Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap for the Built Environment

“ROCKWOOL is among the few energy-intensive companies with emission reduction targets verified and approved by the Science Based Targets initiative. These equate to a one-third reduction in our lifecycle GHG emissions by 2034 and place us on a net zero trajectory. Additionally, our insulation has a critical role to play in helping the built environment decarbonise. We welcome UKGBC’s Whole Life Carbon Roadmap, which provides valuable guidance to industry on reaching net zero through high-performing new development as well as the refurbishment of existing buildings, 80% of which will still be in use in 2050.”

“At Lendlease, we’re committed to playing our part in mitigating the worst impacts of climate change by limiting global warming to 1.5°C. We’ve made it our mission to be Net Zero Carbon by 2025 and Absolute Zero Carbon, with no offsets and no excuses, by 2040. In 2020 we published our Roadmap to Absolute Zero Carbon and a year on, we have published our first update, setting out the practical progress we’ve made so far. The UKGBC’s Whole Life Carbon Roadmap is a vital piece of work that maps out all the necessary steps needed to decarbonise our industry, across the entire value chain. As an investor, developer, builder and asset manager, we are pleased to see our own roadmap aligning so closely with its recommendations.”

“This roadmap for decarbonising the UK built environment is what our industry needs – now. Arup supports UKGBC in its call for a carbon ceiling and for emissions reduction across buildings and infrastructure. Measuring the embodied and in-use carbon of built environment projects will be essential, as will transparency about performance. We must be ambitious, innovative, and determined.”

“Berkeley has set 1.5 degree aligned science-based targets which address the whole life carbon impacts of our business activities, including the emissions created by our supply chain and our homes. The UKGBC’s Roadmap will support us, and the wider built environment sector, to deliver against our targets and to find solutions to the complex challenges involved.”

“Transitioning our economy towards net zero carbon is the crucial challenge of the decade ahead of us, and the built environment has a central role to play in this. This work by the UKGBC and partners will equip our industry with a clear path for climate action, and a much-needed carbon budget for our sector to work within. Beyond long-term emissions reduction trajectory, we must see short-term action. Hence, we welcome the focus put on providing specific interim progress which we’ll leverage for our own value chain in support to our Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment.”

“This landmark initiative provides the structure, consensus and momentum to hold the built environment to account for its significant environmental impact. As an active partner to the BBP and UKGBC and with a validated Science-Based Target we’re fully aligned to the requirement for performance-based rating systems. We are already delivering a large scale domestic retrofit programme and tracking embodied carbon. But we can’t stop there. We fully support the creation of an industry-led carbon budget and trajectory for emissions reduction and will use this roadmap to enable and encourage our value chain to accelerate their net zero ambition, driving the decarbonisation of whole UK built environment.”

“As Gold Leaf members of UKGBC, signatories of the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment and founding signatories of the Net Zero Banking Alliance (convened by the UN and aligned to the Race to Zero) as well as one of the largest lenders to the UK built environment we have been delighted to be part of the Whole Life Carbon Roadmap process. It’s publication will help guide the whole built environment including finance in refining and executing their net zero transitional strategies.”

“Development of the Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap is a great example of what can be achieved through collaborative action and we now have a shared vision and target date for the decarbonisation of our sector. As an industry, our technical expertise will help us to play a vital role in tackling the climate and biodiversity emergencies.”