a net zero strategy that includes offsetting and/or carbon pricing.

Learn more

The post Impactful offsetting: using regenerative farming to generate carbon credits�� appeared first on UKGBC.

Guterres helpfully summarised the two overriding themes of this COP27 conference as Justice and Ambition – which provide useful lenses through which to judge the effectiveness of this global climate conference in accelerating our action and coping strategies.

A win for Climate Justice

For justice we should absolutely celebrate the fact that the talks ended with an agreement on Loss & Damage amongst the 200 participating countries. This means that climate vulnerable countries in the Global South will be supported in their crisis alleviation efforts through a much-awaited fund that richer, more polluting, countries will invest in.

While the inner workings of this fund have yet to be agreed, including who will invest, how much they will invest, and how the fund will pay out to those nations in most need – it’s worth reflecting that this Climate Justice mechanism itself has been 30 years in the making, and almost didn’t happen at all. If it had not been agreed at this particular COP27 hosted in Africa, home to 1.3bn people at severe risk from climate change, it would have been highly likely that those most vulnerable countries – including the small island states – turned their back entirely from the COP negotiations. That would have spelled the very end of Hope so we must feel relieved that this global multilateral treaty and process still exists, and that we all still stand united albeit with varying degrees of commitment.

After the devastating climate impacts suffered earlier this year by Pakistan, the Horn of Africa, China and even large parts of Europe, we can no longer expect to be trusted if we richer nations don’t go a long way towards helping those experiencing climate catastrophes to rebuild their homes, roads, hospitals and livelihoods as well as food production and water security systems.

Where was the Ambition?

The second lens of Ambition, however, is not nearly so encouraging. With the number of fossil fuel lobbyists outnumbering indigenous peoples 3:1 out in Sharm el-Sheikh, little was done to accelerate climate action. The efforts initiated at COP26 in Glasgow to ensure that global emissions peak before 2025 were not continued, nor was anything included in the final text to further phase down coal or phase out fossil fuels. In fact, in the final few nail-biting moments of the conference, a new form of ambiguous wording around ‘low emission energy’ made it into the treaty – prompting fears that this may be supportive of gas given its lower greenhouse gas effect compared with other fossil fuels.

What’s more, the success of the Glasgow pact was, in part, due to the recognition that the ‘ratcheting up’ of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) agreed as part of the Paris Agreement needed to be significantly accelerated. Therefore, the more polluting countries were encouraged to come to COP27 with more ambitious NDCs. But in the end, only 24 countries updated their NDCs between COP26 and COP27, far fewer than were hoped for and not enough to make a substantial difference to our ultimate trajectory.

Not the ‘Implementation COP’ we were promised

With COP27 being billed as the ‘Implementation COP’ this is the most disappointing of its outcomes. Let us remind ourselves that, despite the jubilation and euphoria in Paris back in 2015 as the world signed up to a common climate goal, the level of pledges & emissions reduction targets that were pledged put us on a trajectory to a cataclysmic 3.5C. Since then, progress has been made and emerging from Glasgow the trajectory was more like 2.5C or 1.8C at best (if we meet every single long and short-term pledge put forward). But that is still a far cry from the 1.5C that has since become the mantra – the scientific threshold above which we all agree we stand to lose far too much.

Given the conclusions from the Emissions Gap Report published by UNEP just last month that there is no credible pathway to 1.5C in place, and that we stand a 50/50 chance of hitting 1.5C this decade, the fact that in the final COP27 text, the reference to 1.5C itself was moved out from the international ‘must-do’ section and moved into a scientific chapter doesn’t bode very well. Some might even question the sense in continuing to pursue 1.5C as a goal.

But to us it seems essential that we do so. As US Climate Envoy John Kerry rightly points out, we shouldn’t conceive of 1.5C as the ultimate make or break target. With 1.5C becoming an ever more likely scenario, we need to make every effort available to us to limit the temperature increase above this at all costs – every fraction of a degree Centigrade is worth a million actions. Indeed, in his closing speech Nigel Topping spoke of the importance of Truth – and in so doing he reminded us that ‘The Truth is that 1.5C is not a target. As Earth systems scientists remind us: 1.5C is a limit. A limit anchored in physics: beyond which we unleash tipping points to hell.’

Looking inward at the built environment

So, for those industries like the built environment which we have proven to be capable of rapid decarbonisation, the pressure is even greater to do so at scale and at pace. This is why it was so important for the #BuildingtoCOP Coalition to keep the focus on the built environment as a critical solutions provider for a resilient and zero emissions future throughout COP27 – with World GBC as a key coalition partner. Indeed on 17th November at the Buildings Pavilion of COP27, France and the Kingdom of Morocco called for a for ‘Near zero emissions and resilient buildings are the new normal by 2030’. This was complemented by the efforts of the UN High-Level Climate Champions who built on their by launching a series of near-term way-point actions needed across all levers for system change in this highly important sector.

And talking of the UN High-Level Climate Champions work, the percentage of construction companies, by revenue, that have joined the Race to Zero has doubled since COP26. Contractors have committed to halving their emissions by 2030 at the very latest, across all scopes. The construction sector organisations now committed to Race to Zero totals over $245 billion (USD) in revenue. Launched ahead of COP27 in collaboration with the UN High Level Climate Champions and C40 Cities, the also provides actionable principles for implementing climate resilience and adaptation strategies across the built environment value chain. Indeed, with over 200 different events and initiatives focused on the built environment throughout the two weeks of COP27, there was a strong message emerging from COP27 for our sector: we can be part of the climate solution and we need to accelerate the deployment of mitigation and adaptation works at scale.

Reasons to be Hopeful

Amidst the rising levels of concern that we must go further faster it’s nonetheless important to highlight a few more reasons to be hopeful following COP27, including:

• This was the first COP to feature a Youth Pavilion – with the voice of children and youth formally represented
• It was also the first time that we saw specific chapters included in the final agreement dedicated to food, oceans and forests – thus forging stronger links between actions to tackle both Climate Change and Nature Recovery simultaneously
• Commercial banks were explicitly referenced within the final agreement as requiring ‘transformational change’ – and there was significant discussion around the need for major reform of the global institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank to mobilise climate finance faster
• Brazil is now back in the climate action tent, with Da Silva promising zero deforestation by 2030

With every closing of exhausting COP negotiations, comes the mounting tension and anticipation for the following one. So, with COP28 taking place in Dubai in a year’s time, and this also being the first Global Stocktake of implementation of the Paris Agreement, 2023 will be another critical year for climate action!

