It is vital that all organisations in the fit-out sector understand what sustainability means to our sector and how they can reduce their carbon emissions to meet the needs and expectations of their clients and the Government targets.
The Paris agreement has set out that if we want to keep temperatures below 1.5C, we need to take signifi cant measures to reduce carbon emissions. In response, the UK Government has set a target to be net zero by 2050, which will require signifi cant changes in the way the industry and society operates.
While those targets were set a few years ago, it has taken a while for the industry to act. But there is now little doubt that sustainability has gone up on everyone’s agenda which is heavily driven by individuals and organisations keen to ensure they contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions.
So far, the UK Government has been slow to respond, however on 30 March, it published its “green day” package of measures related to energy and climate to support the Government’s new net zero strategy. Whether it is because a client asks for it or because the organisation believe it is the right thing to do, organisations need to get up to speed with the agenda.
In order to reduce its carbon emissions, an organisation first needs to understand where they come from and to identify opportunities for reduction with a plan over a number of years. The Green House Gas (GHG) protocol is a useful approach to structure the scope of the measurement.
Continue reading to find out the three groups of emissions.
