What is a carbon handprint and how does it differ from a carbon footprint?

Simply put, a carbon handprint measures the positive impact of a product on the environment, while a carbon footprint measures the negative impact (absolute greenhouse gas emissions) of a product on the environment.

Simply put, a carbon handprint measures the positive impact of a product on the environment, while a carbon footprint measures the negative impact (absolute greenhouse gas emissions) of a product on the environment.

You might think that a carbon handprint is just “the opposite” of a carbon footprint, but their distinction is a bit more complex. One of the core differences is that a carbon footprint focuses on the absolute emissions associated with an organisation’s product or activity, whereas a carbon handprint refers to the positive impact (emission reductions) that said organisation’s product has on the carbon footprint of others.

VTT, the Technical Research Centre of Finland, defines both handprint and carbon handprint separately:

“A handprint refers to the beneficial environmental impacts that organisations can achieve and communicate by offering products and services that reduce the footprints of others.”

“A carbon handprint is the reduction of the carbon footprint of others.”

It’s also important to note that a carbon handprint is not an absolute value and cannot be directly evaluated against a carbon footprint. A carbon handprint is a relative value measured by comparing the impact of the baseline product to that of a new alternative, i.e. the emissions resulting from the current product or system compared to a different one. Such a comparison tells us how much better one product or service can be for the climate over another.

Why focus on carbon handprint?

Understanding your carbon handprint offers you a different perspective on the environmental impact of your company. For example, while it’s true that electronics manufacturers rely on a complex, resource-intensive supply chain to create their products, it’s also true that many of these companies are creating truly impactful solutions that contribute to sustainable development.

In the case of some industries, understanding the carbon handprint of an offering can provide the company with an additional focus area in its sustainability strategy. Ultimately, measuring carbon handprint can help to answer the question of “How is my company helping society to meet climate targets?”.

The most practical way to improve your carbon handprint is to invest in solutions that improve (energy) efficiency or reduce reliance on unsustainable practices, or, in other words, solutions that can help your end customer to reduce their carbon footprint.

Companies can also consider engaging in educational campaigns to boost the awareness and adoption of such solutions among their stakeholders, which could impact the carbon handprint of said company as well as the overall industry.

Raising awareness of the concept of a carbon handprint in general could also be highly beneficial in reaching wider climate goals. With a keener understanding of the concept, companies could better compare and assign resources to maximise their positive impact. Collaboration with other organisations, NGOs, and local communities, for example, could be a great avenue for sharing the message.

What does carbon handprint mean for Helvar?

Helvar are a UKGBC member who provide intelligent lighting solutions for customers around the world. In the smart building industry, lighting solutions can have a strong carbon handprint by improving the overall energy efficiency of a building. In fact, by combining ultra-efficient lighting components, intelligent controls and a digital services platform into an interconnected ‘end-to-end’ solution, Helvar is in a unique position to impact on the sustainability of buildings around the world.

As an example of the impact of lighting controls, we can look to Helvar’s solution for the Allander Leisure Centre in Bearsden, Scotland. Helvar’s intelligent lighting management system provided control over all lighting within the facility, ensuring efficient operation and significant energy conservation. Because the system can now adjust the lighting based on real-time occupancy and available natural light, massive savings are achieved compared to a traditional “on-off” lighting system which operates at a fixed output level. “Helvar’s solutions perfectly aligned with the project’s requirements for creating adaptable lighting environments while maximising energy efficiency” explained Raymund McGrath, Regional Manager, Helvar. 

For the end user, intelligent lighting controls vastly reduce the amount of energy that is wasted and thus their Scope 2 emissions. In other words, by implementing intelligent solutions and reducing their customers’ energy consumption and resulting carbon footprint, Helvar positively impacts the environment through a growing carbon handprint. As such, Helvar’s carbon handprint is truly a core part of the company!

Calculating carbon handprint

In practice, there is no standardised way to calculate a carbon handprint. In Helvar’s case, to evaluate their carbon handprint in the form of saved electricity, they analysed the annual sales of their dimmable drivers and sensors and the corresponding yearly energy savings at the locations where they are utilised.

