Church Manor Way
NET ZERO ACHIEVED AT KENT WAREHOUSE SITE AFTER WE CUT EMBODIED EMISSIONS BY ALMOST A QUARTER
GBTS Aids Firethorn Trust in Achieving Net Zero Carbon for Kent Warehouses with 25% Reduction in Embodied Emissions
GBTS has helped our client, London-based market-leading UK real estate investor, developer and asset manager Firethorn Trust, achieve net zero carbon emissions at four newly built Kent warehouse units, after recommending steps that cut their embodied discharges by almost 25 per cent.
The units, which have a combined floor area of almost 9,000 square metres, are within a single building, erected following the demolition of previous constructions, in Church Manor Way, Erith.
Our advice reduced embodied emissions at the site, known as Blueprint Erith from 4,542tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) at the detailed design stage to 3,452tCO2e at practical completion, a reduction of 1,090 tCO2e. The cut, expressed in kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per square metre (kgCO2e/m2), was from 520kgCO2e/m2 to 396kgCO2e/m2, a reduction of 124kgCO2e/m2 between the two stages.
The units, which have a combined floor area of almost 9,000 square metres, are within a single building, erected following the demolition of previous constructions, in Church Manor Way, Erith.
Our advice reduced embodied emissions at the site, known as Blueprint Erith from 4,542tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) at the detailed design stage to 3,452tCO2e at practical completion, a reduction of 1,090 tCO2e. The cut, expressed in kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per square metre (kgCO2e/m2), was from 520kgCO2e/m2 to 396kgCO2e/m2, a reduction of 124kgCO2e/m2 between the two stages.
Reducing Embodied Carbon
Embodied emissions are those associated with the design and building process through, for example, the use of materials such as cement and steel.
The other type, called operational emissions, are generated during the use of a completed building, by sources such as heating, power and lighting systems.
Among the practical steps recommended to cut Blueprint Erith’s embodied emissions, following a review of the detailed design, was the substitution of some elements by those with higher recycled content and lower embodied carbon.
We then obtained 3,452 carbon credits to achieve the net zero outcome. Carbon credits offset the embodied and operational emissions buildings produce that cannot be managed away. Each credit is essentially a permit authorising a building to emit a tonne of carbon. This is because the price paid for it nullifies the harmful effect by being invested in a project delivering environmental benefits.
In this case, the credits we arranged meant our client is helping to fund renewable energy schemes and initiatives tackling forest reduction and degradation in developing countries.
The other type, called operational emissions, are generated during the use of a completed building, by sources such as heating, power and lighting systems.
Among the practical steps recommended to cut Blueprint Erith’s embodied emissions, following a review of the detailed design, was the substitution of some elements by those with higher recycled content and lower embodied carbon.
We then obtained 3,452 carbon credits to achieve the net zero outcome. Carbon credits offset the embodied and operational emissions buildings produce that cannot be managed away. Each credit is essentially a permit authorising a building to emit a tonne of carbon. This is because the price paid for it nullifies the harmful effect by being invested in a project delivering environmental benefits.
In this case, the credits we arranged meant our client is helping to fund renewable energy schemes and initiatives tackling forest reduction and degradation in developing countries.
The specific projects Firethorn has supported are:
Ensuring Integrity
As expert third-party validators and carbon brokers, all the credits we recommend and obtain for clients concern projects approved by world-leading accreditation bodies.
They develop and apply rigorous sets of rules and requirements against which environmental projects are judged and certified.
For the Erith development, all the credits we obtained were for initiatives approved by Verra, a leading standard setter for climate action and sustainable development, which runs the Verified Carbon Standard scheme, the world’s most widely used voluntary carbon market initiative.
Richard Tucker, associate director of GBTS, explained: “Obtaining the right carbon credits brings a range of potentially significant advantages to a construction sector organisation, not least because its activity in this field is fully visible to other people and organisations, including businesses.
They develop and apply rigorous sets of rules and requirements against which environmental projects are judged and certified.
For the Erith development, all the credits we obtained were for initiatives approved by Verra, a leading standard setter for climate action and sustainable development, which runs the Verified Carbon Standard scheme, the world’s most widely used voluntary carbon market initiative.
Richard Tucker, associate director of GBTS, explained: “Obtaining the right carbon credits brings a range of potentially significant advantages to a construction sector organisation, not least because its activity in this field is fully visible to other people and organisations, including businesses.
“But the carbon credit market in the UK is still immature and largely unregulated. That means it contains numerous traps that can ensnare new entrants lacking essential experience and expertise. These can include obtaining poor value for money by buying the wrong credits or purchasing at the wrong time.”
GBTS helps clients avoid these pitfalls by making detailed assessments of their circumstances and needs, recommending the right number and type of carbon credits to offset unavoidable emissions exactly, and guiding organisations through the entire purchasing process.
Commenting on our overall performance concerning Blueprint Erith, Hugo Briars, senior associate and development manager, Firethorn Trust, said: “For us, sustainability is non-negotiable, and we pride ourselves on having a completely carbon neutral portfolio, with every logistics development constructed to net-zero.
Commenting on our overall performance concerning Blueprint Erith, Hugo Briars, senior associate and development manager, Firethorn Trust, said: “For us, sustainability is non-negotiable, and we pride ourselves on having a completely carbon neutral portfolio, with every logistics development constructed to net-zero.
“Green Box Thinking’s expertise was invaluable in ensuring we reached this target on Blueprint Erith in a responsible, meaningful and commercially viable way. The scheme is designed to encourage and enable prospective occupiers to reach their own sustainability ambitions as we build for a better, cleaner future.”
Blueprint Erith is intended for industrial, storage and distribution use. The warehouses have ancillary Grade A mezzanine offices, employee welfare facilities, associated parking, an access road and hard landscaping.
The site is within the borough of Bexley and the Belevedere & Erith Industrial Zone, a focus for investment and a major growth area for jobs, transport and industry. It is is five miles inside the M25 loop, 16 miles from central London and there are over 500,000 households within a 20-minute drive of it.
Firethorn Trust is a certified carbon neutral company. The organisation has expertise across the property life cycle, from due diligence and site acquisition to planning, development, leasing and asset management. Firethorn Trust is acting as asset and development manager on behalf of Blueprint Erith’s owners, Cain International.
The organisation’s industrial and logistics team focuses on developing sustainable spaces, enabling businesses to connect quickly and easily with their customers.
The team proactively seeks out opportunities to deliver net zero carbon logistics solutions, with the highest sustainability and wellness standards, and its work includes delivering ground-breaking eco-warehouse schemes.
The site is within the borough of Bexley and the Belevedere & Erith Industrial Zone, a focus for investment and a major growth area for jobs, transport and industry. It is is five miles inside the M25 loop, 16 miles from central London and there are over 500,000 households within a 20-minute drive of it.
Firethorn Trust is a certified carbon neutral company. The organisation has expertise across the property life cycle, from due diligence and site acquisition to planning, development, leasing and asset management. Firethorn Trust is acting as asset and development manager on behalf of Blueprint Erith’s owners, Cain International.
The organisation’s industrial and logistics team focuses on developing sustainable spaces, enabling businesses to connect quickly and easily with their customers.
The team proactively seeks out opportunities to deliver net zero carbon logistics solutions, with the highest sustainability and wellness standards, and its work includes delivering ground-breaking eco-warehouse schemes.
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