BPF Futures: Our Future to Net Zero and Beyond

This article was written by Natalie Cooke.

With its pilot published in September 2024, and 85 projects already on board, the UK Net Zero Standard hopes to one day become the industry, and perhaps regulatory standard for Real Estate.  With the UK’s Net Zero Target for carbon emissions being 2050, we had a look at what the UK Net Zero Standard is aiming for.   

The standard is hoping to be a comprehensive rule book, created by the industry for the industry.  Its science-led goals will be stretching but achievable. The Standard concedes that it wants to be tougher on new builds.  

At a recent British Property Federation Futures event David Partridge, the Chairman of Related Argent who is championing the UK Net Zero Standard spoke of the importance of client change leadership and believes that the Standard will support the industry by:

1. emphasising the need to reduce construction impacts by considering the materials used;
2. looking at how buildings are run (operational energy), and sourcing green power;
3. allowing the offsetting of residual emissions (an option only allowed if other goals are met in order to avoid greenwashing); and 
4. asking for public disclosure  

The Standard is intended to encourage these strands to come together to reduce year-on-year emissions to help meet the 2050 Net Zero target.  

With our own target to be Net Zero by 2026, Burges Salmon has extensive expertise in advising on net zero.  Our multi-sector teams deliver Net Zero legal solutions through market-leading expertise in the key sectors that will need to come together to decarbonise, including: transport, energy, land & food, and the built environment. With in-depth knowledge of the regulations across the four key sectors, we are able to facilitate cross-sector discussions and are uniquely positioned to advise on the policies, regulation, strategies and projects that will need to be developed and implemented by the private and public sectors.

We have established networks and strong relationships with leading industry bodies and organisations, allowing us to bring specialists together to deliver Net Zero legal solutions and put you in touch with the right people who can help your business.

If you have questions about how you can incorporate the UK Net Zero Standard into your company, come and talk to us.   

The UK's first cross-industry Standard that brings together Net-Zero Carbon requirements for all major building types

https://www.nzcbuildings.co.uk/