It’s good to note that the main energy production methods can vary between specific countries or even regions, which can impact both foot- and handprint calculations.

In the case of the United Kingdom, where nearly 40% of energy is generated from fossil fuels, the carbon handprint of any one solution may be higher than say in Finland, where a considerable portion of the energy comes from renewable or nuclear sources. As an example, a study in Finland found that a luminaire’s carbon handprint in the use stage is 5 times greater than its footprint from the manufacturing stage, when it is equipped with a dimmable driver and uses proper lighting controls. Using these calculations it can be concluded that in the UK, because of a different energy mix, the same solution would provide a handprint that is 8 times greater than its footprint.

Conclusion

Although novel and lacking standardisation when it comes to its measurement, the concept of a carbon handprint can be a critically important factor for prioritisation in R&D and solution portfolios, helping companies to focus on opportunities where they can create the biggest positive impact on the planet (while continuing to improve their own operations).

Helvar are a UKGBC member who create intelligent and energy-saving lighting solutions. Learn more about what it means to be a UKGBC member here.

Climate Commitments

Our UKGBC members are on a journey to achieving net zero, reducing their greenhouse emissions in the face of the climate crisis. Our members have made a climate commitment, what is yours?

View more

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The need for rapid decarbonisation is clear. The impacts of climate change are being felt here and now, with average global temperature records being broken across the summer. We need to accelerate action to mitigate our impacts on our planet. But we’re not moving fast enough. The Whole Life Carbon Roadmap indicates that continuing business as usual would see the sector fall well short of the 2050 net zero target.

Organisations across the built environment value chain need to play their part in reaching net zero, and each and every person in those organisations can support the transformation.

That means you!

‘Net zero’ can appear confusing, complicated, and highly challenging to achieve, but UKGBC are here to help you understand what this means, why it’s important and what actions you can take.

This webinar series will build your core net zero knowledge through exploring key concepts, ideas and solutions needed to reach net zero across our built environment. Each session will delve into a new subject, from measuring carbon, to retrofit and much more.

UKGBC’s Advancing Net Zero team will provide expert guidance across the series, alongside inspirational examples of success and case studies from UKGBC members. Each session will allow for questions, giving you the opportunity to ask our experts and guests anything you want.

Series detail

Each webinar will run from 09:30 – 10:25 GMT (with an extended Q&A from 10:25-10:45)

The subjects covered and dates are as follows:

1. Advancing Net Zero in the Built Environment – An Introduction – Friday 22 September

2. Net Zero in Organisations – Friday 29 September

3. Defining, Designing, and Delivering Net Zero Carbon Buildings – Friday 13 October

4. Whole Life Carbon and the Circular Economy – Friday 27 October

5. Procuring Renewable Energy and Carbon Offsets – Friday 10 November

6. Retrofitting the UK’s Built Environment – Friday 24 November

Why attend?

Every one of us needs to be part of the journey to a net zero, sustainable built environment. As organisations set carbon reduction targets and progress towards more sustainable business objectives, it’s important to understand some of these key concepts to ensure you are not left behind.

From attending this series, you will:

• Understand what net zero carbon means, and how it can be achieved in the built environment sector.
• See how organisations are already rising to the challenge.
• Be inspired to participate in sustainability action in your organisation.
• Know where to find further UKGBC resources and learning

Who should attend?

These sessions are designed for anyone who’s interested in knowing more about net zero in the built environment – they’re open to all. They will cover essential knowledge, not detailed, technical advice.

You could be early in your career, or keen to know more about what net zero means for your team or role, or you may have recognised that you need to know more on this topic to succeed in your organisation. Either way, this series will give you the essential knowledge you need to support the decarbonisation of the built environment.

Discounts:

For non-members attending all six webinars, contact events@UKGBC.org to get the final session for free.

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It’s impossible to overstate the importance of viewing – and taking action to address – the climate and ecological crises through the same lens.