Take Action!

It’s not just up to the delegates meeting at COP, but all of us to take meaningful Climate Action. Here are ways you can take action with UKGBC:

• Join a UKGBC Task Group and help shape reports that can have impact throughout the industry. Currently applications are open to join both our Embodied Ecological Impacts Task Group and our Commercial Retrofit Phase 2 Task Group.
• Explore the steps you need to take to be part of our industry’s decarbonisation.��Join one of our Whole Life Carbon Roadmap Stakeholder sessions – for example this session for Social landlords, Owners, Property Managers (Residential) in January.
• Make sure everyone has the same baseline understanding of a sustainable built environment. UKGBC have created a free to take course with Future Learn, that takes learners through an introduction as to why decarbonising our built environment is so important, and key steps we must take to do this. Get involved here.
• Collaborate to go beyond carbon. Each month we hold a Collaboration Cafe to bring together different member sectors to discuss how, collectively, they will reach net zero carbon and how they’ll create holistic sustainability. Learn about the next three we have scheduled – here, here and here.
• Sign up to the Race to Zero. Each and every organisation should be pushing for 1.5 degrees. As a Race to Zero accelerator, we’re encouraging all our members to sign up. Learn more here.

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With this in mind, �����ҵ���’s Solutions & Innovation workstream seeks to help address shared sustainability challenges within the property and construction sector by showcasing practical solutions and enhancing collaboration between innovators and corporates. This is realised via a range of activities, including the convening of �����ҵ���’s 60+ Innovative Start-Up members, showcasing best practice solutions and case studies via �����ҵ���’s Solution Library, distilling industry challenges, and highlighting best practice.  

Using insights from our work, and with contribution from UKGBC members and , this deep dive explores some of the key themes and trends emerging for sustainable innovation within the built environment, with examples of some of the new and exciting solutions that have caught our attention: 

• Alternative and low carbon building materials 
• Retrofit tools 
• Smart buildings 
• Air quality 
• Climate risk analysis 
• Next generation building design 
• Renewable energy 
• Biodiversity   

Alternative and low carbon building materials  

From decarbonising concrete, to using waste streams to create new materials and harnessing bio-based materials for construction – there is a lot of innovation happening when it comes to sustainable, low carbon building materials.  

Concrete is responsible for 7-8% of global GHG emissions, and accounts for around 25% of the embodied carbon of construction[2]. There are a variety of different approaches innovators are taking to tackle this problem. Concrete is made from water, cement, and aggregate. On the aggregate side, Low Carbon Materials has developed a carbon negative aggregate and carbon zero blockwork using plastic waste that cannot be recycled and is usually burnt. With cement being the most carbon intensive ingredient of the concrete mix, innovators are also finding ways to reduce impact here, through the use of industrial waste materials and low carbon manufacturing methods such as Mevocrete and Geoprime®. Some solutions can eliminate the requirement for cement all together. For example, Earth Friendly Concrete use a unique binder system that can result in up to 87% embodied carbons savings and s BioConcrete uses a biotechnology to create zero carbon concrete that requires no cement.  

Beyond reducing the embodied carbon of concrete itself, another approach is to reduce the amount required in the first place. For example, Hyperion Robotics has developed a software to optimise structural designs for 3D printing of low carbon concrete, resulting in minimal material usage, and uses AI to eliminate concrete over-design.  

Beyond concrete, other innovators are seeking to use waste streams to create new materials. For example, Neverwaste makes panels from waste cardboard and packaging, and Storm Board from hard to recycle plastic waste. New construction systems are also being developed from waste streams. OGEL has produced a modular building system from plastic waste that can be used as flood defence, disaster relief shelter, semi-permanent homeless shelter or work from home offices. And then there is Circular11’s Greenbricks, which can slot together mechanically and are made from otherwise non-recyclable materials. 

Bio-based materials such as hemp, mycelium and timber are another key area of accelerated innovation – they are renewable, healthy, breathable and absorb carbon during cultivation[3].  is developing multiple materials in this area, including a high-performing building insulation made from mycelium, and a board material made from food waste.  

The multitude of choice in this space can make choosing materials and comparing their relative benefits tricky. And it is worth noting here that local reused materials and structures should ideally be prioritised, to minimise the need for raw materials extraction and associated processing and manufacture impacts. There are platforms emerging to aid with this decision making, for example Firstplanit and 2050 Materials. These platforms enable project teams to evaluate and compare sustainability credentials such as embodied carbon, toxicity, renewability, thermal efficiency, and recycled content (among other properties).  

Retrofit tools 

Soaring energy prices are heightening the need reduce energy demand within our homes, which is also a vital contribution achieving the UK’s legally-mandated net zero ambitions. Innovations to help facilitate home retrofit exist and are emerging, such as Qbot’s robotic underfloor insulation, Airex’s smart air bricks to reduce heat loss, and Energiesprong’s whole house retrofit solution (to name but a few). 

However, despite demand, many homeowners are left frustrated by the confusing and under-digitised journey towards energy efficiency. In response, digital platforms such as in Germany are providing energy audits and a streamlined customer experience for single family energy retrofits. As well as identifying which retrofit measures are most appropriate, finding appropriate financing can also be a huge challenge. Solutions like Tallarna are joining up the retrofit value chain by using AI to identify the best retrofit options for a building, and then calculating the risk of underperformance enabling projects to be insured and therefore financial outcomes guaranteed.  

Large commercial real estate and multinational corporations are also feeling the impact of rising energy costs and mounting pressure to decarbonise their real estate holdings. Digital platforms like and MortarIO are aiming to make information on entire portfolios more easily accessible and transparent, enabling the prioritisation of retrofitting measures including risks and financial impacts. To help companies with large portfolios identify assets with the least thermally inefficient building envelopes they are turning to new innovators such as , which will be launching the first of its constellation of satellites in Spring 2023 to measure the thermal efficiency of every building on Earth. 

