Trade bodies from the built environment and retail industries in the UK have come together to commit to greener property initiatives.
Dubbed the ‘Retailer/Landlord Net Zero Building Protocol’, the work aims to improve energy efficiency and embrace renewable energy, as part of an array of greener property commitments.
It is all part of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) Climate Action Roadmap, which is helping guide the sector on a journey to net zero carbon emissions by 2040. But, joining the BRC in the commitment are the British Property Federation, The Crown Estate, and the Better Buildings Partnership.
The protocol aims to set high standards of sustainability between retailers and property owners, and it calls on property owners and retailers to improve energy efficiency by working collaboratively and investing in improvements such as insulation, and making it easier to share data on energy use.
In order to move towards more renewable energy, the protocol asks retailers and property owners to support greater on-site generation of sustainable energy, explore options for purchasing of renewable energy to drive cost down, and to consider positively the scope for offsetting carbon emissions through increased on-site biodiversity.
The BRC has acknowledged the industry it represents has a key role to play in limiting global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels.
Helen Dickinson, CEO of the BRC, said: “The Net Zero Building Protocol is a great opportunity for retailers and property owners to work together towards a greener future.
“The protocol is the first of its kind to address the sustainability of retail sites with an ambition to improve energy efficiency and embrace renewable energy.”
She added: “Climate action demands cross-industry collaboration, and this protocol gives retailers and property owners the language and structure to create a greener property market.”
Jane Wakiwaka, environmental sustainability director at The Crown Estate, commented: “This partnership is a really important step forward in identifying the practical ways our sectors can work together to tackle the crisis of our generation.”
Nicki Woodhead, head of sustainability at books and stationery retailer WHSmith, said: “The coming together of retailers and property owners in this pioneering protocol is the impetus we need to build a greener property market.
“Subscribing to these principles will help the retail industry get one step closer to a Net Zero future and we look forward to such principles becoming common practice.”
[Image credit: Green Retail World]