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of viewing – and taking action to address – the climate and ecological crises through the same lens. Nature provides both climate resilience and at least a third of the emissions mitigation and removal opportunity required to achieve a 1.5°C pathway (UNFCCC), and so its restoration is an increasing priority. With growing acknowledgement that there is no net zero without action to address the loss of nature, industry is racing to create mechanisms that help us respond. The establishment of a global treaty to halt and reverse nature loss, the launch of the first science-based targets for nature, and an upcoming global framework to measure and disclose nature-related risk to cite but a few.

‘Nature positive’ has begun to slip into everyday discourse and, in the footsteps of ‘net zero’, has quickly become plagued by concern over opening-up yet another frontier for greenwashing. But, if we take reversing biodiversity loss and supporting nature restoration and recovery as our foundation, how are we seeing climate action that safeguards our natural world being realised across the built environment? Taking inspiration from UKGBC member Race to Zero signatories across the value chain – highlighted below – some common themes emerge:

Circularity and regeneration

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the third principle of a circular economy is to regenerate nature. A circular economy supports natural processes, leaves more room for nature to thrive, and builds natural capital. “If we eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials, and regenerate nature, biodiversity can thrive.” Forward-thinking companies are embracing a paradigm shift – moving away from simply ‘doing less harm’ (emitting less, extracting less…), towards having a net positive impact that actively restores natural processes and resources, drawing down emissions. The north star goal being a regenerative state in which human and natural systems not only co-exist in harmony, but also co-evolve.

Co-benefits of nature-inspired solutions

For over 3.8 billion years, life has adapted and evolved to changing planetary conditions. Biomimetic  and biophilic design (note the difference explained here) allow us to learn and benefit from the best that nature has to offer. Stakeholders across the built environment are also increasingly deploying Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) and seeking to harness ‘Nature Tech’ to scale- and speed-up nature’s ability to combat climate change. These represent tangible design solutions that bring a myriad of intersectional benefits not only for nature, but also for climate resilience and societal health and wellbeing.

We will only discover and deploy exponential solutions to the climate and ecological crises if we move from competitive to cooperative leadership; breaking down silos and learning from each other’s successes and failures.

Collaboration

We will only discover and deploy exponential solutions to the climate and ecological crises if we move from competitive to cooperative leadership; breaking down silos and learning from each other’s successes and failures. Over the past year, UKGBC has been bringing together organisations across the value chain to do just this, as they take action towards net zero, at our inaugural series of Collaboration Café events – we’ve captured some of the insights here.

Financing and investment

Nature is not only significantly underfinanced, but also still feeling the brunt of nature-negative flows of public and private capital. The UNEP’s State of Finance for Nature 2022 report concluded that – to appropriately tackle climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation – global investments into NbS need to more than double each year by 2025. Governments currently provide the vast majority of investment and should seek not only to increase this, but also to create an enabling environment to catalyse private finance flows. Businesses and other private sector stakeholders, for their part, need to ensure they invest in nature as they transition towards net zero – harnessing the ‘triple win’ power of NbS to mitigate and draw down emissions, restore degraded ecosystems and reverse biodiversity loss.

Policy and advocacy

The Race to Zero introduced its fifth criteria – “Persuade” – and launched the Pivot Point report last year, highlighting the key role non-state actors play in spearheading climate policy. Often referred to as the ‘ambition loop’, businesses have a key role to play in demonstrating to government both the possibility and demand for regulation. Lobbying government and engaging in public policy can therefore form just as vital a part of corporate responsibility as the setting of ambitious targets. Advocating for planning reform is particularly vital to deliver the certainty and clear rules our industry needs to support green investment, nature’s recovery, and climate action – as called for recently by UKGBC and its members.

To reach an equitable, net zero, and nature positive future, the next few years need to be a turning point where global momentum to tackle nature issues grows from words, to targets, to actions – in design, investment and policy. How does your organisation depend on and impact nature, and what can you do to contribute to a nature-positive future?