Smart buildings  

Digital retrofit can play a large role in reducing the energy consumption of the UK’s building stock while reducing costs, automating processes and providing more insights on how spaces are used. Various solutions – BlockDox, Demand Logic and Metrikus – are available to monitor buildings through operational data sets and/or sensors that track occupancy, energy consumption and indoor air quality levels to create actionable insights for building owners and occupiers. Development in Internet of Thing (IoT) solutions are helping make some of these platforms possible, for example LighFi sensors that are able to monitor occupancy, Co2 levels, air quality, temperature and humidity. 

Solutions like Arloid and Ecopilot focus on HVAC to enable optimisation and autonomous control of systems that can result in energy savings of up to 50%, extended life of HVAC systems and often improved air quality (especially in the case of Urecsys). In addition to these benefits, solutions like the R8 Digital Operator and BrainBox AI, are optimising buildings to work with the local electrical grid, staggering each buildings energy consumption to avoid peak times when electricity is dirtier and more expensive. If scaled up to city level, these sorts of activities have the potential to significantly decrease pressure on the grid and use minimum energy during fossil fuel intensive periods. 

Air quality  

In the wake of COVID-19, health and wellbeing has shot up the agenda, specifically relating to indoor air quality. In addition to the smart HVAC solutions mentioned above, solutions range from Airlite paint which produces air purifying ions to CityTree and CityBreeze which combine the filtering power of mosses with smart IoT technology to filter dust from the air. AirScore assesses and benchmarks air quality for clients and suggests remedial actions. Redcube’s Aura Air Pollution Management solution improves air quality by filtering 99.9% of viruses, bacteria, mould and VOCs while also monitoring air quality in real time through an app.  

Climate risk analysis

While reaching net zero is critical, it is also important that we acknowledge and prepare for the climate changes we are already experiencing and locked into. A variety of solutions exist to help with climate risk identification and analysis, targeting both public and private sector stakeholders. Physical climate risk data and analytics platforms such as , EarthScan and Intensel are enabling real estate firms, corporates, and other stakeholders to determine their assets’ physical climate risk exposure more accurately. In addition, geospatial urban intelligence platforms such as , are layering GIS software with a number of datasets, including physical climate risk, to help decision-makers understand where to allocate public investment that fortifies utility assets or EV charging networks. 

�����ҵ���’s recent ‘Retrofitting for Resilience’ innovation challenge also cites a variety of solutions for improving the resiliency of buildings once climate risks are identified.  

Next generation building design 

New generative design platforms, which enable the quick generation of high-performing design alternatives, are helping architects evaluate real-time carbon, pricing and other material-related data impacts from the earliest stages of the building design process. One example of this is Modulous, which use a generative design software to deliver buildings using a standardised kit of parts through a distributed network of approved installers. When it comes to detailed and technical design workflows, platforms such as are automating design documentation/construction document control, generating a near complete BIM from a concept design model that allows sustainability information to be calculated.  

Amid rising skills shortages, the introduction of automation to the design workflow will prove a key enabler for both improving architectural firm efficiency, and for scaling the application of new sustainable building materials and prefabrication systems beyond bespoke uses cases. This also includes an increasing focus on modern methods of construction which has a range of benefits relating to speed, safety, quality and waste. Examples range from modularised construction systems like Project Etopia, to whole house models like Energy Positive Asset’s “The Risby” where three times as much energy is produced than used. 

Renewable energy  

Solar power is identified as a critical need – particularly for homes – within �����ҵ���’s Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap for the Built Environment. The democratisation of solar power for individuals otherwise unable to access it is an increasing focus for innovation. For example, Filia Solar has developed solar blackout blinds that enable those living in apartments to gain direct access to solar power, while also decreasing overheating in summer and increasing the surface area able to generate solar power in dense cities. And Allume Energy’s SolShare enables the connection of multiple apartments to a single rooftop solar system.����

Decarbonising heat is also a critical part of reaching net zero, with heat pumps playing a vital role. The Government’s programme is funding innovation in this space, including ’s free Heat Pump Home Survey and Design Tool, ’s Highly Flexible Storage Heat Pump and ’ two-stage heat pump with greywater energy recovery.  

Other solutions integrate renewable energy into more holistic strategies, often relating to home retrofit. Wondrwall Energy combines AI-powered home automation, gas-free heating (energy saving infrared, underfloor heating and smart hot water cylinders), solar PV and battery storage to create intelligent net zero homes.  

As we move to a grid with a higher proportion of intermittent renewables, we need to consider how we can make our buildings flexible to match their demand to when zero carbon energy is available and avoid peak times of consumption when the carbon intensity of the grid and cost of electricity is higher. Demand can be balanced by utilising energy storage or timing non-essential uses to during off-peak periods. Solutions in this area include Time of Use Tariffs (e.g. Octopus Energy’s ) and Vehicle-to-Grid energy where EVs act as distributed storage to buffer the grid at peak times. 

Biodiversity  

Biodiversity enhancing solutions are on the up, perhaps linking to anticipated upcoming UK legislation around Biodiversity Net Gain. A fundamental first step is to gather comprehensive data at site-level to understand the existing biodiversity. is empowering businesses with the tools to generate better data on nature using DNA, with technologies that are easy to use on the ground and can be scaled across business units. At the other end of the scale Gentian uses satellite-based data and other open-source data to assess plant metrics, habitat categorisation and species identification. It can monitor sites over a 30-year period as ensuring effective Biodiversity Net Gain strategies requires long-term monitoring. Sabbio also helps local planning authorities and land developers track biodiversity across the full 30-year monitoring cycle while ensuring monitoring is straightforward. has a joined-up approach, enabling the measurement, enhancement, valuation and reporting on natural capital. 

As industry takes further steps towards a sustainable built environment, we will likely see more solutions like these embraced and new areas of development emerge.  With this in mind, in 2023 UKGBC will be working with our Innovative Start-Up Members to produce a series of deep dives into key themes and emerging trends in more detail – watch this space!  

