Climate Change Data

Happold LLP

Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2018-05 to 2019-04, 2020-21, 2021-05 to 2022-04)

Reporting Period: 2018-05 to 2019-04

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:5,005 tCO2e (with offset)
Scope 1 Emissions:175 tCO2e
Scope 2 Emissions:803 tCO2e
Scope 3 Emissions:3,025 tCO2e

ESG Focus Areas

  • Climate Action
  • Energy and Carbon
  • Fair Practice and Procurement
  • Health and Wellbeing
  • Inclusivity, Equality and Diversity
  • Community Involvement
  • Training and Education
  • Materials and Waste
  • Clean Water and Sanitation
  • Travel and Transport
  • Biodiversity

Environmental Achievements

  • Aim to be Net Zero carbon for own business operations by end of financial year ending April 2021
  • Target: all new build projects Net Zero carbon in operation by 2030 and all projects by 2050
  • Developed a radical plan to reduce own emissions
  • Developed building performance dashboard summarizing global operational energy data
  • 50% of UK vehicle fleet are electric vehicles
  • All BuroHappold offices committed to stop purchasing avoidable single-use plastic (May 1, 2019)

Social Achievements

  • 87% of respondents in 2019 Culture Survey believed BuroHappold offers a fair, inclusive and respectful environment
  • Introduced fairness and inclusion awareness sessions and prevention of sexual harassment training
  • Los Angeles office achieved WELL Certified™ Gold
  • Warsaw office achieved WELL Certified™ Gold
  • Share Our Skills (SOS) program enables employees to carry out non-fee paying work
  • Contributions to Happold Foundation (£250,000 in 2018)

Governance Achievements

  • Issued a new Code of Conduct in May 2019
  • Established Speak Up (Whistleblowing) Policy
  • Corporate Social Responsibility Statement published on external website (to comply with Indian law)

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Net Zero carbon for own business operations by end of financial year ending April 2021
  • All new build projects Net Zero carbon in operation by 2030 and all projects by 2050
Medium-term Goals:
  • Integrate biodiversity net gain into every design by 2020
  • Develop targets for business travel emissions by 2020
Short-term Goals:
  • Reduce commuter travel emissions by 5% by 2020
  • Achieve third-party health and wellness certification for two additional offices by 2020
  • Implement continual environmental monitoring in one quarter of all offices by 2020 (one to RESET standards)
  • Establish an internal health and wellness checklist for all projects by 2020
  • Double WELL, LBC, Fitwel, RESET and Health Impact Assessment projects

Environmental Challenges

  • Reducing business travel emissions
  • Reducing commuter travel emissions
  • Achieving zero waste to landfill
Mitigation Strategies
  • Investing in online tools to monitor energy consumption
  • Developing office-specific plans with short, medium, and long-term objectives to reduce emissions
  • Purchasing clean renewable energy supplies
  • Offsetting residual emissions
  • Developing a firm-wide healthy materials vetting plan
  • Conducting a waste audit in at least 80% of ISO 14001 offices

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement
  • Code of Conduct Policy
  • Commitment to paying a living wage

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: GRI, UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Certifications: WELL

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • SDG 1
  • SDG 2
  • SDG 3
  • SDG 4
  • SDG 5
  • SDG 6
  • SDG 7
  • SDG 8
  • SDG 9
  • SDG 10
  • SDG 11
  • SDG 12
  • SDG 13
  • SDG 14
  • SDG 15
  • SDG 16
  • SDG 17

The report aligns many activities within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Awards & Recognition

  • NCE100 Award for Impact on Climate Resilience (2019)

Reporting Period: 2020-21

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:1011 tCO2e/year (2020-21)
Scope 1 Emissions:0.039 tCO2e/year
Scope 2 Emissions:0.144 tCO2e/year
Scope 3 Emissions:0.828 tCO2e/year

ESG Focus Areas

  • Climate change
  • Biodiversity
  • Health, wellbeing and equity
  • Circular economy and resource efficiency

Environmental Achievements

  • Reached net zero carbon goal for 2020/21 by setting Science Based Targets to reduce carbon emissions and offsetting residual emissions.
  • Reduced global GHG emissions (scope 1 and 2) considerably in FY2020 and FY2021.
  • Reduced global GHG emissions (scope 3) considerably in FY2020 and FY2021.

Social Achievements

  • 98% of employees feel they have a responsibility in creating an inclusive culture.
  • 90% of Culture Survey 2021 participants felt Buro Happold offered an inclusive environment.
  • 133 employee days for community involvement projects

Governance Achievements

  • Issued a new Code of Conduct in May 2019.
  • Established a climate leadership group to embed Climate Emergency Action Plan.

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • All projects will be net zero carbon by 2050.
Medium-term Goals:
  • Design all new build projects to be net zero carbon in operation by 2030.
  • Reduce embodied carbon intensity of all new buildings by 50% by 2030.
Short-term Goals:
  • Reduce operational carbon emissions by 21% by 2025.
  • Aim to have 80% of applicable projects with a mobility strategy by 2023.

