The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) welcomes seven new and existing signatories to the updated Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment: CannonDesign, Deutsche Bank, GI Quo Vadis, Grab, Lamington Group, QIC Real Estate (QICRE), and Schneider Electric.
LONDON – 9 am GMT, 25 May 2022 – Today, WorldGBC announces seven companies as signatories to its Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment (the Commitment) whole life carbon requirements, including major multinational and Advancing Net Zero program partner, Schneider Electric, and Germany’s leading bank, Deutsche Bank. These industry leaders are taking ambitious action to combat climate change by committing to decarbonize both their operational and embodied emissions.
The Commitment now has a total of 169 signatories, which includes 135 businesses and organizations, 28 cities, and six states and regions.
The businesses and organizations signed up to the Commitment now account for approximately 7.2 million (tCO2e) of portfolio emissions annually, nearly 20,000 assets, and more than $415 billion in annual turnovers.
These businesses are displaying industry leadership in the built environment, committing to reduce and compensate all operational emissions for assets over which they have direct control. As part of the updated Commitment, they will also maximize embodied carbon emissions reductions for new developments and major renovations by 2030, compensating for any remaining residual upfront embodied carbon emissions as part of a whole lifecycle approach.
Find out more about the signatories and the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment.
Cristina Gamboa, CEO of the World Green Building Council:
“I’m delighted to announce the latest group of signatories to the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment. We welcome Schneider Electric, a world leader in building services and technologies and Deutsche Bank, a significant asset owner taking responsibility for their portfolio and beyond. These companies are displaying industry leadership to decarbonise their assets further and faster, contributing to accelerated industry transformation in the #RaceToZero.
This progress in climate leadership comes as we celebrate 20 years of WorldGBC. We are eager to celebrate the remarkable work being done by our Green Building Councils and we welcome you to join us for our in-person event in London on 28 June 2022 — WorldGBC+20: Global Solutions Forum.”
The seven companies joining the Net-Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment
CannonDesign is a global solutions firm that was listed on Fast Company’s 2019 World-Changing Companies list. This innovative company has more than 1200 employees worldwide who are dedicated to the ambitious climate targets set out by the business. CannonDesign has committed to reducing its embodied carbon in half by 2022, 80% by 2025, and 100% by 2030. The business will continue to advocate for industry transformation toward net-zero by leading by example. CannonDesign’s Living-Centered Design allows the business to address not just human needs, but the increasingly complex interdependencies that exist across all life. Read their Commitment Profile here.
Deutsche Bank
This bank provides retail and private banking, corporate and transaction banking, lending, asset and wealth management products and services as well as focused investment banking to private individuals, small and medium-sized companies, corporations, governments, and institutional investors. Deutsche Bank is the leading bank in Germany with strong European roots and a global network. The Bank’s mission is to contribute to an environmentally sound, socially inclusive, and well-governed world while assisting its clients and partners to do the same. The company has been carbon neutral for its own operations since 2012 and it will continue to improve energy efficiency to reduce overall consumption and maximize embodied carbon reductions where applicable. Read their Commitment Profile here.
GI Quo Vadis
This company is a mission-driven real estate company that was founded in 1993. The company has a vision of uniting communities through the preservation and restoration of historically significant buildings. GI Quo Vadis leases out 1.5M SF of property to small and medium-sized businesses to aid in the creation of employment opportunities. GI Quo Vadis is a Certified B Corporation and is accountable for meeting the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance. Companies like GI Quo Vadis are accelerating a global shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. Read their Commitment Profile here.
Grab
this company is Southeast Asia’s leading super app. It operates across deliveries, mobility, and digital financial sectors in 480 cities across eight countries. Grab is forging the way forward for a sustainable future and has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2040. The business has committed to only occupying net-zero carbon premises by 2030. In addition, it will measure and publicly disclose energy consumption. Not to mention, Scopes 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions within their control. Grab’s mission is to drive Southeast Asia forward by creating economic empowerment for everyone. Moreover, the company strives to serve a triple bottom line. That’s to simultaneously deliver financial performance for its shareholders and have a positive social and environmental impact in Southeast Asia. Read their Commitment Profile here.
Lamington Group
This group is a family-owned real estate investment, development, and operational business founded in 1967. In 2019, the business shifted. Managing Director, Robert Goodwin saw the impact that climate change has had in South Africa. Sustainability is now integral to the culture and decision-making of all employees involved in the sustainability campaign. The business has committed to being net-zero by 2030. All new developments will be built to whole life net-zero standards. Both operational and embodied carbon. Lamington Group’s vision is to create places that support people and the planet to thrive. Read their Commitment Profile here.
QIC Real Estate (QICRE)
The real estate company is a specialist division of QIC, which was created in 1991 by the Queensland Government. The company has grown into one of the world’s leading diversified investment firms. By responsibly investing, holding, and developing assets over generational horizons, QICRE is able to design, execute and deliver town centers. Such centers evolve alongside their growing communities and extend far beyond traditional retail. The company has committed to achieving net-zero operational carbon emissions for its core managed portfolio by 2028. Moreover, maximizing the reduction of embodied carbon in new developments and major renovations. Not to mention, compensating for any residual upfront embodied carbon emissions by 2030. The company will continue to demonstrate leadership through its core business activities. They will also advocate for a net-zero future by engaging its clients and supply chain. Read their Commitment Profile here.
Schneider Electric
The electric company is a multinational company that provides energy and digital solutions for efficiency and sustainability. The company powers digital transformation by integrating world-leading processes and energy technologies across the entire lifecycle. This enables integrated company management for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure, and industries. Moreover, the company has 983 buildings in its portfolio and of these, 150 are operationally net-zero buildings. Schneider Electric has set itself a target of being carbon neutral in operations by 2025. The company is engaging with its suppliers toward a net-zero supply chain by 2050. Schneider Electric will continue to act as an advocate for building energy efficiency, climate action, and industry transformation. 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. In addition, they maximize 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 recognized 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. They are also 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 in 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.
Source: GBC Media Press Release
