We are committed to achieving the United Nation’s Race to Zero target of ‘Net Zero’ by 2050, and we are actively taking steps to reduce our operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

As professionals in the built environment we are working hard to promote carbon reduction and other sustainability goals in our industry, and we have also been looking at our emissions as a business.

In line with this commitment, we have published a five-year Operational Carbon Management Plan, which outlines our strategy to reach the long-term and interim carbon reduction goals set in 2021.

These include reducing scope 1, 2, and 3* greenhouse gas emissions by 15 per cent before 2024, and by 30 per cent before 2026. Additionally, we have a long-term carbon reduction target of 50 per cent by 2030 which remains on track.

In 2021, we formed an internal focus group with the goal of implementing initiatives to reach our carbon reduction ambitions. As a first step to understanding what operational changes were needed, we commissioned a carbon emissions report that was completed in 2022, setting our baseline year – which acts as a reference point to which our current emissions are compared.

To achieve our interim goals, we set out a series of reduction strategies, including adapting our studios and processes to be more energy efficient and promoting active travel amongst staff.

Julian Broster, chief operating officer and founding director at Civic Engineers, said: “One of the most important objectives of our maturing and growing business is to practise the principles of environmental sustainability that we advocate to our clients in our designs and advice.

“We have a clear plan to de-carbonise our business activities that not only meet the Net Zero targets of the UK government, but that will substantially improve on these targets. We are proud to be industry leaders in environmental sustainability, and an important part of this leadership is to measure and report annually on our progress towards Net Zero.”

Our latest annual carbon assessment report for 2023 has shown that we have reduced operational emissions by 16.1 per cent already, meaning we have successfully achieved our initial target one year earlier than planned.

Publishing the operational carbon management plan and annual carbon assessment reports builds on our long-term commitment to sustainability targets. We have also developed a framework of principles – Civic Conscience – to govern our project work responsibly and we were among the first signatories of the Engineers Declare initiative, a global industry petition that declares a climate crisis and commits to take positive action to tackle it.

In addition, we align ourselves with the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) Roadmap for achieving Net Zero carbon built environment by 2050. Last year, our practice was certified Carbon Neutral via a responsible Gold Standard offsetting scheme, and we continue to focus on activities necessary for meaningfully carbon reductions year on year.

* Scope 3 emissions assessed were 3.1 (Paper and Waste), 3.3 (Scope 1 &2 WTT and Transmission & Distribution), 3.5 (Waste and Waste Water), 3.6 (Grey Fleet, Rail, Taxi, Hotel Stays, Flights, Buses) and 3.7 (Commuting and Home Working).