Environmental Challenges

  • The climate crisis and its increasing frequency of natural disasters.
  • Biodiversity loss and the need for biodiversity net gain.
  • Inequalities in the impact of climate change on vulnerable communities.
  • Barriers to the adoption of circular economy principles (clear definition, value framing, metrics).
Mitigation Strategies
  • Advocating for sustainable, resilient, and low-carbon options in all projects.
  • Developing a robust sustainability framework and strategy for clients.
  • Embedding equity into project approaches and team makeup.
  • Developing tools and resources to support circular economy adoption (LCA toolkit, workshops).

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement
  • New global supplier onboarding process including sustainability questionnaire.

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks
  • Flooding
  • Storms
  • Wildfires
Transition Risks
  • Regulatory changes
  • Market shifts
Opportunities
  • Development of energy-efficient products and services
  • Investment in climate resilience solutions

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: GRI 100 Universal Standards, UN Sustainable Development Goals

Third-party Assurance: Carbon Footprint Ltd (limited assurance)

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • SDG 1
  • SDG 2
  • SDG 3
  • SDG 4
  • SDG 5
  • SDG 6
  • SDG 7
  • SDG 8
  • SDG 9
  • SDG 10
  • SDG 11
  • SDG 12
  • SDG 13
  • SDG 14
  • SDG 15
  • SDG 16
  • SDG 17

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • BHoM Life Cycle Assessment Toolkit

Awards & Recognition

  • CIBSE Building Performance Consultancy of the Year (4 years running)
  • AIA Technology in Architectural Practice (TAP) Innovation Award (2020)

Reporting Period: 2021-05 to 2022-04

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:9947 tCO2e/year
Scope 1 Emissions:194 tCO2e/year
Scope 2 Emissions:286 tCO2e/year
Scope 3 Emissions:9467 tCO2e/year
Renewable Energy Share:60%
Waste Generated:40 tons/year

ESG Focus Areas

  • Decarbonisation
  • Biodiversity
  • Health, wellbeing and equity
  • Circular economy
  • Resilience and adaptation
  • ESG consulting

Environmental Achievements

  • Reduced total Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 19% against a 2020 baseline
  • Delivered over £30m of sustainability, environment and climate change consultancy work
  • Increased the global proportion of off-site certified renewable electricity used from 48% to 60% of total purchased electricity

Social Achievements

  • Introduced a new supplier onboarding process to share values with collaborators
  • Delivered presentations and training on inclusive design, including designing for neurodiversity
  • Launched a Share Our Skills (SOS) programme for pro bono community support

Governance Achievements

  • Established sustainability and climate change as a key area of responsibility for the Global Leadership Team (GLT)
  • Set Science Based Targets (SBTi) to reduce the carbon footprint of own operations
  • Implemented a new project tracking system collecting data from 430 projects at concept design stage and 296 projects at scheme design stage

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Achieve net zero emissions by 2045
Medium-term Goals:
  • Design all new build projects to be net zero carbon in operation by 2030
  • Reduce embodied carbon intensity of all new buildings, major retrofits and infrastructure projects by 50% by 2030
Short-term Goals:
  • Reduce total waste generation to ≤0.15kg/employee in office/day by 2025
  • Reduce contamination rates to ≤10% by 2025
  • Reduce potential diversion rates to ≤20% by 2025

Environmental Challenges

  • Decarbonising offices in line with commitments while re-evaluating operations
  • Maintaining reductions in Scope 3 business travel emissions
  • Leveraging client relationships for strategic influence on their sustainability ambitions
  • Maintaining international leadership on sustainability while acknowledging varying decarbonisation policies across countries
  • Developing strategies for hard-to-decarbonise areas (e.g., zero carbon concrete)
  • Finding and using more accurate methods to reduce purchased goods and services emissions
  • Reducing dependence on fossil fuels to heat and power offices
  • Reducing carbon emissions associated with air travel
Mitigation Strategies
  • Prioritising plans to decarbonise offices
  • Continuing to maintain reductions in Scope 3 business travel emissions
  • Leveraging relationships with clients
  • Developing breakthrough strategies for hard-to-decarbonise areas
  • Working towards 2030 goals through a change programme
  • Engaging with sub-consultants and suppliers to encourage carbon emission reduction targets
  • Engaging with property markets and landlords to promote net zero solutions
  • Finding ways to reduce air travel while promoting sustainable aviation fuel

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement
  • New supplier onboarding process to share values

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks
  • Flooding
  • Sea level rise
  • Heat waves
Transition Risks
  • Regulatory changes
  • Market shifts
Opportunities
  • Development of energy-efficient products and services

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: GRI, SBTi, UN SDGs

Certifications: ISO 14064 Part 3 (2019)

Third-party Assurance: Carbon Footprint Ltd

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • SDG 1
  • SDG 2
  • SDG 3
  • SDG 4
  • SDG 5
  • SDG 6
  • SDG 7
  • SDG 8
  • SDG 9
  • SDG 10
  • SDG 11
  • SDG 12
  • SDG 13
  • SDG 14
  • SDG 15
  • SDG 16
  • SDG 17

The report maps Buro Happold's goals to relevant SDGs.

Awards & Recognition

  • Merit awards in the ‘Advancing Net Zero’ ideas competition (Hong Kong Green Building Council)