Thank you to the following contributors to this deep dive:  

• Adam Schuit, Investor at A/O PropTech 
• Catriona Hyland, Research Analyst at A/O PropTech 
• Amie Shuttleworth, Principal – Head of Sustainable Investment at Undivided Ventures 

Due to the expanse of the built environment and the rapidly changing landscape of the industry, this list is by no means exhaustive and is instead intended as a source of inspiration.  

If you know of any innovative solutions or start-ups doing important work on the sustainability of the built environment then please encourage them to submit their solution for inclusion in our Library. To find out more about �����ҵ���’s work on Solutions & Innovation and to explore collaboration opportunities please email innovation@ukgbc.org.  
  

References

[1] Tech Nation (2022), Climate Tech Report 2022. Available at: <https://technation.io/climate-tech-report-2022/#key-statistics> [Accessed 07.11.2022] 

[2] Construction Leadership Council (2022), Low Carbon Concrete Routemap. Available at: https://www.constructionleadershipcouncil.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Low-Carbon-Concrete-Routemap_27-April-2022.pdf  

[3] RICA (2021), Are biobased materials the key to a more sustainable construction industry?. Available at: https://www.rics.org/uk/wbef/megatrends/natural-environment/are-biobased-materials-the-key-to-a-more-sustainable-construction-industry/ [Accessed 07.11.2022]

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At UKGBC we encourage our members to take credible, science-based action to mitigate their own climate impact by joining and acting on the Race to Zero, as part of our role as an Accelerator to the UN-backed .    

Organisations embracing this role can help contribute to, inform, and justify the need for standards, policies and regulation that help further accelerate change. The momentum built to date by non-state actors has been substantial and significant. However, we cannot rely on voluntary and individual action alone to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. We must combine this with regulation, public policy and systemic behavioral change. Here is where “Persuade” comes in. 

Earlier this year Race to Zero published refined compliance criteria, including the introduction of a new criterion – “Persuade” – asking its members to align their governance structures, policy lobbying and advocacy activities with their ambitions to halve emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. Persuade now represents the “Fifth P” of the �䲹���貹������’s .

As the Race to Zero puts it; ‘voluntary work from members can be more powerful if it is combined with public policy, regulations and behavior change which can together deliver emissions reductions at the speed and scale needed to limit the worst impacts of climate change. ()… it enhances the need and creation of robust standards for net zero alignment, and to enshrine such requirements in regulation and law.‘() In a few words: it amplifies your organisation’s voice. 

Why would your organisation choose to advocate and lobby for climate action? 

Policy Advisor Philip Box answers that question:

Lobbying for more ambitious government policy is vital for delivering effective and comprehensive change. Ambitious policies, regulation and fiscal incentives are essential components of accelerating the transition; helping to deliver a level playing field, set a clear direction of travel, unlock economies of scale, support key sectors and drive up ambition across the board.��

In speaking to government, different organisations voices will helped drive change and ambition in different ways. Whether in terms of providing technical expertise, innovation opportunities or demonstrating the economic case for [and benefits of] ambitious action.’

Persuade acts as a multiplier of voices; it collates the needs of organisations, raises awareness, and generates an echo that calls for change. Climate advocacy enables us to work as a system, instead of acting in silos to transform voluntary action into the rules that govern our economy.  And there is evidence that this works. Recent research by European Universities found that the increasing mobilisation of climate policy supporters positively correlates to national climate policy production. ()   

What does Persuade look like in practice? 

Our members come from a wide range of sectors and are at different stages of their net zero journeys. Their scope of influence and expertise areas also vary, so advocating and lobbying for climate action may look very different from one organisation to the next.  

Here we bring you a range of examples of how UKGBC members are taking action to “Persuade”. 

JLL

is a global provider of real estate and investment management services. They participate in the Race to Zero via the SBTi’s Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign and The Climate Pledge.  

What made JLL decide to lobby and advocate for the delivery of the Paris Agreement? 

We identified that 96% of JLL’s total emissions come from the buildings that we manage on behalf of clients (reported under “use of sold products”). Subsequently, actively engaging our clients to also commit to net zero is central to JLL’s ambition to support the delivery of the Paris Agreement. 

And, how are you acting on this? 

In May 2021 JLL set a Global target to achieve net zero emissions by 2040, encompassing our entire Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory (scopes 1, 2 and 3) with a reduction ambition of 95%. This target was verified by the Science Based Targets initiative for compliance with its As the first phase of delivering on this, we have been engaging our clients through one-to-one meetings and a client survey to understand where they have challenges in starting or progressing their journey to net zero and where we can help address these needs. We have developed a range of reports and aligned webinars to focus specifically on these challenges. This included research on decarbonizing cities and real estate which focused on helping the sector to navigate the complex global landscape of net zero commitments, regulations, reporting requirements and incentives across 32 global cities. This year we are launching a report during COP27 on Retrofitting to be Future Fit – focused on the business case for delivering net zero buildings. Building on our client research, resource development and initial engagement we will be developing a programme to engage those clients and real estate companies who are still yet to have established net zero targets or plans and have not aligned with Race to Zero.   

Moreover, toward the end of 2021, we collaborated with World Economic Forum in establishing to guide real estate investors and corporate occupiers on implementing and achieving their net zero targets across their portfolios. This was launched at an event at COP26 and has been shared broadly with clients.  

What difference does it make for your organization to lobby and advocate around the delivery of the Paris Agreement?  

It helps us build strong relationships with clients and be seen as trusted advisors.  We partner with UKGBC, Business in The Community (BITC) and the British Property Federation (BPF), amongst others, for our lobbying and advocating work. For example, in January 2022, Guy Grainger – Global Head of Sustainability Services and ESG took on the role of president of the BPF – with a strong commitment to work closely with them to champion the role of real estate by delivering strong, resilient and productive communities nationally and meeting ambitious targets to reduce carbon.  Emma Hoskyn, our UK Head of Sustainability sits on the BITC Climate Action Leadership Team and supports their work across sectors to advance the Race to Zero.  

