NBS, a leading specification and product information platform for the construction industry, has been awarded Carbon Neutral status – achieving well over a 50% reduction in its operational emissions since 2019.
The accomplishment, which requires a vigorous assessment, recognises the company’s efforts to reduce its own carbon footprint whilst aiding the wider sector in shifting towards more sustainable outcomes.
Awarded by third party assessor, ‘Centre for Assessment’. The Carbon Neutrality status recognises NBS’ 2021 UK operations as being carbon neutral aligned to ‘PAS 2060: 2014 – Specification for the demonstration of carbon neutrality.
To achieve the award, NBS had to demonstrate its commitment to reducing its own carbon emissions since 2019, the base level year required for the evaluation. As part of the carbon neutrality certification, NBS has also pledged a commitment to ongoing carbon neutrality throughout 2022 and beyond.
Since NBS began measuring its carbon footprint in 2019, sustainability efforts have also extended to its platform and website content – making it easier for manufacturers to declare the environmental properties of their products and allowing specifiers to locate green credentials with ease.
Russell Haworth, Byggfakta Group UK CEO commented: “NBS is a key platform within the construction sector and our tools, NBS Chorus and NBS Source aid decision makers in achieving improved sustainable outcomes on their projects on a daily basis. Our own achievement of carbon neutrality is a symbol of our ambitions to improve and educate the sector on the importance of carbon reduction, wherever possible.”
Lee Jones, Head of Manufacturer Solutions at NBS and Acting Head of Sustainability at NBS’ parent company Byggfakta Group added: “The carbon neutrality award is a significant milestone for NBS and something which can be used to assist others trying to attain the same.
“The Green House Gas Protocol formed the basis of our emissions measurements but we were able to go over and above the required Scope 1 and 2 emissions, including Scope 3 to achieve PAS 2060.
“We wouldn’t have been able to do this without a clear carbon reduction strategy including switching all off our electricity supply to 100% renewable tariffs, implementing a digital-first approach to meetings and shifting our platforms to the cloud”.
In addition, NBS has attained further accreditations, having secured three silver awards after the UN evaluated the company’s 2021 report submitted at the end of the financial year
The Climate Neutral Now initiative was launched in 2015 by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat to increase climate action by engaging governments, companies, organisations, and individuals by helping to promote the voluntary use of carbon market mechanisms recognized under the Convention. NBS signed up to the initiative in 2021.
The UN grades businesses on their efforts with gold, silver or bronze awards dependent on the evidence submitted, with silver being a high achievement for the first assessment. In signing up to the UN CNN initiative, NBS have pledged to measure, reduce and contribute (offset) with respect to its greenhouse gas emissions. It was awarded a silver recognition in each of the three categories.
Discussing the UN CNN awards Jones explained: “While there is always room to improve, we are really pleased with the results and are working hard to continue reducing our carbon footprint.
For reduction, it was not possible to achieve gold in our first year as we need to demonstrate a reduction next year of at least 5%. However, the fact that we have demonstrated a 56% reduction when compared to our base year is a strong start and a sign of things to come.”
NBS has also recently published its Sustainable Futures Report aimed at understanding sustainability attitudes and protocols within the construction sector to help shape its future content.
NBS’ parent company Byggfakta Group have also ramped up efforts, setting a target of 2030 to become Net Zero.