Discover what some UKGBC members are doing to play their part, and our resources and upcoming activities that can support your journey, below.

John Lewis Partnership

“Our Plan for Nature”

• Investing £2 million in ecosystem protection and regeneration projects, and funding sustainable water management programmes in three key sourcing areas.
• Zero deforestation in the sourcing of key commodities.
• Incorporating natural elements and design principles into key new build and renovation projects. All new-build projects target minimum 10% Biodiversity Net Gain.
• All new own-brand products will meet circular design principles from 2028.
• Partnering with WWF to fund ecosystem regeneration projects, sharing insights gained with the Science Based Targets Network, suppliers and policy-makers.
• Supporting the launch of science-based targets for nature, aiming to be amongst the first to set their own targets.

HOK

Regenerative Design Approach

• Leveraging integrated design and whole systems thinking to restore and regenerate the natural world and bring together the needs of people and nature.
• Employing nature-based performance modelling to benchmark and forecast environmental, economic and social impacts of projects. Aiming for positive performance and designs that emulate, and even surpass, the performance metrics of thriving ecosystems.
• Embracing bioinspired innovation through the complementary use of biomimicry and biophilic design solutions that support people’s connection to nature. E.g. incorporating natural materials, light, sound, vegetation, outdoor views and other experiences of nature inside a building.

Canary Wharf Group

Partnership with the Eden Project

• The Eden Project has partnered with CWG on the creation of a new ‘green spine’ through the centre of Canary Wharf.
• Including the creation of additional green public realm, parks and gardens, waterside access, performance spaces, bridges, boardwalks and floating pontoons. This will animate the docks with new spaces for arts and culture, and for water sports.
• To support the estate in becoming a global example of best practice and innovation on biodiversity in a dense urban environment, where people live and work in harmony with nature. A blueprint for global cities to act on biodiversity loss.
• Supporting the delivery of CWG’s broader Biodiversity Action Plan.

JLL

Science Based Targets Network Corporate Engagement Program

• JLL globally has joined the Science Based Targets NetworkCorporate Engagement Program.
• In the UK, a corporate nature strategy has been developed following an assessment of JLL’s material impacts and dependencies on nature.
• The UK Corporate roadmap to support a just transition to net-zero, nature-positive, resilient future includes:
  • Equipping advisory teams across the business with skills and knowledge to enable clients to develop and deliver nature-related solutions alongside wider sustainability solutions across real estate portfolios.
  • Strategically embedding nature into the fit out of JLL’s UK offices to identify and assess impacts, with a view to establish a blueprint for nature and biodiversity.
  • Introducing processes to reduce negative impacts on nature across corporate operations, from water use to procurement.

Grosvenor

Valuing Nature

• Nature-positive enhancements across the UK property portfolio, including consideration of the emergent concept of Environmental Net Gain.
• Targeting a 20% biodiversity increase in managed green spaces and 100% in new developments by 2030, exceeding regulatory requirements.
• “Biodiversity Buffet” provides guidance on delivering net gains in practice, detailing a range of Green Infrastructure/NbS with accompanying design guidance for new development and retrofit.
• Biodiversity uplift used as a key business performance indicator, directly impacting performance reviews and remuneration.
• Partnering on Wild West End, ensuring investment and action plans that support central London’s biodiversity and provide connections to nature for residents, workers and visitors.
• Working with suppliers and tenants to access data on their impact on nature, and ensure fit-out guides include Green Infrastructure from late 2023.
• Publishing progress from 2024 alongside learnings and case studies, and exploring how data could be used towards TNFD disclosure.

Interface

Factory as a Forest

• Vision to create a “Factory as a Forest” to support a regenerative business model and meet business targets, whilst contributing to the well-being of the landscape and local community.
• Mimicking the operations and processes of a high-performing ecosystem to create a replicable roadmap for how factories can operate, starting with establishing aspirational performance targets for a factory in LaGrange, Georgia.
• Working with Biomimicry 3.8 and employing a ‘place-based’ approach towards regenerative design:

1. Identify a local high-performing ecosystem.
2. Quantify its performance.
3. Develop performance metrics for the facility and perform a gap analysis.
4. Create design and operational strategies that align with overall business objectives and employee needs.
5. Implement and measure success.

