BPF Net Zero Pledge gains traction as UK firms sign up

The British Property Federation’s Net Zero Pledge has attracted 24 signatures from the federations membership since the initiative was launched three months ago.

Signatories to the industry-wide initiative to cut carbon emissions have a combined £75 billion-plus of real estate assets under management, including over 45,000 homes and a combined commercial footprint of just under 80 million sq ft (7.4 million sq m). They include housing associations, investment companies, law firms and property consultancies – early adopters were LandSec, Workspace, Gerald Eve and Dolphin Living.

Melanie Leech.

The pledge has been launched to unite the BPF’s membership, drive collaboration and speed up the pace of decarbonisation in the sector.

Members signing the BPF Pledge must have or be developing net zero targets and plans and are encouraged to join net zero carbon programmes or frameworks, including those aligned to the UN Race to Zero such as the Business Ambition for 1.5 Degrees, Planet Mark, the BBP Climate Commitment, the WorldGBC’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment and Net Zero Lawyers Alliance.

A core part of the pledge is the sharing of resources such as research reports and case studies

“The current energy crisis further highlights the importance of making our buildings more energy efficient,” said BPF chief executive Melanie Leech. “Early adopters of the pledge are ideally placed to help our wider membership kick-start or accelerate their net zero programmes and our knowledge hub will be a key resource to facilitate this.”

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