170 total signatories
~20k assets*
~7.3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions
accounted for*
accounted for*
>$400 billion annual turnover*
The Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment is developed to recognise and promote advanced climate leadership action from businesses, organisations, cities and subnational governments in decarbonising the built environment, to inspire others to take similar action and remove barriers to implementation.
A bold approach is urgently required to reduce the impacts of the sector, which is globally responsible for 35% of energy consumption, 38% of energy related carbon emissions, 50% of resource consumption, and expected to double in total footprint by 2060.
The next decade of climate action is crucial. Join our growing community of signatories who are advancing net zero by taking action now to decarbonise our built environment.
The Commitment
The Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment (the Commitment) recognises leadership action by businesses, organisations, cities and subnational governments in tackling operational and embodied carbon emissions from the building and construction sector.
This requires deep collaboration across the entire value chain, and radical transformation in the way buildings are designed, built, occupied and deconstructed. It requires new business models that promote circularity, re-use of buildings and materials, whole life cycle thinking, high performance operations, and ultimately a shift away from fossil fuels.
The Commitment considers the whole lifecycle impact of buildings and builds on WorldGBC’s Whole Life Carbon Vision and best practice principles for implementation.
The Commitment requires that by 2030:
- Existing buildings reduce their energy consumption and eliminate emissions from energy and refrigerants removing fossil fuel use as fast as practicable (where applicable). Where necessary, compensate for residual emissions.
- New developments and major renovations are built to be highly efficient, powered by renewables, with a maximum reduction in embodied carbon and compensation of all residual upfront emissions.
A reduction first, outcomes based approach to decarbonisation.
The Commitment promotes a reduction first, outcomes based approach — allowing the flexibility for signatories to develop a bespoke action plan for their specific portfolio profile based on best practice principles towards reducing both consumption and emissions, with annual reporting of verified progress towards decarbonisation goals.
Through gathering data to inform low carbon choices, relevant benchmarks and targets can be set, best practice methods incorporated, associated costs reduced, and greater uptake enabled — accelerating market transformation and leading to significant sector emissions reductions.
WorldGBC advocates for halving emissions of the building and construction sector by 2030 and the total decarbonisation of the sector by 2050. As we transition, we also recognise the value of offsets as a means to compensate for and neutralise the impacts of the sector, and to facilitate positive social and environmental impact in pursuit of overall net zero emissions.
In recognition of the link to improving energy productivity in buildings, the Commitment is recognised as a pathway to membership of EP100 for eligible businesses. Signatories must opt-in and there is a fee associated with membership.
Find out more on the Resources & Further Guidance page.
Why Whole Life Carbon?
In order to prevent and mitigate embodied emissions, increase resource efficiency and stimulate the development and market supply of low carbon products, the sector must (1) reduce and account for its impact on the environment and natural resources through design and construction, and (2) generate a strong and urgent demand signal to activate the necessary finance to decarbonise materials, construction and heavy industry processes.
As this is a global challenge requiring local solutions, the Commitment is outcomes focused and action based, allowing for creative and flexible solutions at asset and portfolio level based on best practice application.
Theory of Change: Advancing Net Zero
Advancing net zero emissions is a journey and an integral part of a wider systemic shift towards a more sustainable built environment. As part of the transition towards total sector decarbonisation, WorldGBC advocates for a holistic approach to sustainability that also enables tangible environmental and social co-benefits in support of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Signatories to the Commitment are advancing net zero by facilitating and accelerating market transformation. Their commitment represents a leadership position within the buildings and construction sector in taking action further and faster to decarbonise the built environment. Through this action, we seek to engender sector transformation that will allow mainstream actors to achieve the goals set out within WorldGBC’s Sustainable Buildings for Everyone, Everywhere strategy.
Commitment Components
Click a circle to scroll through the stages
1
Commit
2
Disclose
3
Act
4
Verify
5
Advocate
Operational Carbon
Commit assets under direct control to reduce (and compensate where necessary) all operational carbon emissions by 2030
Embodied Carbon
Commit new developments and major renovations under direct control to reduce and compensate (for residual emissions) embodied carbon emissions by 2030
Operational Carbon
Disclose and assess annual asset and portfolio operational energy demand and carbon emissions
Embodied Carbon
Disclose whole life carbon emissions according to EN 15978 or other accepted national standard
Operational Carbon
Act to achieve maximum emission reductions with key actions and milestones towards energy efficiency and renewable energy
Embodied Carbon
Act to achieve maximum emission reductions in upfront, in-use and end-of-life embodied carbon
Operational Carbon
Verify enhanced energy performance, reduced carbon emissions and progress towards net zero carbon assets and portfolio
Embodied Carbon
Verify prevention strategies, WLCA calculations, offsets and progress towards net zero embodied carbon assets and portfolio
Operational Carbon + Embodied Carbon
Advocate for wider emissions reduction by acting as a catalyst through core organisation activities for further action within respective supply chains
Commitment Principles - Operational Carbon
Actions to maximise the reduction of operational carbon emissions as part of a decarbonisation strategy must be demonstrated based on the following principles:
1
Reduce and optimise energy demand
2
Generate balance from renewables
3
Compensate for residual emissions
4
Plan for deep decarbonisation
Reduce and optimise energy demand —
prioritise consumption reduction and energy efficiency to ensure that buildings are performing as efficiently as possible, and not wasting energy.
