Our ambitions

• By the end of 2040, all our buildings and major refurbishments will be delivered with net zero embodied carbon
• By the end of 2040, our supply chain will achieve net zero operational carbon

Embodied carbon

The materials used in construction all have a backstory. Their extraction, manufacture and transport all create greenhouse gas emissions. The same is true for deconstruction and disposal at the end of a building’s life. Typically, by the time it is occupied and in use, at least 30%¹ of a building’s lifetime carbon is already accounted for. As we make our buildings more efficient to run that proportion quickly increases.

Eliminating carbon from the production and distribution of construction materials is a complex challenge. A lot will have to change before we can build using materials which result in no net impact in carbon emissions. Decarbonising construction represents a great opportunity to create more resilient and transparent supply chains, deliver the best buildings to our customers and transition to a low carbon economy. We believe in time, by collaborating with the right partners, we can make this the norm by 2040.

Supply chain partners

Our supply chain partners are an extension of our business; without them we cannot deliver great service and brilliant buildings. However, their day-to-day activities on our projects emit almost 100 times more carbon than our own direct emissions. Our ambition to achieve zero carbon in our own operations will only have real impact if we share our experience and collaborate to eliminate carbon throughout our supply chain.

Given the size of this challenge, our focus to 2030 will be on those we work with the most and are closest to: our Category A+ and Category A partners (representing over 75% of our supply chain spend).

^{1) https://www.ukgbc.org/sites/default/files/Tackling%20embodied%20carbon%20in%20buildings.pdf (page 4)}