This month we continue our series of Sustainability in the Built World roundup with a few stories from around the world that show the focus on building better and more sustainable is a key focus as we come out of the pandemic.
A government-backed task force made up of 15 of the UK’s leading growing tech companies have come together to agree on commitments to reach net zero, boost green investment and help consumers make greener choices.
The companies include the likes of Bulb, the green energy provider, Habito, the online mortgage broker and What3Words, an easy way to find precise locations.
The task force is led by Hayden Wood, co-founder of Bulb who says “We need bold action to avert the climate crisis, so we’ve brought together the UK’s most exciting and innovative tech companies to determine the best path to net-zero as fast as possible. Tech Zero will go beyond targets – we want to boost access to finance and make the UK the number one destination for green investment in the world.”
Backed by the government’s Council for Sustainable Business and industry body Tech Nation, it hopes to sign up 1,000 UK tech companies before the UN’s climate conference, COP26, which will be held in Glasgow in November.
It is a great opportunity for more PropTech companies to have a say and accelerate the industry’s move to net-zero.
See the full list of companies signed up and learn more here on PlaceTech: https://placetech.net/news/tech-leaders-establish-bold-net-zero-taskforce/
A new fund, 2150 has launched, focussing investments in technologies related to sustainable property development.
The first round of investment secured is €130m, from investors including Chr Augustinus Fabrikker, Novo Holdings and Denmark’s state-owned Green Future Fund.
The fund has been launched by Nordic real estate fund manager (NREP). Chairman and founding partner, Mikkel Bülow-Lehnsby, said: “The scientific consensus is clear: The world cannot achieve the necessary reductions of CO2 emissions without fundamental changes to how we build and operate real estate. The real estate industry could not deliver the required reductions without better technological solutions. We are launching 2150 to accelerate the development and adoption of such technologies.”
2150’s first investment will be in Canadian company CarbonCure, which aims to reduce embodied carbon emissions from concrete production by 500 megatonnes a year. That’s the equivalent of taking 100 million cars off the road!
Learn more on Sifted: https://sifted.eu/articles/2150-vc-fund-urban-environment/
US financial publication Barron’s has produced the 100 Most Sustainable Companies list. Commercial real estate services and investment firm CBRE ranks highly on this list coming in at #22. We hope to see more and Real Estate companies in the list next year as the industry continues it’s shift to a carbon net-zero future.
See what Chief Responsibility Officer at CBRE, Tim Dismond had to say here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210217005728/en/CBRE-Ranked-22-on-Barron%E2%80%99s-Most-Sustainable-Companies-List
The Edie Sustainability Leaders Awards took place in February honouring the achievements of those across the industry including Jonathan Ayton and Julia Barrett from Willmott Dixon. Julia received the Sustainability Leader of the Year award, whilst Jonathan was this year’s Rising Sustainability Star. British Land won the Energy Management Project of the Year award for their Energy Efficiency Programme and Lara Young from Costain picked up the Energy and Carbon Leader award.
You can see the full list of winners here: https://event.edie.net/awards/2021-winners/
And last but not least, a new development in Singapore is being dubbed a “forest town” has promised a city centre free of cars, automated rubbish collection and homes with centralised cooling all aimed to pave the way for future smart home cities.
This follows hot on the heels of Toyota and their announcement of plans for “Woven City” another smart city based in Japan, that is expected to be a testing ground for technologies like robotics, smart homes, and AI.
Buildings are set to be made mostly of wood to minimize the carbon footprint and rooftops are to be covered in photo-voltaic panels that will generate solar power and hydrogen fuel cell power.
I’m sure these won’t be the last smart cities announced this quarter, let alone this year!
Tengah “Forest Town”: https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/singapore-tengah-eco-town/
Toyota’s “Woven City”: https://www.businessinsider.com/toyota-city-of-the-future-japan-mt-fuji-2020-1?r=US&IR=T
That’s your lot for Feb, we’ll be collating more of the latest sustainability in the built world stories during March and share the update at the beginning of April. Do share with us in the comments anything you think we may have missed and make sure to sign up to our newsletter below to get the sustainability in the built world roundup in your inbox each month.
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Learn more about how Incube is supporting property owners and occupiers reduce their carbon footprint and transform floorplans into smart, sustainable & reconfigurable spaces here: Cubes Modular Walls