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Construction firm Mace has announced it has met its target to become a net-zero carbon business in 2020.
The London-based international construction and consultancy company, best known for developing The Shard in the capital, has also now set out its new targets as part of its 2026 business strategy which will be launched next month.
Mace reduced its carbon emissions last year by 50 percent and has also seen a 75 percent increase in renewable energy, a 75 percent reduction in business travel emissions, a ban on diesel generators, and an increase in the use of cement alternatives.
The outstanding carbon emissions have been offset through investment projects led by UK sustainability consultancy Carbon Footprint Ltd, with a portfolio of Gold Standard and Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) programmes worldwide.
The offsets have been divided across six international programmes that provide climate change solutions including decarbonising electricity grids through solar power and wind farms in India and providing support and equipment to remote communities in Africa to improve their energy efficiency.
The firm’s carbon reduction strategy Steps without Footprints became publicly available last year to support the industry in its efforts and recently announced its latest pledge, this time to ‘SteelZero’. Mace will release its follow up report over the next few weeks detailing how it halved its carbon emissions in one year and set out its future ambitions.
Mark Reynolds, Group Chief Executive at Mace, said: “I’m delighted that we have realised our ambition in the same year that we set our target. My hope is that our net-zero carbon position will inspire the industry to take greater action as a whole. Only by working together, sharing our learning and supporting each other’s efforts will we make the difference that’s needed.
“Our journey doesn’t end here. Our commitment to sustainability sits front and centre of our new five-year business strategy. We have new, tougher targets that will see us reduce our carbon footprint by 10 per cent each year and deliver biodiversity net gain with the creation of 500 hectares of new habitat.
“Equally, in 2021, we will look beyond our own footprint and continue to support and measure helping our clients reduce their carbon footprint and Scope 3 emissions.”
