Published
We recently surveyed those of our member companies who are active in the Association’s Sustainability Ambassadors Network and Delivering Net Zero events programme to get a sense of the current degree of confidence and readiness amongst our Members to be able to deliver Net Zero both at an organisational level and an individual project level.
Some example responses to the questions:
Question: Does your organisation have a Net Zero Carbon plan/trajectory?
” … our carbon issues are mainly about transport to client sites which is reducing in volume but over which we have limited control. ”
“Halving the carbon footprint of our designs and advice by 2030. We are unique in our sector in making this commitment.”
Additional Comments on Implementing Net Zero Plans
“It’s very important to be clear about the scope of net zero commitments. For us, it’s the designs and advice we provide which represent our largest opportunity. Net zero commitments such as for our buildings and travel are important but are a drop in the ocean of our overall impact.”
“The more well- informed organisations are about the scale of challenge NZC presents, the less confident they are likely to be in delivering it. You could be blissfully ignorant and therefore confident.”
Biggest Successes in Carbon Reduction
“Once our company started to monitor our carbon usage, we started our action plan to reach net zero. Our biggest success so far has been the realisation that we need to not only become net zero, but we must strive to become ‘gross zero’ and stop the production of Carbon in our working environment, not just offset it. “
“Our Sustainable Legacies strategy, launched in 2021, guides us to deliver work that leaves a positive, lasting impact on communities and our planet. As part of this we announced ScopeX™, an action plan for reducing carbon through design. ScopeX will be our biggest contribution to help end the climate emergency, capable of designing out at least 84 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from the built environment.”
Biggest Challenges in Delivering Net Zero on Projects
“One common hurdle for more innovative projects, particularly in the low carbon energy space, has been the delay between the setting of Government policy and its translation into practical measures. This has affected a number of measures, from investment support regimes for renewables and nuclear, to updated planning policy, foreign investment controls, subsidy measures and environmental assessment. The lack of certainty can impact the ability to secure early investment.”
“Rolling out our targets across 7500 people and giving all of them the skills, tools and ambition to be at the heart of net zero advice and designs.”
The results of the survey will form a key input into our position statement in response to COP26.