Harworth Group plc, a leading regenerator of land and property for sustainable development and investment, is pleased to announce the release of its first Net Zero Carbon Pathway Report, which is available to download at www.harworthgroup.com/sustainability.
With its roots in the former industrial heartlands of the North and the Midlands, Harworth’s journey from carbon to Net Zero Carbon (‘NZC’) is perhaps starker than most. However, this heritage also provides a unique insight into the scale of the task for the business, its suppliers and its customers, in decarbonising operations while delivering large, complex long-term regeneration projects. In reality, the nature of Harworth’s projects means that sustainability principles such as the reuse and recycling of materials have always been embedded into its approach however, the ability to measure the impact of this beyond specific case studies has been limited. The work undertaken over the last two years has been transformative in how the business brings to life the carbon journey of its developments for all stakeholders as well as providing a framework against which Harworth will report its progress into the future.
In 2022, Harworth committed to becoming operationally NZC by 2030 and NZC for all emissions by 2040. This aligns with the decarbonisation targets of the UK Government and ensures that its approach and interim targets are consistent with a 1.5 degrees climate change scenario.
Today’s report outlines for the first time the steps that Harworth will take to address the challenges and opportunities that decarbonisation brings. It provides clear and practical guidance for the business, and a framework through which its progress can be measured.
The report includes further details on delivery against five headline commitments:
- 2030 Target: to be NZC for business operations under the Company’s current SECR Operational Boundary for Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2030
- 2040 Target: transforming new developments and the Company’s Investment Portfolio to be NZC for all activities by 2040
- Commercial Development Target: reducing and mitigating both embodied and operational carbon emissions to ensure all new commercial developments will be NZC in construction and operation by 2030
- Master Developer Target: implementing a master developer whole life carbon assessment process to guide long-term targets, including the implementation of specific targets for residential developments
- Commercial Building Target: implementing measures to transition our commercial buildings to Grade A by 2027
The NZC pathway has been developed in-house by Harworth’s Sustainability team, with the support of its Board ESG Committee. The Company intends to provide further updates on its progress throughout the year and in its 2024 Annual Report.
“Building the sustainable communities of the future is an essential part of the UK meeting its decarbonisation commitments. As a leading master developer, we recognise we have a significant role to play in meeting this challenge both through the communities we create and how we deliver the places, buildings and infrastructure that enables those communities to thrive. Above all our approach is to be authentic and take ownership: we recognise that strategy is one thing, but delivery is another. Our integrated approach to our NZC commitments as set out in this pathway report fully embraces this philosophy.”
Peter Henry, Sustainability Director, Harworth Group plc