We have also invested in building significant expertise within our teams in how to develop net zero strategies within the real estate sector and how to achieve net zero at an individual asset level.  

Nationwide Building Society

is a British mutual financial institution, the seventh largest cooperative financial institution and the largest building society in the world. They take part in the Race to Zero via the SBTi’s Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign and the Net Zero Banking Alliance. 

What made your Nationwide decide to lobby and advocate for the delivery of the Paris Agreement?  

Nationwide Building Society is the UK’s second largest mortgage provider and a leading provider of savings and current accounts. As a member owned mutual, we are not owned by traditional shareholders like a bank but instead by our 16 million members. This enables us to focus on a social purpose – ensuring everyone has a good quality home they can call their own. A key part of our commitment is this, is our action to reach net zero by 2050 and support wider global efforts to achieve this. 

What examples of lobbying and advocacy can you share? 

Sustainability, with a particular focus on housing, has formed an increasingly important part of Nationwide’s advocacy work over recent years. For example, we have worked with the UK Government, BEIS, on topics including how to improve home energy efficiency and support low carbon heating. Moreover, we have worked with HM Treasury and DLUHC on the financial issues around greening homes including pushing for tax changes. We have sought to ensure that other fundamental changes are put in place, such as better access to data around home energy use, which will enable organisations like Nationwide to push for change.  

We have also worked with our trade associations UK Finance and the Building Societies Association to encourage them to support change to deliver net zero. This has included playing an active role in sustainability committees, supporting policy calls and providing speakers for teach-ins to share our learnings. 

Nationwide also convened a Green Homes Action Group in 2021, bringing together businesses and charities with a shared interest in greening the UK homes including E.ON, Rockwool, the Federation of Master Builders and B&Q.  The Group has produced and lobbied for a set of seven core principles for Government to base its green homes activity around with the aim of achieving net zero by 2050: 1) Show people what works: a public information campaign that inspires; 2) Be fairly financed; 3) Regulate to increase the attractiveness of green retrofitting; 4) Create hundreds of thousands of jobs in green retrofitting; 5) Enable property data that is fit for the future; 6) Support green homes with green power; 7) Build green homes for the future, now.   

At an international level, Nationwide is a member of the Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) and the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) where we have played active roles in working groups on transition planning and public policy. 

Grosvenor

is an internationally diversified property group that develops, manages and invests to improve property and places across many of the world’s leading cites. They signed up to the Race to Zero via the SBTi’s Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign. 

How does Grosvenor approach advocacy and lobbying to support the achievement of the Paris Agreement?  

We advocate strongly for initiatives and policy aligned with the Paris agreement. As a long-term business we know that the later we start, the harder keeping global warming to 1.5oC will be. But no business can break the cycle alone – its only through collective action between industry sectors and ultimately governmental leadership that we can avert climate breakdown. 

So, we use our voice and convening power to change behaviours and raise awareness of opportunities and policies which support the Paris Agreement. As a COP26 Ambassador, our sustainability lead directly supported companies joining Race to Zero and this year we’re mentoring over 35 SME suppliers to help them gain a Science Based Target. In addition, from 2023 we will not mandate major contracts over £1million to suppliers without a Science Based Target and have supported two major membership organisations in the creation of their net zero goals and industry positioning this year. 

As the only European property company with a long-term and net-zero validated science-based target, our net zero ambition is integrated in to all activity and employee goals making the full business, from Corporate Affairs to development aligned to our success. Working in collaboration, we lead or participate in prominent cross sector groups advancing industry thinking and government policy including as founding partners of �����ҵ���’s Advancing Net Zero Carbon programme, ConcreteZero and SteelZero. We also lead a group campaigning for policy change to make it easier to make the millions of historic buildings in the UK more energy efficient and lead the heritage sector working group for the UK net zero building standard. 

Bates Wells

s is a purpose-driven law firm, and the first based in the UK to become a certified B Corp. They take part in the Race to Zero via the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance, SME Climate Hub, and Business Declares campaigns. 

What made Bates Wells decide to lobby and advocate for the delivery of the Paris Agreement, and what does this action look like?  

As a firm we formally recognised the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis in 2019 after consulting with our staff and firm partners. In doing this, we set and have advocated for others to take a stance through activities like the (we actively support the campaign and wrote the draft legislation), the (we sponsored some of the research) and through our membership of initiatives and groups such as , , etc. As a B Corp we are part of a strong and vocal community calling for action on the Paris Agreement and social justice.  

We see all our actions through the lens of our position on social and environmental justice so on a day-to-day basis we take all sorts of steps to align with the Paris Agreement. We ask our suppliers to demonstrate that they are on a net zero pathway, we are particular in the work that we take on and we work closely with others in the B Corp community and elsewhere to encourage better business practices that address the climate crisis. Our lawyers across the practice are finding ways to support our clients to be more aligned with the Paris Agreement (e.g. through bespoke work on supply chains, net zero clauses and encouraging action on climate change through real estate contracts) and in our Operations we have reduced our carbon footprint by 80% over the past ten years (scope 1, 2 and some scope 3). 

We publicly advocate for bold science-based climate policies, in the . A clear example of action is that the we took on and won,  which clarifies the position on charity investment duties. This means that charities in the UK can now move their investments away from fossil fuels without penalty from the charity commission.

Your turn. The opportunity to amplify your organisation’s voice 

Some core themes coming out of the above examples are raising awareness amongst peers, supporting climate positive behavioral change across value chains, raising governmental awareness of the sector’s needs to get and meet the targets, and creating and participating in groups supporting emissions reduction efforts across the built environment. 

These examples highlight that policy advocacy and lobbying actions are possible, and most powerful when connected to an organisation’s core values and interests and appropriately integrated within business strategy. Acting on Persuade looks different for different sizes of organisations, but any UKGBC member regardless of size can get involved with �����ҵ���’s policy & advocacy as part of their Persuade strategy. Please email policy@ukgbc.org in order to learn more about the ways you can support their work.  

To find out more about Race to Zero’s call to members to ratchet their policy engagement and help inform, shape and drive standards, policies and regulations that support net zero, . 

Do you have an advocacy and/or lobby example to share? Let us know.

