The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) welcomes four new additions to the updated Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment: LähiTapiola Kiinteistövarainhoito, Nexii Building Solutions Inc., Technopolis, and Veev.

LONDON – 9am GMT, 26 January 2022 – WorldGBC announces four new companies as signatories to its Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment (the Commitment), signalling global industry leadership to decarbonise the built environment and combat climate change.

The Commitment now has a total of 160 signatories, with 126 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.

Building on the success of ‘Cities, Regions and Built Environment Day’ hosted at COP26 last year, companies are continuing to step up and take industry leading climate action.

LähiTapiola Kiinteistövarainhoito is a real estate management company operating in Finland. They offer high-quality and functional business premises and housing according to the needs of their customers. Real estate investments are made on a long-term basis. LähiTapiola Kiinteistövarainhoito manages assets of approximately three billion euros and a property stock of one million square meters. Read their Commitment Profile here.

Nexii Building Solutions Inc. (Nexii) is a green construction technology company that designs and manufactures high-performance buildings and green building products. Our breakthrough building solutions are sustainable, energy-efficient, cost-effective, and climate resilient. With buildings and construction responsible for 36% of global energy and 39% of carbon dioxide emissions annually, innovative, scalable solutions are urgently needed to accelerate the transition to net zero carbon buildings. Nexii’s building system enables the rapid assembly of high-quality builds with reduced end-to-end carbon emissions, near zero waste and less disruption overall to the community. Sustainability is core to Nexii’s mission to build a vibrant future for people and planet, shaped by a strong governance structure at all levels of the company. Read their Commitment Profile here.

Technopolis is the shared workspace expert, providing efficient and flexible offices, and everything that goes with them. Their services range from workspace design to reception, meeting, restaurant, and cleaning solutions. They are obsessed with customer satisfaction, with 16 campuses hosting 1,400 companies and 45,000 employees in six countries across Europe. Read their Commitment Profile here.

Veev is an innovative, technology-driven development company that believes the home is the ultimate consumer product. Veev was founded by entrepreneurs who saw the opportunity to transform the industry from cradle-to-grave to a closed-loop cycle. They are seeking to bring the housing industry into modern times, taking a vertically integrated approach with modular construction methods. From project inception to everyday living, sustainability is embedded in Veev’s design and decision-making process; from increasing energy efficiency to lowering embodied carbon and beyond to environmental regeneration. Read their Commitment Profile here.

As the leading initiative focused on climate action in the built environment, the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment continues to grow exponentially, complementing initiatives such as the Race to Zero, Science Based Targets and The Climate Pledge. The Commitment’s signatories take action to reduce and compensate for all portfolio operational carbon emissions by 2030 or earlier, and maximise reductions of embodied carbon in new developments or major renovations, compensating for any residual emissions. Signatories demonstrate annual progress via reporting and verification protocols.

The Commitment is recognised as a frontrunner initiative, and therefore signatories as frontrunners in the Race to Zero. Commitment signatories are going further and faster to tackle operational and embodied emissions from their real estate assets, stimulating the innovative approaches, solutions and business models necessary for the entire sector to reach 2050 goals. For eligible signatories, the Commitment acts as a pathway to membership of the global EP100 initiative from the Climate Group, bringing together energy-smart companies doing more with less energy, in order to lower emissions and improve their productivity.

Cristina Gamboa, CEO of the World Green Building Council:

‘This announcement marks the first group of new signatories to the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment for 2022. In the aftermath of COP26, it is clearer than ever that the built environment must act as a critical climate solution. Businesses and organisations such as those announced today are displaying industry leadership, going further and faster to tackle emissions resulting from the buildings they occupy, own or develop by 2030. Their actions, and those of the other signatories, are sending crucial demand side signals to accelerate the transition towards net zero by the end of the decade.”

Eero Kokkonen, Head of Unit, LähiTapiola Kiinteistövarainhoito:

“Signing the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment not only guides us towards carbon neutrality but also highlights our cooperation with the energy and construction industry to achieve the targets. We want to promote best maintenance and construction processes across the portfolio and beyond to supply chain stakeholders, acting as a leader in the real estate sector.”

