Helping one of London's leading property companies achieve their net zero carbon ambitions
When Great Portland Estates Plc set about launching their corporate commitment to become net zero carbon by 2030, they brought on JLL’s sustainability consultancy to help develop a business case and support their transition.
Our ambition
With sustainability being core to every business decision, Great Portland Estates Plc (GPE) signed up to the ground-breaking Climate Change Commitment launched by members of the Better Buildings Partnership in 2019. They then set out about launching their own corporate commitment to become net zero carbon by 2030 and brought on JLL’s sustainability consultancy to help develop their business case and support the transition.
JLL have been instrumental in helping us identify our key carbon impacts, quick wins, and a longer-term plan to help decarbonise our business.
How we achieved it
Great Portland Estates’ pathway to net zero carbon needed to be underpinned by a strong business case detailing the costs and benefits of implementing a net zero carbon strategy.
Our initial step was to model the client’s current and future emissions trajectory across their portfolio which includes new buildings, major refurbishments and standing investments, while also considering future changes to the power grid and technology.
We then established a detailed net zero carbon methodology setting out the scope and boundaries of the strategy. Assessing carbon reduction options and associated costs for both operational and embodied carbon was a key priority, in order to ensure GPE were also accounting for carbon through the property life cycle as well as in their supply chains
As part of this we audited a sample of buildings to establish the costs and technical feasibility of GPE’s ambitious energy intensity targets. We also assessed opportunities in the supply of renewable energy and potential power purchase agreements, as well as possible offsetting strategies.
The results
The ultimate result was a net zero carbon pathway that sets relevant targets, identifies key carbon reduction opportunities, and an implementation plan to reduce GPE’s carbon footprint.
We provided the client with a robust business case that included projected costs and savings over a target window and helped them to understand their net zero commitment progress including future residual carbon to be offset and influencing factors.
Janine Cole, Director of Sustainability and Community said “The Time is Now to decarbonise our business. In May we set out our sustainability strategy in our Statement of Intent, becoming a net zero business is a key part of that vision. JLL have been instrumental in helping us identify our key carbon impacts, quick wins, and a longer-term plan to help decarbonise our business. The model developed has supported the development of our net zero carbon roadmap and wider business understanding of the scale of the challenge, allowing GPE to continue creating space for London to thrive.”
Read more about GPE's net zero commitment here.