• Initial actions include planting native trees and grasses to absorb water, sequester carbon, and reduce cooling load, as well as closing the evapotranspiration gap by sending water back into the atmosphere via water features.
• Collaborating with industry peers in the Project Positive group – demonstrating the impact of implementing NbS and showcasing learnings with wider industry.

BAM UK & Ireland

Nature Positive Business Pledge

• Founding signatory of the Nature Positive Business Pledge, a framework supporting businesses to act on biodiversity loss and contribute towards nature restoration.
• Core principles centre around applying the mitigation hierarchy to all facets of the business, generating long-term benefits for nature, seeking to achieve net gain or net positive outcomes, and assuming a worst case impact on nature scenario where there is lack of evidence or information.
• The framework requires the development of a Nature Positive Plan, including:

1. Undertaking a materiality assessment to identify where and how the organisation depends on and impacts nature.
2. Identifying a nature baseline and assessing impact on nature relative to this baseline.
3. Setting SMART and costed targets to address the business dependencies and impacts on nature.

• Annually assess and report progress.

Aviva Investors

Natural Capital Transition Global Equity Fund

• Targets opportunities aligned to the principles of the UN SDGs that support and benefit from the transition to a nature-positive economy.
• Investing in companies transitioning their business models towards a nature-positive economy, rather than just those looking to reduce their impact on nature.
• Engaging with the entire portfolio on specific biodiversity issues via a three-year programme tracking companies from leaders to laggards, with an escalation pathway that could lead to divestment if satisfactory progress is not demonstrated.
• Actively engaging with policymakers, with specific market reform initiatives that can help deliver nature-positive outcomes.

Climate Commitments

Our UKGBC members are on a journey to achieving net zero, reducing their greenhouse emissions in the face of the climate crisis. Our members have made a climate commitment, what is yours?

View more

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In March 2021, UKGBC published the Renewable Energy Procurement and Carbon Offsetting Guidance for Net Zero Carbon Buildings. Now two years on, the landscape in which the initial carbon offsetting guidance was published has evolved significantly.

This report aims to provide comprehensive guidance on voluntary carbon offsetting and pricing strategies that are specifically tailored for built assets (both new and existing) and to better equip those who purchase offsets or make investment decisions at building asset or organisational level to align with their climate goals and accelerate the wider transition of net zero.

The report highlights how carbon pricing can be used as a powerful mechanism to accelerate the decarbonisation of built assets and the wider industry. It is also stresses the need for greater ambition when setting an internal carbon price, given the cost of accredited carbon credits on the voluntary market don’t accurately reflect the full societal and economic cost of emitting carbon into the atmosphere.

Key aspects of the guidance include:

 

• In recognition of a rapidly changing carbon market, the publication sets out three levels of ambition industry should work towards, with guidance to develop a pathway to adopt a leading approach.
• A step-by-step process to enable real estate developers and investors to take a more holistic approach to ambitious carbon offsetting, which goes beyond basic procurement of voluntary offset credits.
• Provides all practitioners with the vocabulary to describe key offsetting and internal carbon pricing terminology and principles.

“While absolute emission reductions should always be the priority, offsetting is a fundamental part of any net zero transition plan. We’ve seen too many examples of this done badly and UKGBC’s guidance will help companies ensure they’re purchasing high quality offsets that support communities and positive outcomes – a win for the planet and the maturity and credibility of the offset market. We know that companies with science-based decarbonisation pathways that also commit to purchasing carbon offsets reduce emissions faster than those who don’t. We have an opportunity as a sector to take real leadership in this space and offset today what we cannot reduce, so that together we can accelerate the UK’s pathway to net zero.”

Andy Haigh Director, Climate Positive Solutions Grosvenor

Advancing Net Zero Partners

Our climate change mitigation work is made possible thanks to the generous support of our Advancing Net Zero Programme Partners

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This resource displays and analyses the insights that came from these cafés which demonstrate the areas industry needs to work on and suggest next steps on our net zero journey.