Zosia Brown, VP Sustainability, Nexii Building Solutions Inc. (Nexii):

“We are delighted to sign the WorldGBC’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment and join other companies dedicated to combating climate change by decarbonizing the built environment. We are proud of our innovations in sustainable building materials and products, our work to transform the construction industry, and our focus on creating green jobs that benefit communities. We look forward to working with the WorldGBC and all signatories in leading and advocating for a rapid transition to a net zero carbon future in which healthy, climate resilient and affordable buildings are available to all.”

Niko Pulli, CEO, Technopolis:

‘The industry we operate in has an immense impact on the environment, which means it is our responsibility to act. Signing the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment complements our decarbonization efforts. We intend to lead by example and invite others in the real estate industry to join us in advancing net zero. By following our Net Zero Carbon Road Map, we want to lead the way in low carbon construction as well as carbon neutral energy consumption in our industry. We aim to use carbon neutral energy in all of our buildings by 2030 and are committed to performing a whole lifecycle analysis for and reducing the emissions of all our new construction and renovation projects.”

Kelly Hampton, VP Sustainability, Veev:

“Veev is a vertically integrated building-technology company working to redefine the built environment. Our end-to-end process includes architectural & structural design, permitting, complete panelized system manufacturing, installation and asset management. Because we are founded on the belief that the home is the ultimate consumer product that needs to be built better, faster & greener, we understand that design and performance of the home dictate the health and environmental impact of our projects. Veev is focused on embodied carbon reduction of all scope 3 materials, as well as the long-term efficiency of the home.

“Lowering our embodied carbon footprint through sourcing is an important step to achieving this goal. Veev homes currently utilize a high recycled steel content (70%) with the goal to procure 100% recycled steel, cement-free concrete and carbon-sink materials. Our low-voltage and digital home backbone result in maximum long-term energy efficiency. Our system ensures high air purity through non-toxic and mould resistant materials and air purification technology. Synergies have been implemented across the supply chain, zero-waste targets for construction sites have been issued (current diversion rate 95.4%), and full transparency is maintained through annual GHG Emissions Reports, GRESB and CDP reporting. 

“This is only the beginning! Research is underway on the latest innovations – technology, materials & methods, that will transition our homes to net-zero by 2030. We look forward to becoming leaders on the sustainability front and supporting the industry in this critical transition.”

MEDIA CONTACT

Rebecca Moir, Marketing and Communications Manager, WorldGBC

media@worldgbc.org

Editor’s Notes

The Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment comes from Advancing Net Zero, WorldGBC’s global project to accelerate uptake of net zero carbon buildings to 100% by 2050. The project works with the global Green Building Council network to develop tools and resources, including net zero carbon buildings certification schemes and training programmes.

The Commitment has been partly funded by We Mean Business, along with Laudes Foundation, IKEA Foundation and the European Climate Foundation as part of the #BuildingLife project.

The Commitment was launched in September 2018 at the Global Climate Action Summit. It promotes and inspires leadership action on an advanced trajectory from business, governments and NGOs, to scale up responses to net zero carbon buildings through corporate and policy action.

The Commitment is recognised as a frontrunner initiative and signatories as frontrunners in the Race to Zero, Commitment signatories are going further and faster to tackle operational emissions from their real estate assets, stimulating the innovative approaches, solutions and business models necessary for the entire sector to reach 2050 goals.

See the full profiles of company signatories and what they are committing to here.

About the World Green Building Council

The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) catalyses the uptake of sustainable built environments for everyone, everywhere.

Transforming the building and construction sector across three strategic areas — climate action, health & wellbeing, and resources & circularity — we are a global action network of more than 70 Green Building Councils around the world.

As members of the UN Global Compact, we work with businesses, organisations and governments to drive the ambitions of the Paris Agreement and UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development. Through a systems change approach, our network is leading the industry towards a net zero carbon, healthy, equitable and resilient built environment.

www.worldgbc.org

About EP100

EP100 is a global initiative by the Climate Group, bringing together a growing group of energy-smart companies committed to doing more with less to improve their energy productivity. Members are driving tech innovation and reducing emissions while making substantial cost savings and improving competitiveness – inspiring others to follow their lead. EP100 is delivered in partnership with the Alliance to Save Energy and in association with the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment. 

Signatories of the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment also include leading state and regional governments in the Under2 Coalition, of which the Climate Group is Secretariat.