Reaching carbon neutrality with their building portfolios ranks high in importance among sustainability goals for organizations responding to a Honeywell/Reuters survey of senior executives at 187 large, multinational corporations.
Nearly nine in 10 respondents (87%) say that achieving carbon neutrality in their building portfolio is either extremely (58%) or somewhat (29%) important in relation to their overall ESG goals. Only 4% of respondents called it unimportant.
“If we fast-forward to 2025, I believe carbon neutrality will be one of the top priorities for organizations, driven partly by new carbon taxation plans and decarbonizing incentives,” said Manish Sharma, vice president and general manager of Sustainable Buildings at Honeywell, in a news release.
While the surveyed organizations feel pressure to act, respondents seem optimistic in forecasting progress toward their goals. More than 90% of those surveyed expect to achieve carbon neutrality across their portfolios by 2050, while 62% expect to reach that goal by 2035. Only 8% of respondents say they don’t foresee carbon neutrality ever becoming a reality for their portfolios.
Companies are investing strategically to accelerate decarbonization and improve overall building performance. Although respondents noted a wide range of specific efforts, a substantial majority (80%) mentioned on-site energy management system as one investment they’ve made.
More findings from the Honeywell/Reuters survey of building owners:
- Building owners see waste and carbon reduction as the primary business benefit from improving the sustainability of their buildings. Other benefits include increasing productivity, reducing costs, improving their brand image, attracting investors, and attracting and retaining employees.
- The top two barriers to progress in sustainability and carbon neutrality are cost (29.6%) and measuring sustainability progress (21.7%). Others obstacles: lack of resources and expertise (19.7%), convincing c-suite/management (18.3%), convincing investors (6.3%), and "unsure where to start" (4.3%).
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Oct 30, 2017
Top 130 green architecture firms
Gensler, Stantec, and HOK top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest green sector architecture and AE firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.
Greenbuild Report | Oct 18, 2017
Rebuild, retreat, or resist
Hurricanes Harvey and Irma expose the necessity—and limitations—of resilient design and construction measures.
Sustainability | Oct 16, 2017
A negative emissions power plant is now operational in Iceland
The geothermal power plant in Hellisheidi, Iceland was outfitted with a Climeworks DAC module.
Sustainability | Oct 9, 2017
New Arizona State University building will reach triple net-zero performance
The science and research complex will include an atrium biome filled with plants and water.
Sustainability | Oct 4, 2017
The solutions to climate change are already at our fingertips
To keep global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius of warming, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that the global buildings sector will need to decrease its total annual greenhouse gas contribution by 77% by 2050.
Green | Oct 2, 2017
Five strategies to improve energy performance in existing buildings
After performing retro-commissioning and energy audits for more than five million square feet of existing building real estate, we have developed a list of common low/no-cost Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) that are identified on the majority of projects.
Green | Sep 27, 2017
Wellness gains ground with real estate and property management professionals
Structure Tone survey finds LEED is still a selling point, but interest in resilience practices could be waning.
Codes and Standards | Sep 12, 2017
Washington, D.C. is first LEED Platinum city in the world
All city government buildings are powered by renewables.
Green | Sep 12, 2017
Brooklyn’s Windsor Terrace Library gets a living roof
The roof was funded through a process that allows local residents to decide how City capital dollars are spent in their neighborhoods.
Green | Aug 24, 2017
Business case for WELL still developing after first generation office fitouts completed
The costs ranged from 50 cents to $4 per sf, according to a ULI report.
