WorldGBC has announced that 44 businesses have signed up to the whole life carbon requirements of the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment, taking the total to 156.
These businesses are pledging to take increased action to decarbonise the built environment across their portfolios and business activities, representing annual turnover of $85 billion.
By 2030, they will:
- Reduce all operational emissions of new and existing built assets
- Achieve maximum reductions in embodied carbon for new developments and major renovations over which they have direct control
- Compensate for any residual operational and upfront embodied emissions that cannot be mitigated
- Advocate for wider emission reductions via their business activities and report on their impact, to enable and accelerate the sector wide transition to net zero
The WorldGBC Commitment now has a total of 156 signatories, with 122 businesses and organisations; 28 cities; and 6 states and regions. The businesses and organisations signed up to the Commitment account for approximately 6.5 million (tCO2e) of portfolio emissions annually and more than $300 billion annual turnover, and are already taking significant steps to decarbonise their portfolio operations.
You can see the full list of Commitment signatories and learn more about their individual Commitments by viewing their Commitment Profiles here.
The actions of Commitment signatories are complementary to #BuildingLife, a European regional project that is supporting and accelerating the ambitions of the EU Green Deal in the building sector. The project will lead to the creation of an EU whole life decarbonisation roadmap as well as ten national roadmaps produced by Green Building Councils, galvanising climate action in the built environment.
Cristina Gamboa, CEO of the World Green Building Council, said: “Today, at the COP26 Cities, Regions and Built Environment Day, we have announced businesses and organisations that are leading the built environment industry, and beyond, in their efforts to go further and faster to decarbonise. They have committed to pursuing a reduction first approach, tackling both operational and embodied carbon emissions.
“Acting on whole life carbon creates a powerful catalyst towards keeping a 1.5°C future within reach and achieving the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. The Commitment has representation from all stakeholder types across the building lifecycle, whose business activities and actions influence emissions reductions beyond their own buildings. Their efforts to advocate for further market transformation will be crucial to increasing mainstream uptake of net zero and meeting our shared goals.”
