Sustainability & Construction Newsletter #33
Mitsubishi Electric Living Environmental Systems UK
Cooling, Heating, Ventilation and Controls
Welcome to the 33rd edition of our Sustainability & Construction newsletter!
This newsletter updates you on the latest trends and developments in sustainable construction, including EPC rating updates, construction optimism, and the growing focus on social value.
Mike Egan sheds light on the importance of low-carbon design in educational institutions, tackling urgent repair needs and HVAC improvement opportunities. Read and download our interactive jargon buster , which simplifies common terms and helps you confidently navigate the world of sustainable building environments. Explore the impact of lifecycle considerations on achieving Net Zero in our insightful Whole Life Carbon in the Built Environment white paper.
Find out about these upcoming events:?
Register for Data Centre World : Discover cutting-edge solutions for the digital future at this industry-leading event.
Gas Boiler Replacement : Join us for a Lunch 'n' Learn with the Supply Chain Sustainability School ? School and Chris Newman . Learn about cost-effective and sustainable heating options offered by Mitsubishi Electric.
Plus, learn how leading organisations are advocating for embodied carbon regulation and mandatory whole-life carbon assessments to achieve Net Zero targets.
Together, let's build a more sustainable future for our communities and environment. Dive into this issue to find inspiration!
Latest Mitsubishi Electric News:
Mike Egan explores what low carbon means for education. The UK’s school and college buildings are in urgent need of repair. According to the government’s figures, the bill is around ￡11 billion. HVAC and electrical improvements are at the top of the ‘must-do’ list, amounting to around ￡4 billion.
As a global corporation, Mitsubishi Electric recently updated its greenhouse gas emissions-reduction targets through 2030 for its corporate group, which have been certified by the Science Based Targets Initiative2 (SBTi) for conformance with the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C trajectory. For us as a company, this important improvement is a key part of a long term credible plan to address the issue of greenhouse gas emissions.
Sustainability can be a jargon-filled forest of acronyms and technical speak. This quick reference guide should help you decipher some of those that you have come across.
Why we must consider carbon in the built environment. In 2019 the UK made a legally-binding commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to Net Zero (against 1990 levels) by 2050.?
Latest Industry news:
Get prepared to support the next wave of digital disruption at Data Centre World, the world’s largest gathering of industry professionals and end-users. Discover groundbreaking solutions at the event that powers the digital economy.
Supply Chain Sustainability School and Chris Newman from Mitsubishi Electric have collaborated to create an engaging 1-hour webinar focusing on commercial retrofit solutions. Comparing different heating solutions and examining the carbon, cost, and design implications of different options.
EPCs are currently valid for up to a decade, meaning that someone renting or buying a home could be supplied with ratings which are out of date. The BRE said there was a “compelling argument” for more regular updates of the certificates to ensure that homeowners, occupiers and other EPC users have accurate information on the current condition of properties.
UK construction companies indicated a strong improvement in business activity expectations in January, with optimism reaching its highest level for two years.
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Traditionally, commercial real estate investments have been evaluated primarily based on their financial returns and market performance. However, the landscape of commercial real estate is evolving rapidly, driven by a growing emphasis on sustainability and responsible business practices. This shift places people, wellbeing, and communities at centre stage, and social impact is emerging as a key determinant of asset value and investment potential.
The Chartered Institution of Building (CIOB) and Construction Industry Council (CIC) are among those who signed a policy paper asking party leaders to contain in their manifestos an aim to reduce the amount of carbon emitted during construction work on a building.
The London Assembly’s planning and regeneration committee said Riski Sunak’s government should ‘introduce a mandatory requirement in national policy to undertake WLC assessments for buildings’ to address the ‘huge gap’ that currently exists.
Hannah Vickers , chief of staff of construction giants Mace Group, interprets the scaling back of the ￡28 billion ambition as "a pragmatic decision made in the face of huge economic uncertainty".
Negotiations in Dubai with a historic call to transition away from fossil fuels. Experts from Carbon Trust assess the outcome of COP28, and the fork in the road it presents to government, business, and financial leaders.?
CILT corporate member, City of London Corporation has moved a step closer to formally adopting its new local plan for the Square Mile, known as 'City Plan 2040'. The Corporation's Planning and Transportation Committee approved the plan last week. It will now go before the Policy and Resources Committee and Court of Common Council for consideration in the coming weeks.
Construction Voices
Here, we invite industry leaders to share their valuable insights and expertise on creating a sustainable built environment. This week we include an article written by Carbon Trust about Greenstalling.
Under the spotlight
‘Greenstalling’ and how to tackle it
Over half of the world’s 2,000 largest businesses have set Net Zero targets as of November 2023, however, our recent research into the barriers businesses face on the journey to achieving these targets revealed that ‘greenstalling’ might be holding businesses back from taking climate action.?
In our survey of over 400 senior sustainability decision-makers in large businesses around the world, we found that one of the top three barriers to Net Zero identified was ‘concern about external scrutiny of progress.’ Diving deeper into the data, we found that this barrier was felt most keenly by businesses at the earlier stages of their climate journey. This suggests these businesses are falling into a state of ‘greenstalling’ – where, despite best intentions, they get stuck in a state of analysis paralysis on the best climate action to take instead of taking initial steps in the right direction.?
The last few years have shone a spotlight on the need for businesses to take urgent, credible action on climate change. Research has shown that some businesses are ‘greenwashing’ by claiming they are doing more for the environment than they actually are, and that some market solutions, such as certain carbon offsetting schemes, do not lead to the positive climate impact they claim. It’s no surprise then, that many businesses are wary of external opinion on how their plans match up to the latest science and the latest best practice on Net Zero.?
However, greenstalling should not be a barrier to progress on Net Zero. There is now enough consensus on the meaningful steps that businesses can take to enable many businesses to move beyond the analysis paralysis of ‘greenstalling’ and get started with confidence and credibility.?
Businesses with the right intentions on climate should take inspiration, and reassurance, from the emerging international standardisation of Net Zero best practice. There is increasing international alignment on the criteria for credible action on Net Zero, including the comprehensive ISO Net Zero Guidelines, the Science Based Targets initiative’s Net Zero Standard, and the recommendations in the UN High-Level Expert Group’s ‘Integrity Matters’ report.?
Our research also showed that making the internal business case for Net Zero and the difficulty of Scope 3 decarbonisation are key barriers holding businesses back.?
We hope you've found the content of this newsletter useful and relevant. In each edition, we'll focus on bringing you the latest news and topics around sustainability and construction. If there are any news articles you would like us to feature, or if you would like to be a guest contributor for Construction Voices, please get in touch with us .
Find out more about our new Sustainability and Construction team here .
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