Generate balance from renewables —
supply remaining demand from renewable energy sources, either on-site or off-site.
Compensate for residual emissions —
offset residual operational emissions, such as from refrigerants or the use of unavoidable fossil fuels in buildings with high quality, credible compensation activities.
Plan for deep decarbonisation —
set up action plans to remove any remaining sources of fossil fuels in buildings as soon as possible.
Commitment Principles - Embodied Carbon
Actions to maximise the reduction of embodied carbon emissions as part of a decarbonisation strategy must be demonstrated based on the following principles:
1
Prevent
2
Reduce and optimise
3
Plan for the future
4
Compensate for residual emissions
Prevent —
avoid embodied carbon from the outset by considering alternative strategies to deliver the desired function (i.e. renovation of existing buildings rather than new development etc).
Reduce and optimise —
evaluate each design choice in terms of the upfront carbon reductions and as part of a whole lifecycle approach (i.e. lean construction, low carbon materials and construction processes etc).
Plan for the future —
take steps to avoid future embodied carbon during and at end of life (i.e. maximise potential for renovation, future adaptation, circularity etc.)
Compensate for residual emissions —
offset residual embodied carbon emissions with high quality, credible compensation activities.
Commitment Signatories
Click below to find out more about each signatory and read their Commitment Profile outlining what actions and policies they are pursuing.
Active Super
ADP Consulting
AECOM (UK & Ireland)
AESG
Africa Logistics Properties (ALP)
AMP Capital Real Estate Managed Portfolio
Antilooppi
ARA Asset Management Limited
Argent Services LLP
Armstrong Fluid Technology
Arthaland Corporation
Arup
Assura
Atelier Ten
Avison Young UK
B+H Architects
BAM Construct UK Ltd
Bennetts Associates
Berkley Group
Bioconstrucción y Energía Alternativa
Bioregional
Brandix
British Land
Brunswick Property Partners
Bruntwood
Built
Buro Happold
CannonDesign
Cape Town, South Africa
Cbus Property
Charter Hall
City Developments Limited
Citycon
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Copenhagen, Denmark
Cundall
Currie & Brown (UK and Europe)
Dar Group
Deloitte
Deutsche Bank
Dexus
EcoReal
Ethekwini (Durban), South Africa
EVORA Global
FORE Partnership
Frasers Property Australia
GI Quo Vadis Inc
Goldman Sachs
Gov. of Baden-Württemberg
Grab
Grainger PLC
Granlund Group
Greengage Environmental Limited
Grosvenor
Helsinki, Finland
HESPERIA
Hibernia Real Estate Group Limited
Hilson Moran
Hoare Lea
Hudson Pacific Properties
ICD Brookfield
Instituição Adventista Sul Brasileira de Educação
Integral Group
Investa
IPUT
ISPT
JLL
Johannesburg, South Africa
Joseph Homes
Keva
Kilroy Realty Corporation
King’s Cross Central Limited Partner
Kingspan
Kojamo Plc
LähiTapiola Kiinteistövarainhoito
Lamington Group
Lemay
Lendlease Europe
Lloyds Banking Group
London, United Kingdom
Los Angeles, California
Mace
Majid Al Futtaim
Make Architects
Max Fordham
Medellín, Colombia
Modomo
Monash University
Montréal, Canada
Mott MacDonald
Multiplex
Natural Resources Defense Council
NatWest Group Plc
NEO
New York City, New York
Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newsec Finland
Nexii Building Solutions Inc.
Nightingale Housing
One Click LCA
OP Real Estate Asset Management
Paris, France
Perkins&Will
Petinelli
Portland, Oregon
Precinct Properties
QIC Office Fund (QQF)
QIC Town Centre Fund (QTCF) & QIC Property Fund (QPF)
Redevco B.V.
Rest Direct Property Holding Trust
Robert Bird Group
Salesforce, Inc.
San Francisco, California
San Jose, California
Santa Monica, California
Santiago de Cali, Colombia
Savills (UK) Limited
Schneider Electric
Shaw Contract
Siemens AG
Signify
Skidmore Owings & Merrill
Stanhope
State of California
Stockholm, Sweden
Stockland Retirement Living and Logistics
Surbana Jurong
Sydney Opera House
Sydney, Australia
Tandem Property Asset Management LLP
Tashwane, South Africa
Technopolis
The Crown Estate
The GPT Group
The Scottish Government
THREE Consultoria Medioambiental
Tokyo, Japan
Toronto, Canada
Trevian Funds AIFM
Tritax Big Box
Tritax EuroBox
Troup Bywaters + Anders
United Metal Coating
Valladolid, Spain
Vancouver, Canada
Varma
Varming Consulting Engineers
Veev
Walsh – Structural and Civil Engineers
Washington, District of Colombia
Watkins Payne
Wereldhave
Willmott Dixon
WSP UK
YLVA
Further information
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*The number of assets, portfolio carbon emission and annual turnover accounted for are based on the submission of signatories’ joining forms.