The Better Buildings Partnership, a sustainability program comprising major landlords and property managers in the City of Sydney, has announced its members have reduced carbon emissions by 45 per cent on 2006 levels, passing the halfway mark to its goal of a 70 per cent reduction by 2030.
The news was announced by Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore at COP21 in Paris, as part of a keynote speech she delivered on the role of buildings in tackling climate change.
“With these results, Sydney’s biggest landlords have shown it makes financial sense to cut emissions,” Ms Moore said.
“Together we’ve shown that more ambitious targets are possible and compatible with strong economic growth.
“We’re seeing real climate leadership by companies here in Australia. The Better Buildings Partnership’s ongoing success is a model for how much progress can be made when government and the private sector work together on sensible, effective climate policies.”
Members of the BBP have reduced emissions through measures including building system upgrades, improved facilities management and infrastructure like trigeneration, renewable energy generation and recycled water networks.
The emissions reduction translates to a $30-million-a-year saving in energy costs, according to the City of Sydney, which also says that commercial buildings account for over half of the city’s emissions.
The BBP is one of few voluntary programs labelled as successful in our Voluntary Program Series by Australian National University’s Dr Jeroen van der Heijden, based on an upcoming book.
Paul Edwards, group general manager, HSE and sustainability at Mirvac, said the partnership showed the benefits of working with peers in the industry.
“The power of working together is proving again to be the right approach – delivering outstanding value to members and introducing new standards, such as new waste guidelines, which help the whole industry,” Mr Edwards said.
