06 Jun 2018
World Green Building Council Calls on Companies Across the World to Make their Buildings Net Zero Carbon
The Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment challenges businesses and organisations across the world to take advanced climate action by setting ambitious targets to eliminate operational carbon emissions from their building portfolios by 2030 in order to meet the Paris Agreement ambition of below 2 degrees of global warming.
Commitment signatories will track, verify and report publicly on building performance metrics with a focus on energy use and associated emissions. They will also advocate across their supply chain for all suppliers and partners to follow their own commitment to reach net zero by 2030.
The Challenge is the latest unveiled in advance of the Global Climate Action Summit taking place in San Francisco in September where states and regions, cities, businesses, investors and civil society are committing to Taking Ambition to the Next Level.
The aim is to generate the next wave of high momentum able to cut down global greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and inspire national governments to step up national climate action plans over the next two years.
The Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment has the power to radically transform the building and construction industry by spearheading a global shift towards aggressive energy efficiency as well as a complete change from fossil fuel based power to renewables. In 2015, 82% of final energy consumption in buildings was supplied by fossil fuels – whereas to meet the Paris Agreement, this must become 0%.
Furthermore, the Commitment proves that the sector can and must play a key role in achieving large scale emissions reduction. Globally, almost 40% of energy related greenhouse emissions come from buildings, with 28% coming from the operations of buildings themselves. This equals the total emissions of China and the European Union combined.
The combination of requiring both energy demand reductions and renewable energy solutions across portfolios at a global scale, makes this Commitment unique and the first of its kind to be launched worldwide. Energy efficiency will dramatically reduce the world’s energy needs, enabling a much faster transition to renewables which will shut down fossil fuel energy production sooner.
Globally, energy efficiency measures could contribute a 48% reduction of global emissions by 2030, with 43% of those coming from buildings. Meanwhile, powering buildings by renewable energy is equally essential to achieving a zero emissions built environment. And with renewables accounting for an estimated nearly 62% of net additions to global power generating capacity in 2016, the reality of a decarbonized world has never been more achievable.
As part of the announcement, WorldGBC celebrated the first three founding signatories of the commitment:
Majid Al Futtaim – a pioneer in shopping mall, retail and leisure destinations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – has committed to eliminating operational carbon emissions from all its assets across 15 countries by 2030, including more than 12 malls and shopping centres, 12 hotels and 3 mixed-use living communities. Their net positive corporate strategy drives emission reductions through every aspect of the business, for example, by requiring green energy leases for mall retail units.
Integral Group – a global engineering firm specialising in delivery of net zero buildings – have committed to Zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2020 across its 15 global office locations, and actively promotes opportunities for net zero on every project they are engaged on, removing technical, financial and perceptual barriers to uptake.
Signify - formerly known as Philips Lighting – is the world leader in lighting and the lighting company for the Internet of Things. With a presence in over 70 countries, Signify has committed to net zero carbon for all its buildings, currently over 300.
To achieve the Paris Agreement, the global building sector must operate at net zero carbon emissions by 2050. In 2016, WorldGBC launched its global campaign Advancing Net Zero to inspire action from the Green Building Council network and its members towards this transition. The Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment is the next major milestone in this campaign; creating a tangible call to action for the global building and construction sector.
Terri Wills, CEO of the World Green Building Council, said:
“This new Commitment is a huge step forward on the path towards net zero. Our vision is ambitious, but we know that the building industry has the knowledge, the technologies and the capability to deliver. The Commitment will help to create unprecedented demand for green design and construction, stimulating the market to deliver net zero carbon buildings at scale.
“Having three of our corporate partners, Majid Al Futtaim, Integral Group and Signify, as the first founding signatories to the Commitment is both significant and symbolic. Through Majid Al Futtaim’s shopping malls, hotels and properties across MENA; Integral Group taking their own ambitions into their projects, offering clients the knowledge and insight into designing their buildings to net zero; and Signify using their products and own carbon neutrality ambitions to improve and enrich lives. This kind of leadership is the future.”
Ibrahim N Al-Zu’bi, Chief Sustainability Officer at Majid Al Futtaim said:
“Majid Al Futtaim owns and operates spaces where people across the Middle East, Africa and Asia work, rest, shop and play, yet it is also a region that faces huge challenges around water scarcity and energy consumption. We have a responsibility to our stakeholders and our communities to take decisive action in greening our shared spaces. That’s why we are proud to be one of the first signatories to the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment and we are confident that where we lead, others will follow.”
Kevin Hydes, CEO at Integral Group, said:
“We believe that there are two key ingredients to designing net zero buildings: positive people and simple engineering. We have been able to design over 65 net zero projects – several of which have been independently certified as such, verifying that they produce more renewable energy than they consume – so we know it can be done. Signing up to the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment is a natural next step for us in our drive to build high performance buildings that respect and enrich the earth.”
Harry Verhaar, Head of Global Public & Government Affairs at Signify, said:
“At Signify, we believe in healthy people and a sustainable planet. Becoming a founding signatory for the Net Zero Carbon Commitment is a great way to demonstrate our ambition and conviction to achieve these goals. Doubling of global building renovation rates - along with switching to clean energy - is a key driver to the transition of zero carbon buildings, and we look forward to working closely with the World Green Building Council, a long-standing partner of ours, to be a beacon of light for carbon leadership in the manufacturing industry.”
To enable all those who own, occupy and develop buildings to take action on the Commitment and drive towards net zero, WorldGBC’s network of over 70 Green Building Councils (GBCs) provide a range of transformational and capacity building support including advocacy, policy development, education and certification activities. Five GBC net zero carbon buildings certification schemes have been launched, with a further 6 due to be released by 2019, helping to deliver local solutions to a global issue. Working together and learning from each other, the network is creating pioneering solutions for buildings and their construction, and will soon develop solutions to address the remaining 11% (and growing) energy –related emissions from the building and construction process which also must reach zero by the middle of the century.
The Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment has been developed in partnership with a wide stakeholder group including The Climate Group and C40. It forms part of EP100, a global corporate leadership initiative for energy-smart companies, delivered by The Climate Group in partnership with the Alliance to Save Energy. This means the Commitment will benefit from the knowledge of existing campaigns and will provide a tailored offering for the global real estate sector.
The Commitment will be publicly launched at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco in September.
Patricia Espinosa, GCAS Co-Chair, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, said:
“The 2018 Summit will celebrate the wealth of action underway, challenge everyone to go higher and end with a call to action to all sectors of society to make the next two years a pivotal moment for stepped-up ambition. So we welcome the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment as a catalyst towards rapidly greening our homes and the places where we work and play”.
For further information or media requests please contact: Angela Howarth, WorldGBC Marketing & Communications
*The WorldGBC definition of a net zero carbon building is a building that is highly energy efficient and fully powered from on-site and/or off-site renewable energy sources.
Globally, buildings and construction together account for 36% of final energy use and 39% of energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions when upstream power generation is included. Operating emissions are 28%, with construction emissions such as manufacture of materials are 11%
The Global Climate Action Summit takes place from September 12 to 14, 2018 in San Francisco under the theme ' Taking Ambition to the Next Level'. To keep warming well below 2 degrees C, and ideally 1.5 degrees C - temperatures that could lead to catastrophic consequences - worldwide emissions must start trending down by 2020. The Summit will showcase climate action around the world, along with bold new commitments, to give world leaders the confidence they can go even further by 2020 in support of the Paris Climate Change Agreement. The Summit’s five headline challenge areas are Healthy Energy Systems; Inclusive Economic Growth; Sustainable Communities; Land and Ocean Stewardship and Transformative Climate Investments. Many partners are supporting the Summit and the mobilization in advance including Climate Group; the Global Covenant of Mayors; Ceres, the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group; BSR; We Mean Business; CDP, formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project; the World Wide Fund for Nature; and Mission 2020. #StepUp2018
Media Contact:
Nick Nuttall, Director of Communications, nuttall@globalclimateactionsummit.org
Joseph Giumarra, Havas PR, Joseph.Giumarra@Havas.com
The World Green Building Council is a global network of Green Building Councils that is transforming the places where we live, work, play, heal and learn. The goal is to help reduce the building and construction sector’s CO2 emissions by 84 gigatonnes and ensure all buildings have net zero emissions by 2050. We believe green buildings can and must be at the centre of our lives. Our changing climate means we must reshape the way we grow and build, enabling people to thrive both today and tomorrow. We take action – championing local and global leadership and empowering our community to drive change. Together, we are greater than the sum of our parts, and commit to green buildings for everyone, everywhere.
Founded in 1992, Majid Al Futtaim is the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). A remarkable business success story, Majid Al Futtaim started from one man’s vision to transform the face of shopping, entertainment and leisure to ‘create great moments for everyone, every day’. It has since grown into one of the United Arab Emirates’ most respected and successful businesses spanning 15 international markets, employing more than 27,000 people, and obtaining the highest credit rating (BBB) among privately-held corporates in the region.
Integral Group is an interactive global network of design professionals collaborating under a single deep green engineering umbrella. We provide a full range of building system design and energy analysis services, with a staff widely regarded as innovative leaders in their fields. Located in 15 offices across North America, the UK and Australia, our passion for sustainable design runs deep.
C40 is a network of the world’s megacities committed to addressing climate change. C40 supports cities to collaborate effectively, share knowledge and drive meaningful, measurable and sustainable action on climate change. Cities are where the future happens first. The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group connects more than 90 of the world’s greatest cities, representing over 650 million people and one quarter of the global economy. Created and led by cities, C40 is focused on tackling climate change and driving urban action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, while increasing the health, wellbeing and economic opportunities of urban citizens.
The Climate Group’s global EP100 initiative brings together a growing group of energy-smart companies committed to doing more with less. By integrating energy efficiency into business strategy, these leading companies are driving tech innovation and increasing competitiveness while delivering on emissions goals – inspiring others to follow their lead. Saving energy makes business sense; our members are generating green growth and making substantial cost savings by doubling their energy productivity, cutting out waste, and owning and operating smart buildings. EP100 is led by The Climate Group in partnership with the Alliance to Save Energy as part of the We Mean Business coalition, and is delivered in association with the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment. Visit theclimategroup.org/EP100 or follow #EP100 on Twitter. At The Climate Group, our focus is on accelerating climate action. We secure big commitments on climate action from those with the power to shift markets and policies so that we can go further and faster in driving climate action.
Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact connected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. With 2017 sales of EUR 7.0 billion, approximately 32,000 employees and a presence in over 70 countries, we unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. News from Signify is located at theNewsroom, Twitter and LinkedIn. Information for investors can be found on the Investor Relations page.
[1] Source: Global Status Report 2017, UN Environment and International Energy Agency
[2] Source: Boden, T.A., Marland, G., and Andres, R.J. (2017). National CO2 Emissions from Fossil-Fuel Burning, Cement Manufacture, and Gas Flaring: 1751-2014, Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center
[3] Source: Meeting Climate Change Goals through Energy Efficiency, International Energy Agency
4 Source: REN21. 2017. Renewables 2017 Global Status Report (Paris: REN21 Secretariat). ISBN 978-3-9818107-6-9
[5] Source: Global Status Report 2017, UN Environment and International Energy Agency