The British Property Federation (BPF) launched its net zero pledge initiative at its annual conference on 15 June. The overarching theme is that of collaboration. BPF is asking all of its members, no matter the size of their businesses, to work together to achieve net zero by 2050.

Decarbonising the real estate sector is a significant challenge, with 40% of UK emissions coming from the built environment. The BPF initiative includes a mentoring scheme and the sharing of data and ideas. Decarbonising should not be seen purely as a marketing opportunity or a way to get ahead of competitors (although businesses have seen financial benefits and this is not to be ignored). It is a global issue which we need to address together.

Chris Stark (UK Climate Change Committee) noted at the conference that whilst the UK is on track for its 2050 target, a lot of the world is not. He stated that global carbon emissions are in fact still increasing. As such, we need to work together to lead by example and to lead the innovation to make global decarbonisation possible.