Gearing Up to Push Emissions Down

By Lachlan Fulton
There are some promising signs that the construction industry is really getting to grips with the responsibility of addressing the challenge of abating carbon emissions.

Recently this has been demonstrated through the publication of two documents:
· The CRC Performance League Table 2011/12, and
· The Launch of the Low Carbon Routemap

Construction Firms Top the CRC Performance League Table

It was late to be published, but the CRC Performance League Table 2011/12 places Bam Group, Skanska and Carillion in top positions on the table. From these firms, it is Bam Group which has made the largest leap, moving from 230^th last year to 1^st.  Skanska and Carillion move from 93^rd and 203^rd to 2^nd and 7^th respectively.

Collectively these firms have reduced their emissions by nearly 60,000 tonnes of CO₂ in the last 12 months. This represents over a £7million reduction in tax liability.

From the complete list of CRC participants (2,097) it is claimed by the Department of Energy and Climate Change that there was a total reduction in carbon emissions of 4.64 million tonnes.

 

Although the CRC is unpopular, this provides some evidence that it is proving to be an effective means of encouraging better carbon management.

The Low Carbon Routemap

Released early March, the UK's Green Construction Board's Low Carbon Routemap looks at the policy, actions and key decisions required if the built environment is going to be able to deliver the UK Government target of 80% reduction in CO₂ by 2050.

 

GCB co-chair and business minister Michael Fallon claims the “Routemap will help shape our industrial strategy for construction as we plan for the long term”.

The Routmap suggests the following carbon reduction targets for 2017 based on 2010 figures:

· 35% from Retail 22%
· 22% from Commercial   
· 16% from Hotel and Catering 25% from Warehouse
· 25% from Warehouse 
· 18% from Government
· 13% from Education
· 19% from Health
· 28% from Sport and Leisure

For more detail the visual Routemap and GCB’s Low Carbon Routmap report is available at:

http://www.greenconstructionboard.org/index.php/resources/routemap

Corporate Responsibility set to receive a boost

By Lachlan Fulton

India could be the first country in the world to make Corporate Responsibility a mandatory requirement for companies operating across the region worth over $9 million.

The Indian Companies Bill 2012 is on track to become an Act and proposes that these companies will be required to spend at least 2% of their average net profits on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, or report on the reasons why they have not.

The UPA II government’s intention is “to protect the interests of employees and small investors while encouraging firms to undertake social welfare voluntary”. The hope is to make India a more “attractive and safe investment destination” (Sachin Pilot, Union Minister of State for Corporate Affairs, 2012).

Forum for the Future however correctly raise the question “what exactly does the Indian Government mean by CSR?”

In the UK it is common to drop the ‘S’ and adopt ‘CR’ as an indication that it is the wider sustainability agenda which is being referred to. This naturally incorporates both social activities and environmental factors.

Whether the Indian Government will follow a traditional philanthropic approach or view the opportunity more holistically is not currently clear. What is clear however is that companies are increasingly turning to frameworks such as that established by the Global Reporting Initiative to support with this issue.

Rider Levett Bucknall UK is no exception - read our latest CR Report here: http://rlb.com/rlb.com/pdf/capability/RLB_UK_CR_Report_2012.pdf