What is a Net Zero Office?

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What is a Net Zero Office? | Future Business

Building efficiency

Another major factor for the emission profile of most offices will be the building in which it is housed, with offices based in old, poorly insulated buildings necessarily requiring more energy to heat or cool. While a move to a newer building may therefore seem an obvious choice to achieve Net Zero there is always a trade-off, as construction itself adds to emissions.

“For a typical office building, we estimate embedded emissions from construction to equal approximately 1,000 kgCO2e/m², and emissions from demolition and disposal to equal approximately 30 kgCO2e/m²”, Olivier Elamine, CEO of German real estate firm Alstria, estimates. “Refurbishing an existing building allows for the reuse of 60 to 70 per cent of the existing structure, thereby generating substantially less emissions than the construction of a new asset.”

The UKGBC estimates that far less than one per cent of buildings worldwide currently meet the definition of Net Zero. “Developers, construction firms, architects and occupiers must start working together at scale to deliver buildings… that minimise whole life carbon and contribute to meaningful progress in the battle against climate change.” Julie Hirigoyen, CEO of the UK’s Green Building Council’s (UKGBC)

The DoE estimates that expenditure on energy across office buildings in the US currently costs approximately US$17.8 billion annually, equivalent to around 21.8 per cent of expenditure in commercial buildings.

The other side of the equation when considering the carbon footprint for an office is of course the energy used to power the building. Offices supplied by entirely green energy, originating from truly renewable sources, will benefit from a much lower footprint than those powered by fossil fuels. However, calculating the exact mix of sources may be complex as most offices are powered from a national electricity grid that combines various power providers dynamically.

New working habits

When the enforced lockdowns of the Covid pandemic first shuttered offices in 2020, it was widely hailed as a positive for sustainability, with an overnight drop in commuting and business travel. Prior to this, the DoE had estimated that over one-fourth of U.S. emissions derived from business transport use, and so this shift undoubtedly helped cut emissions, but the new reality of every employee having an ‘office’ at home is also creating numerous difficulties when it comes to measuring carbon footprint.

“I kind of stopped in my footsteps and went, ‘Uh oh, what’s going to happen if we’re closing our offices during Covid and staying remote in the long term?” What does that mean for Shopify’s corporate carbon footprint?’ Stacy Kauk, director of Sustainability Fund at ecommerce platform Shopify, explains.

As most businesses now prepare for remote working to be a long-term reality, the very definition of ‘the office’ is evolving, making the implications for measurement of carbon footprint even more convoluted.

“Now that we’re going back to work, it’s this rare once-a-decade reset moment when companies can redefine their working model and do it with an eye on carbon – [but] the punchline is that it’s more complicated than meets the eye,” Taylor Francis, co-founder of carbon consultancy Watershed, comments.

Challenges ahead

While momentum to achieve Net Zero has increased in recent years, there still remain many unanswered questions and debate between stakeholders. Some such as Kevin Hydes, CEO at Integral Group, think that Net Zero is “the fundamental tool” needed to accelerate us to “widespread market adoption” but others, such as, Elamine of Alstria, believe the discussion must evolve further if office managers are to succeed in their sustainability goals.

“From my perspective, the whole Net Zero debate is the wrong debate because it pretends that you can run real estate without emitting carbon, it pretends you can build real estate without emitting carbon,” Elamine cautions, adding that “the elephant in the room is really how much it’s going to cost and nobody is really willing to have that conversation. Unless we have that conversation, it’s going to be very difficult to move.”

Despite these concerns, many firms have made major strides forward in recent years, developing carbon neutral workplaces and expanding the definition of a Net Zero office. Technology firm Apple is one company that has been leading by example, announcing in 2018 that it had transitioned all its global facilities to 100 per cent clean energy and opening Apple Park, the largest LEED Platinum-certified office building in North America.

“Businesses have a profound opportunity to help build a more sustainable future, one born of our common concern for the planet we share,” Tim Cook, Ceo of Apple commented. “By 2030, Apple’s entire business will be carbon neutral — from supply chain to the power you use in every device we make. The planet we share can’t wait, and we want to be a ripple in the pond that creates a much larger change.”

SEE ALSO: What was Agreed at COP26 and How Does it Affect your Company?

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