Race to Zero

Learn more about the Race to Zero and sign up to demonstrate your organisations commitment to net zero by 2050.

Learn More

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Last year, it was announced at COP26 that the built environment was leading the way in signups to the Race – demonstrating how innovative and forward thinking this industry can be. With the built environment responsible for 20% of the UK’s emissions, it’s key that this leadership continues if we’re to reach crucial climate targets.

On becoming an Accelerator to the Race, Ģ��ֱ��sued a call to all our members to join the campaign and made this a formal membership requirement for UKGBC Gold Leaf members. Back in April 2021, just 9% of UKGBC business members (28% of Gold Leaf members) had joined the Race to Zero. By April 2022, over 25% of those same business members (and almost 70% of Gold Leaf members) had joined. Looking ahead, we have set ourselves a series of targets to gradually bring more of our business members into the Race, supporting them in doing so through a variety of ways including the launch of �����ҵ���’s new Collaboration Café events.

This deep dive intends to give prospective Race to Zero signees more insight into why and how joining the Race can benefit your organisation, learning directly from the experience of others.

The Product Manufacturer and Solutions Provider perspective – Schneider Electric

A currently underrepresented segment in the Race to Zero, it’s great to see UKGBC Gold Leaf Member Schneider Electric demonstrating leadership as a manufacturer of electrical products and technologies. But why the Race to Zero?

‘Schneider Electric signed up to the Race To Zero (RTZ) in its early stages at CEO level as the RTZ to shows our global commitment and contribution to a more sustainable world. The RTZ formalises our net zero goals and aligns to a common standard. Aligning to science-based targets ensures our credibility as a leader in sustainability with verified targets. The RTZ shows a collective commitment from business to net zero and allows us to work with likeminded companies and help pull other companies along the journey with us.‘

Product manufacturers often have some of the most complicated supply chains, as challenges pertaining to  the end of life of their products. Committing to climate action might therefore seem daunting. However, Schneider Electric believe that making ambitious, science-based commitments is vital:

‘We are working towards a crucial moment in history, we need everybody in and working together from every sector. This is not the time to be cautious, it’s the time to change.‘

Schneider Electric joined the Race by signing up to the Business Ambition for 1.5oC campaign. They have had their near-term and long-term science-based targets validated by the Science Based Targets institute (SBTi) including a net zero target date of 2050 validated against the SBTi’s Net Zero Standard.

The Charity and Social Enterprise perspective – Bioregional

Bioregional has been a member of UKGBC for over 10 years and focuses on making sustainable places with a better way to live. They initiated the UK’s first major sustainable community – BedZed – and provide consultancy services. Sustainability has always been at the core of what they do, so joining the Race to Zero through the SME Climate Hub just made sense:

‘It’s now clearer than ever as we see the impact of our changing climate around the world, that we do not have a habitable planet for nature, for our children and grandchildren, or a functioning economy, without going zero carbon.  

And at Bioregional, we know through practical experience that we absolutely can do this.  Over the past 25 years, we have worked with partners to create zero carbon homes and helped business and local government to develop new approaches to achieve net zero, and new opportunities as they help their residents and customers to go zero carbon.  

It’s a better, zero carbon future, or no future. That’s why we’ve got behind the Race to Zero.’  

Overall, Bioregional see the Race to Zero as an opportunity ‘to demonstrate true climate leadership.’ They echo our view at UKGBC when they say, ‘there simply is no time to waste, and getting your organization on a scientifically approved path to net zero is the place to start.’

‘We have all the technologies and approaches we need. Pretty soon it will just be the new normal. When we’ve got a cleaner, healthier, more equitable world, we’ll look back and wonder why we didn’t get on with it sooner.‘

The Engineer perspective – Troup Bywaters + Anders

Troup Bywaters + Anders (TB+A) have offices across the four devolved nations of the UK. As a partnership, they have been , certified by ClimateCare, and alongside the Race to Zero are committed to their own Sustainability Strategy and Action Plan, covering12 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. But why choose the Race to Zero

Troup Bywaters + Anders, ‘are a signatory to the ‘Race to Zero’ because we are acutely aware of our place in the world and the positive impact we can have through our actions, knowledge sharing and support to our clients, communities, and people. As a socially responsible and ethical partnership, we intend to be instrumental in creating positive social and environmental impact through our activities.‘

They became a member of the Race to Zero through the SBTi, who have verified their 1.5-degree near-term 2030 target. The target was approved using the streamlined target validation route exclusive to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Ultimately TB+A want to be an organisation that is not just net zero, but also regenerative.

Why should engineers join the Race?

‘The ‘Race to Zero’ is important to us as engineers, as we have the ability to shape the future of the built environment and can see the major changes the industry must go through in terms of approach and alignment with nature in a short time.

We have witnessed the dramatic changes created by humanity’s approach to the natural world and huge impact as a consequence on the climate, biodiversity and vulnerable peoples and societies. Each conversation, collaboration and project represents an opportunity to do something positive to reverse this situation, and one that all within the built environment must commit to achieving.’

In general, the team stress the importance of building ‘new forms of collaboration across the public and private sectors,’ as well as change at a ‘system level.’

‘At TB+A we know that it is daunting to start your journey to net-zero, but all who have signed up to the Race to Zero can assist new signatories in setting goals and strengthening relationships with clients and industry partners in this endeavour.‘

The Environmental Verification Body perspective – Sintali

Sintali are an environmental certification body, verifying the environmental impact of the built environment and helping organisations make net zero a reality. Therefore, they strongly believe that they couldn’t, ‘just promote sustainability solutions externally’ but also had to ensure they had ‘created a sustainable business internally…Becoming a signatory of the Race to Zero campaign was an easy choice, as it clearly aligns with these values and what we’re trying to do.’

Increasingly, there are organisations like Sintali who’s core purpose is to promote and facilitate Climate Action, and it’s crucial that they themselves are actively working towards that goal. The Race to Zero is a brilliant way to showcase that, and ensure their operations line up with their brand goals. That’s why they signed up via the SME Climate Hub.

