WIREDGOV

Over one hundred business representatives met today to discuss how they can help stem climate change by cutting carbon dioxide emissions from commercial properties in London.

The Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) and Green500 event brought together for the first time some of London's most prominent owners and occupiers to develop sustainability solutions to the commercial property market.

Commercial property owners have an important role to play in reducing CO2 emissions from their buildings – as the commercial building stock in London is responsible for a third of London’s CO2 emissions. But there are several barriers.

After a keynote address by Jonathon Porritt – who stressed the growing importance of collaborations like the Better Buildings Partnership and Green 500 - the landlords and occupiers looked at the different strategies they can use to agree carbon reduction strategies which best fit with the circumstances of individual properties. They also looked at the financing available to fund the retrofitting of existing commercial properties – the key to unlocking the potential carbon dioxide savings from London’s property market.

Paul Edwards, Head of Sustainability at Hammerson and Chair of the Better Buildings Partnership Owner-Occupier Working Group said:

"Cutting CO2 emissions from London's commercial properties is going to be a vital part of the drive to cut London's emissions. The turnout at today's event shows that there is a clear appetite to learn how landlords and occupiers can work together to improve their energy efficiency and help meet the Mayor's target of a 60% cut in CO2 emissions by 2025."

The Green 500 and Better Buildings Partnership are London Development Agency-backed programmes that work with London’s businesses and commercial property owners to improve their energy efficiency and cut carbon dioxide emissions. They are part of the London Development Agency’s drive to cut London’s CO2 emissions and move toward the Mayor’s target of a 60% cut in London’s CO2 emissions by 2025.

 

 

1. Today’s event was hosted by leading European property company Hammerson in Threadneedle Street in the City of London.

2. Individual workshops examined in detail:

- Green Leases and the role of the Managing Agent

Introducing the BBP Green Lease Toolkit; sharing BBP successes in implementing green leases and MoUs; and exploring the future potential impact of green leases in improving the sustainability of commercial property. The BBP Green Lease toolkit can be found at http://www.betterbuildingspartnership.co.uk/working-groups/green-leases/green-lease-toolkit/

- Sustainable Property Benchmarking

Sharing the BBP's experiences of benchmarking commercial property; an in-depth look at challenges such as metrics, property categorisation and data collection; and discussing how this area can move forward with industry wide definitions and methodologies.

- Financing Sustainable Retrofit

Identifying the barriers to financing sustainable retrofit and discussing the potential of differing commercial and financial models to increase the uptake of sustainable retrofit within the commercial property sector.

3. The Better Buildings Partnership and Green 500 seek to work with businesses and organisations to achieve agreed, measurable reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.

For further information please contact the LDA Media Team: Robert Beasley 020 7593 8437

LDA out of hours: 07977 439371 Public enqs: 020 7593 9000