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Greater energy efficiency, better indoor air quality (IAQ) and meeting environmental, social and governance (ESG) guidelines are three objectives currently prioritised by multinational organisations as they face increasing pressure to incorporate their building operations into their sustainability plans. These are among the key findings of a report released by Honeywell and Reuters.
Nearly nine in 10 respondents (87%) say that achieving carbon neutrality in their building portfolio is either extremely (58%) or somewhat (29%) important in relation to their overall ESG goals, with only 4% of respondents calling it unimportant. The sense of urgency is understandable: Commercial building operations currently account for 37% of global energy-related CO2 emissions.i
Manish Sharma, vice president and general manager of Sustainable Buildings at Honeywell, said: “If we fast-forward to 2025, I believe carbon neutrality will be one of the top priorities for organizations, driven partly by new carbon taxation plans and decarbonizing incentives.”
There is nothing in the Building Safety Act for building services contractors to fear, according to a senior spokesperson for the Health & Safety Executive (HSE).
Neil Hope-Collins urged delegates at CIBSE’s Build2Perform conference and exhibition to embrace the new building safety laws that came into force in April and take advantage of the legal powers they give to specialist contractors.
He admitted that it was “absolutely shocking and hugely disappointing” that many firms had made no attempt to prepare for the new safety regime. Some still wrongly believe the Act only covers high risk buildings (HRBs), which has created complacency he said. Many are also afraid to study the details but, if they did, they would find that it largely ‘mirrors’ the CDM regulations which have been in place since 1995.
“It is old measures in a new package but the emphasis is on being able to properly demonstrate what you should already be doing,” he said.
A new report by Biffa reveals a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the UK to make an £18 billion investment in dozens of new onshore recycling and energy facilities that will deliver the country’s ambitions for a net zero, circular economy.
Improving the recyclability of household packaging, banning plastic waste exports and increasing surplus food redistribution would also play key roles.
The move would unlock 43 million tonnes of circular raw materials annually to support sustainable manufacturing and consumption in the UK, creating 16,000 high-quality jobs, reducing carbon emissions by up to 7.1 million tonnes a year, and improving domestic energy security.
You can find out more on news.fmbusinessdaily.com