A problem shared is a problem halved – UKGBC’s Collaboration Cafés

Explore the data and key learnings from this experiment in radical collaboration.

View here

Climate Commitments

Our UKGBC members are on a journey to achieving net zero, reducing their greenhouse emissions in the face of the climate crisis. Our members have made a climate commitment, what is yours?

View more

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Together with our more than 700 members from across the sector, UKGBC has now responded to the consultation with recommendations for the Government to reform the planning system to more effectively tackle the climate crisis, halt nature’s decline, and develop greater climate resilience.  

Philip Box, Policy Adviser at UKGBC said: 

Many of the Government’s proposals set a welcome direction for planning reform, particularly the consideration of carbon accounting and measurement for planning purposes and attention given to small-scale nature enhancement and climate adaptation. 

However, a great deal of specific detail appears pushed back to future consultations, at a time when our path to net zero and nature recovery simply cannot afford further delay. 

 The Government should urgently take forward the key policies we recommend, backed by amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill and aligned to the environmental targets set out in UK law, to ensure the planning system is fit for purpose. 

Our response draws on our members’ collective experience and expertise at the forefront of the built environment and sets out key recommendations for a more strategic and comprehensive approach.

We look forward to further consultation with the Government on how the planning system can play its part in delivering a net zero, climate resilience, regenerative UK.” 

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The Commitment was launched in 2018 to tackle operational carbon and updated in September 2021 to incorporate embodied carbon requirements for all new buildings and major refurbishments under a signatory’s direct control (find our more about the update here). The Commitment promotes aggressive reduction-first strategies, with residual emissions being compensated for via offsets. The Commitment is also recognised as a pathway to achieving the global EP100 initiative. 

This page provides information for UK-based organisations interested in the Commitment. For full details on the Commitment and the global list of signatories, please visit WorldGBC’s page. 

UK companies

The Commitment is especially relevant to organisations wanting to lead the transition to net zero buildings in light of the UK’s net zero target. Signatories demonstrate real action by setting an advanced trajectory to achieve net zero in their own portfolio by 2030, and can help to inspire their own customers and supply chain on the net zero journey. 

A total of 58 UKGBC members have currently signed up to the Commitment (representing almost half of global signatories).

Interested in signing up to the Commitment?

Please review these documents for further information: 

• Introductory guide 
• Offsets paper 
• Joining form

If you are interested in signing up to the Commitment or would like further information, please get in touch with us via ANZ@UKGBC.org. 

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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 campaign.    

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 Race to Zero Campaign’s criteria.

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. (1)… it enhances the need and creation of robust standards for net zero alignment, and to enshrine such requirements in regulation and law.‘(2) 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. (3)   

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

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 Corporate Net Zero Standard. 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 10 Green Building Principles 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

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

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 UKGBC’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

Bates Wells 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 out our own actions and have advocated for others to take a stance through activities like the Better Business Act (we actively support the campaign and wrote the draft legislation), the British Academy’s Future of the Corporation Summit (we sponsored some of the research) and through our membership of initiatives and groups such as Business Declares, Net Zero Lawyers Alliance, greener litigation pledge 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 Climate report. A clear example of action is that the Butler-Sloss vs Charity Commission case 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 UKGBC’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, read the recently-released Pivot Report here. 

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

The post To Persuade – how can your organisation amplify the impact of its climate action? appeared first on UKGBC.

As we wrestled with this question, a clear parameter came into the focus: We must create a space with a level playing-field, where members can work together on the problems they’re all facing. In that spirit, the Collaboration Café was born.  

Based on the World Café method, the Collaboration Cafés are designed to bring awareness around their business’ needs and key steps for a successful net zero journey. At the same time, the safe space created at the café and explorative questions allows to voice challenges, and solutions, while building a support network of organisations.  Essentially, the cafés aim to be an innovative, inspirational and transformative space. We want members to leave these gatherings feeling they have a better understanding of what they must do next and be aware of key relationships they can build moving forward on their sustainability journey.  