For Sintali, the Race to Zero has been, ‘a universal platform that can cater to different industry needs and provide the resources and guidance needed to get everyone working towards the same goal.’ Particularly, they reflect; ‘it has been a valuable tool to align our efforts and clearly delineate our path forward to net zero.’ 

The Property Company perspective – Grosvenor

As a Gold Leaf member of UKGBC and partner of our Advancing Net Zero programme, Grosvenor’s UK property business has made great strides as a signatory of Race to Zero via the Business Ambition for 1.5oC campaign.

They’re committed to slashing emissions from their buildings, developments, and supply chain by 90% across all scopes by 2040 and aim to be climate positive before 2050. By 2022 Grosvenor had achieved a 24% absolute emission reduction against their baseline, and this year they .  Supporting this, Grosvenor has committed to being zero waste by 2030, and for the same date they’re committing to an 100% increase in biodiversity on all developments.

Overall, Grosvenor has aligned with  all   of the – including the most recent addition, “Persuade”. For example, Grosvenor Property UK’s Executive Director was a COP26 UK Built Environment Climate Ambassador, they offer a free Net Zero Mentoring Programme supporting SME suppliers gaining science-based targets, and are members of a wide range of climate action campaigns, including as founding partners of SteelZero and ConcreteZero. Their work with Ģ��ֱ�� of course part of this, and in this past year Grosvenor have along with other leading businesses.

The Innovative Start Up perspective – BrainBox AI

When it comes to climate action, it’s not just mature businesses that need to be involved –  start-ups who are in the earlier stages of their journey still have a key role to play. BrainBox AI are a tech company, originally based in Montreal with a growing presence in the UK. They leverage AI to run HVAC systems within commercial buildings so that they are as energy efficient as possible.

When asked, they simply shared that they’re a member of the Race to Zero because ‘the time to act is now.’ Their corporate vision, ‘is to save the planet with AI, and… know that drastic results require drastic action.’

Being within the technology space, they face different challenges compared to more traditional organisations. They share that as a company that’s ‘experiencing extremely rapid growth, it is easy to get lost in the action of everyday operations and temporarily lose sight of this larger issue. Joining the Race to Zero creates accountability and ensures that our focus does not waver. Though our technology makes a huge difference in decreasing the carbon footprint for our clients, we want to make sure that we are also taking the time to look in the mirror and optimize our own operations for environmental success.’

For BrainBox AI, the fact they’re a start up doesn’t stop them from being committed to climate action; ‘companies big or small can lead by example and joining the Race to Zero is a perfect way to do so.’ In particular they point to the as a ‘great initiative’ for those similar to them who want to join the Race. They particularly cite the ‘numerous tools’ they provided them with.

Closing thoughts

These six businesses represent a small fraction of the many UKGBC members who have committed to action by signing up to the Race to Zero – but we hope it provides some insight and inspiration for those who are yet to sign up.

For more information on how you can join Race to Zero, and �����ҵ���’s role as an Accelerator of the campaign, you can find out more here.

�����ҵ���’s new Collaboration Café events also offer a space for built environment peer groups within �����ҵ���’s membership to knowledge-share about the practicalities, implications, and challenges of becoming net zero businesses. Collaboration Cafes are running monthly, open to different sub-sectors of the membership and can be found here.

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There is frequently a general perception that with the UK being a “rainy” country, water is abundant. According to a survey in the Great British Rain Paradox report, supported by the Environment Agency and Water UK, only 10% of the public consider water a key environmental consideration. The concerning thing is that, according to Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of England’s Environment Agency, in less than 25 years the UK could reach a tipping point where demand for water exceeds supply. This past summer gives us a glimpse as to how that might be a possibility as the Environment Agency recently declared that much of the UK is in drought. No matter what some might think, it is clear that this heatwave is not comparable to that summer in ’76, it’s worse.

The future threat to our water security is due to a host of factors of which increased demand for water is one, both as a result of the intensified use as individuals and of population growth. Impacts of Climate Change are also visibly exacerbating the issue, with our rainfall becoming less consistent. It is typically arriving in intense bursts onto land hardened by long periods with little or no rain, which will not absorb the water as effectively as soft soil leading to flash flooding.

Inconsistency of rainwater supply is one problem, another is the pollution of our fresh water systems. Water discharges, leaks or run-offs from sewage treatment works, septic tanks, livestock and arable farming and industrial processes are causing . This is where excessive nutrients, such as nitrates and phosphates, cause a dense growth of plant life and algae, with serious consequences for drinking water sources, fisheries, and recreational water sites.

As a result of this, and following advice from , “. In the construction sector this is impacting planning applications in certain areas of the UK. The attention is not limited to industrial activities but also to residential schemes. In areas where there are already instances of eutrophication, new development of any kind can exacerbate the issue due to increased areas of hard-landscaping encouraging further water run off during downpours.

Whilst our earth is effectively a ‘blue planet’, National Geographic states that 99% of the water on earth is unusable by, or inaccessible to, humans and many other living things. Cities are already seeing extreme water scarcity. Cape Town narrowly escaped ‘Day Zero’ – the moment when the taps to a city of 4.3 million people run dry – in 2017, and it had already resorted to the desalination of sea water.  Whilst desalination seems like an obvious technological fix, as with all technological fixes, it comes with a large price tag and is energy hungry in the making and the running.

Read more about the impact that drought can have on our built environment here.

Reducing demand and protecting water supplies

As with most issues relating to the environment, the less we consume the better. There have been many tips and tricks shared in the last few weeks on how we can save water in our daily lives, but there are also things we can do when we are designing and managing our built environment to help overcome water-related challenges, which are likely to be significantly more impactful. As architects and lead consultants we have the opportunity to make our clients aware of the issues as early as brief definition, and to design in strategies that help minimise and mitigate the impacts of their buildings on water security.

