Sustainability

Net Zero, Climate Action and Carbon Management

Sustainability, ESG & Social Value Consultancy

Net Zero, Climate Action and Carbon Management

With up to 40% of carbon emissions linked to construction and the built environment, every community, organisation and asset manager needs to take urgent, smart action to reach net zero. We will work with you to achieve your decarbonisation and ESG goals. Our carbon management expertise supports real-world decision-making and practical delivery. Combined with our world-leading cost management capabilities, you will be uniquely placed to understand the financial impact of decarbonisation and build the business case for action.

Improve your estate performance

To reach net zero and comply with evolving regulations, the first step is to understand your energy and emissions data. We support carbon calculation and reporting through the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) and ESG frameworks such as the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and the UK’s Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR). Our expertise will enable you to develop and implement decarbonisation strategies that will improve your estate performance.

Plan and cost a decarbonisation strategy

To reach your goals and meet Science Based Targets (SBTi), credible and achievable net zero strategies with decarbonisation pathways, tailored to your data and linked with practical actions, are required. We can help you develop climate action plans to enable implementation, while our cost management experts will advise you on capital costs, return on investment and marginal abatement cost curves (MACC), so you can assess different mitigation options.

Implement net zero actions

Once you have a strategy, the real work begins. We can support you to plan net zero actions, apply for funding, and coordinate delivery for optimisation, retrofit and heat decarbonisation, in compliance with net zero building standards in construction, energy management and renewable energy. We will work closely with our building surveyors, in-house M&E team and cost consultants to make it all happen.

Manage and reduce carbon impacts

Your largest carbon impacts are indirect, from supply chains to building materials – but still within your influence. With 8% of global emissions attributed to cement production alone, design and construction choices have huge impacts. We can help you manage and reduce carbon through our knowledge of global standards including GHG Protocol Scope 3, PAS 2080, RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment and EN 15978 Lifecycle Carbon Analysis.

Value & Impact

How we’ve helped others meet their challenges

UNITED KINGDOM

NET ZERO RETAIL FIT-OUT

Guiding NatWest towards net zero


We developed a strategic roadmap for achieving net zero carbon across the retail estate of NatWest, one of the UK’s biggest banks. Our approach, which embedded sustainability into NatWest’s branch refurbishment programme, has already delivered significant carbon reductions, setting a new standard for sustainability in the retail banking sector.

“The RLB sustainability team showed us what holistic good practice looks like when it came to a roadmap towards target net zero. Their knowledge of sustainability within the built environment is very strong, and their innovative approaches have set the bar for our sustainable fit-out practices going forward.”

Andrew Taylor

Design Manager, Retail Design, People and Transformation, NatWest Group

SUSTAINABILITY

INSIGHTS & PERSPECTIVES

  • Capability

    Circular Economy in Construction: A Strategic Pathway…

    In today’s construction industry, clients are navigating a complex landscape of rising costs, ...

  • Capability

    Understanding the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive 

    With new ESG regulations and voluntary reporting standards developing all the time, it can be ...

  • Capability

    The UK Net Zero Building Standard: A…

    In our daily conversations with clients, one question keeps coming up: how can we effectively ...

  • RLB collaborates on 189 low-energy affordable homes…

    The RLB team has recently commenced work with Peabody and Higgins Partnerships, on a development ...

  • RLB Moves Up in Building’s Top 150…

    RLB Moves Up in Building’s Top 150 Consultants Ranking RLB is excited to share our strong ...

  • Value of Sustainability in the Built Environment report

    Building, partnering with RLB UK, has published its Building the Future ‘The Value of ...

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Explore more of our services and expertise

FURTHER INFORMATION

Heather Evans
Heather Evans

Partner – National Head of Sustainability