Search Perspectives People Projects Expertise About us News Locations Careers Go HOME WE ARE TURNER & TOWNSEND ANNUAL REVIEW 2020 - 2021 STEPPING UP TO MEET THE NET ZERO GLOBAL CHALLENGE Stepping up to meet the net zero global challenge As leaders in the built environment profession, we understand the vital need to step forward with solutions to the growing global climate crisis and help limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050. We have reshaped our own business to meet these new demands. Across our global footprint we have set our own target to become a net-zero carbon emitter by 2030, a transformation process that we now build into the advice we give to clients. That means helping our clients to create new business cases for investment to meet the challenging net zero emission targets agreed by governments around the world. It means taking them beyond carbon neutrality and offsetting, to rethink strategies that underpin sustainable communities and improve the lives of the most vulnerable. Every sector in every region of the world needs to shift towards a net-zero future. The key is not to miss an opportunity to work together to respond to this global challenge. Megan Treharne Global Corporate Responsibility Manager Helping our clients to understand and meet their low-carbon ambitions Our clients recognise their obligations to help meet net-zero targets, not just in the construction of new assets but during operation of existing facilities which make up the bulk of our global built environment portfolio. We work to find the best way forward, then help decide how quickly they can invest to embrace change. Our collaboration with Yara International on its green hydrogen and ammonia project in Australia will help support the agriculture sector’s transition to a low-carbon future. Looking ahead – preparing for the challenge Our role varies from sector to sector and region to region. While many of our clients are forging ahead with low-carbon transition, in real estate the task is made harder by a combination of varying scale, regulatory complexity and split incentives. In the UK, we’ve worked with the Greater London Authority to help drive ambition and scale into social housing retrofit with the Retrofit Accelerator for Homes Innovation Partnership. For all our clients, this new drive towards net zero has raised the bar in terms of complexity. What was once a ‘nice to have’, bolt-on addition to projects has become core to decision making. It requires teams across disciplines, sectors and regions to collaborate to embed low-carbon thinking into programme outcomes. We have acted as a trusted partner to Delft University in the Netherlands to modernise the campus and tailor facilities and services to create a significant, sustainable and socially responsible contribution to the surroundings. The future has arrived The time to act on carbon is now. The lessons learnt over the last two decades embedding health and safety thinking into construction are a model to follow. While this change was driven by legislation, it travelled deep into the supply chain through culture change. We have created that moment of truth to catalyse change within our own organisation to meet our net-zero targets. Now our role, our challenge every day, is to accelerate that change for our projects and our clients as we lead transformation towards a net zero-carbon future. PROJECT Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands PROJECT The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, Rwanda PROJECT Yara International, Project Yuri, Western Australia You might also be interested in PERSPECTIVES 360°view – net zero ABOUT US Corporate responsibility twitter linkedin instagram Privacy Policy Cookie Policy T&Cs Modern Slavery Act Policies Contact us © 2021 Turner & Townsend We use necessary cookies for site functionality. We’d also like to set optional cookies to improve your experience of our site, collect information on how you use it, improve it to meet your needs and support the marketing of our services. You can either accept all cookies or choose which ones you’re happy for us to use. Necessary cookies only Accept all cookies Review our use of cookies and set your preferences