Together for a first Café  

To kick off the monthly café’s we started by inviting our designer and technical advisor members to meet in London. As the 41 members started to arrive, we were excited to facilitate face-to-face interaction, in small groups, so that conversation could be as candid, and collaborative, as possible.  

Just like we aimed, the café offered an informal and uncompetitive space for UKGBC members to share insights, synthesise lessons and tackle shared challenges they face at the organisational level. At the café we addressed questions around successes from different perspectives, as well as what are the key next steps that felt were a priority on the road to net zero and beyond. Topics like the Race to Zero, and sustainability commitments, were key areas of focus, as well as how we might continue to work towards achieving them. We were pleased to have the outside expertise of a World Café Method consultant to offer structure, and guidance, as we all dived in to this exciting, new format.  

What our participating members have to say  

“I came here with one expectation and I am leaving with another. I came here thinking I was going to talk about detailed work and the solutions I need to bring to my clients, and I quickly learned that this was going to be about our organisations… and this has been super helpful. The conversations made me face the detail of what I do as an individual and what we do as an organisation are linked; what we do for our companies we do for ourselves. I am taking away solutions and actions that I am going to do later today and tomorrow.” 

 Elina Gregoriou, Grigoriou Interiors Ltd 

“During the Café, I’ve talked to people within organisations of 20 people, 200 people and 20,000 people, and I have noticed that we all have the same issues, we all have the same challenges. We may be using different ideas and topics to express ourselves, but fundamentally we all are all on the same path. So for me, it is all being here, sharing and collaborating freely, and that’s what stands out most to me about the Collaboration Café today.”

Peter Anderson, Troup, Bywaters + Anders 

So, what did we learn?  

For UKGBC, this was not just an exciting opportunity to bring our members together and facilitate their learnings – but to also learn ourselves.  

We were excited to see that, as we hoped, face-to-face conversations, facilitated in an open and non-judgemental way, open doors to the most insightful conversations. They allowed knowledge sharing, learning and community building in a way that our industry doesn’t normally experience. From our first session, it was felt that the Collaboration Café was the ideal forum for continuing this experience moving forward. 

It was brilliant to be reminded that UKGBC has the power to convene the most enthusiastic and authentic leaders, as well as facilitating knowledge sharing. However, the magnificent work is done by each one of these individuals who show up for these opportunities. 

Our attendees did recognise that the needs for upskilling and knowledge in the road to net zero is large, but that the same members who are worried about these issues have the answers and solutions as a collective. Additionally, it was felt that bringing these events to different regions of the UK outside of London is a need and will enable the wider network; we cannot tackle the challenges in our path if we don’t have everyone, from a range of places and backgrounds, working together.  

Want to Get Involved?  

Moving forward, we’re planning to bring each subsector together twice a year, allowing for a continued, blossoming conversation on the sustainability challenge. Our next Café will be for the Finance sector on the 27th October, with the following taking place on 24th November for Developers, Owners and Occupiers.  In the new year, there are three more sessions planned: one in January for Contractors, another in February for Construction Products & Materials Manufacturers and finally, a session in March for Real Estate Agents & Services. In April 2023 we’ll circle back again, so that there will be another session for our designers and technical advisor members. 

The post Working Together to go Beyond Tackling Carbon appeared first on UKGBC.

With the window rapidly closing on 1.5C, national government policy to decarbonise the second largest emitter in the UK – the built environment – couldn’t be more important. This rescheduled event is to launch a scorecard analysis of Government action against the policy recommendations in the Roadmap and the big challenges and opportunities ahead. We will reflect on where we are now, and what more needs to be done to get the UK on track to meet its climate goals and achieve that common vision for a better-built environment.  

Speakers

• John Allison, Deputy Director of Net Zero Strategy, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
• Julie Hirigoyen, Chief Executive, UKGBC
• Louise Hutchins, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, UKGBC

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