Introduction

Climate change is the biggest challenge to society and the economy that we have ever seen. As businesses, political leaders and the public belatedly look to mitigate its impacts, we focus on the changes required in real estate at both the operational and building level to optimise energy and carbon efficiency.

The need to decarbonise is no longer a subject for debate for businesses and the real estate sector. The impact of Covid-19, and the increased focus on our physical environment, has pushed the importance of sustainability even further up the agenda. The green wave is very much upon us – with political, societal, corporate and indeed economic attitudes all pushing in one direction.

Building on our work examining the impacts done in 10 trends for a zero carbon world, this report sets out the key pressures affecting the industrial built environment, the changes that need to be made and the cost of doing so in order to achieve the green industrial revolution.