Reducing the use of water

The water that comes into our buildings from municipal systems is filtered, which is an energy intensive process and a lot of that water is used to flush toilets. The RIBA have recognised the importance of conserving water and have included water use targets, and specific detailed recommendations, as part of the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge. Solutions to help us on the way to achieving these targets may include the incorporation of:

• Leak detection
• Waterless or low-flow appliances. For example, or composting toilets, where there is an on-site composting strategy
• Greywater recycling. For example, residual sink and shower water can be used to flush toilets

Keeping water on site

In the first instance, water management should factor into site selection. To mitigate any major issues, developers ought to avoid sites within a floodplain. Greenfield sites should also be avoided. Any existing plantings with water retention potential should be retained in the development wherever possible, keeping hard landscaping to a minimum, and where it is required water-permeable materials should be considered.

Water can be collected on site, and run-off can be slowed, to reduce demand on municipal systems. In particular, at times of strain during drought and heavy downpours, this reduces risk and makes a development more resilient. The International Living Future Institute’s Living Building Challenge endorses projects that are self-reliant when it comes to water. Some methodologies to help achieve self-reliance might include:

• Blue roofs, storage tanks and/or water butts could be considered where space is limited or for collection for reuse. This water could be used for flushing toilets, irrigation and vehicle washing. Filtration could also be introduced for drinking water.
• Increased planting and soft landscaping should be introduced wherever possible. For example, at ground level through Sustainable Urban Drainage methodologies: creating space for biodiversity and water management. Where space is limited, or in urban environments, green roofs and walls can help slow the flow of water. This was included in our design of Chetwoods
• Blackwater recycling systems can be successful where appropriate and where space is less of a concern. The Centre for Alternative Technology has a working example of a for dealing with sewage, or a constructed wetland system that Weston’s Cider use for water treatment.

As water expert Cath Hassell mentions in a , there are three types of water a building has to deal with: the water that comes into a building, the water that goes out of a building and the water that falls on a building. In general, as architects we need to remember that we are designing in accordance with natural systems and not against them, the water cycle is one of them.

Philippa Birch-Wood is a Director at , and �����ҵ���’s Local Network Co-ordinator for the West Midlands.

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With four published outputs, acquainting yourself with the full Roadmap can seem like an unfeasible task. However, there are several findings outlined in the Roadmap which are key to the built environment sector’s decarbonisation. In this blog post, we explore four of these findings that you may have missed on your first skim.  

The Roadmap presents one of the first attempts at quantifying the embodied carbon impact of domestic retrofit.  

Decarbonising the UK’s existing housing stock is one of the most significant challenges facing the UK in decarbonisation. Whether it’s the Roadmap, the 6th Carbon Budget, or the Government’s Net Zero Strategy, there is consensus that achieving net zero will require a fabric first retrofit approach to reduce a buildings operational energy demand.  

While this widescale retrofit of homes is necessary, the embodied carbon of such a massive undertaking should also not be ignored. The Roadmap trajectory (see Interactive Graph here) illustrates a spike in embodied carbon emissions from domestic buildings between 2025 and 2035 – that is a direct result of the nation-wide retrofit programme that the Roadmap suggests is implemented. 

While retrofit should absolutely be pursued for the carbon, health and social benefits, the embodied carbon of retrofit solutions is not an area that has received a lot of industry focus. Minimising the embodied carbon of retrofit is a research gap that should be investigated by industry to try and better understand how to minimise any carbon impacts. 

Investment into decarbonisation infrastructure is necessary though this also comes with an embodied carbon impact. 

Achieving net zero will require significant investment into renewable energy capacity and transportation systems that reduce overall demand for car use. There is a 100% increase anticipated in total infrastructure investment from 2018 – 2050, driven by increased investment in electricity and rail sectors alongside other infrastructure sectors. These come with a carbon cost – embodied carbon will spike as a result of these investments.  

Many of the material supply chains will be reliant on the deployment of CCS and / or Hydrogen in order to decarbonise hard-to-abate emissions (i.e., high temperature processes, or chemical process emissions such as cement production). This cannot be done by industry alone; Government support will be critical to unlocking these strategies. 

¼ homes will have Photovoltaic Solar Panels (PV) by 2050, alongside a 6.7% annual increase in PV installations on non-domestic buildings. 

The Roadmap projects that PV on buildings will form a critical element of energy system decarbonisation. There is currently only about 1.7 GW of solar on non-domestic buildings, and 13GW is needed by 2050; domestic buildings will need about 35 GW from 6 GW currently.  

For new buildings, changes to Part L (the Building Regulation that relates to energy performance of new and existing buildings) and the introduction of the Future Homes Standard (building Regulation for decarbonising and futureproofing new build homes) mean that from 2025, it is likely that every new home will be built with solar PV. While not yet required on retrofits, there could be an opportunity to also mandate the installation of PV on major retrofits.  

PV on domestic buildings may also provide significant financial savings for families as homes switch to heat pump heating and electric cars; with this impact being more important than ever as households across the UK face a sharp increase in energy bills and cost of living.  Outside of energy bills, combining PV with electric cars as battery storage can provide a significant opportunity for both cost and carbon savings for personal transport. 

Circular design principles are necessary for reducing the total life cycle impact of buildings 

An industry-wide behavioural shift is required for prioritising the reuse of assets and materials, along with greater flexibility and creative thinking around how we can better utilise our existing stock. In the Roadmap trajectory, this looks like: 

• A 20% reduction in material usage through design efficiency by 2050 
• A 10% reduction in material demand by 2040 through increased material reuse 
• 25k new homes PA from 2025 onwards via change-of-use conversions 
• A 10% reduction in new office / resi demand by 2040 through improved utilisation of existing building stock 

Reuse must be the first approach considered by designers and developers alike, which whole life carbon assessments should help incentivise. Every stakeholder in the value chain has a role in proactively recommending circular approaches and ensuring that circularity is considered at every step.  

Learn more about Circular Economy here. 

Conclusion 

UKGBC and other industry stakeholders intend to track progress against the Roadmap and update its recommendations over the coming years, which means that new findings will be unearthed and take prevalence over others. Indeed, the more the Roadmap is explored, digested and discussed within the industry the more we can all learn about the routes forward for our built environment to reach net zero. The findings in this blog are just some examples of what the Roadmap can tell us about the next steps. Therefore, if you want to discover specifically what you should be doing in your sector now, read our Stakeholder Action plans for targeted recommendations. 

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