Ashurst has placed sustainability at the heart of its business and, through the work we do and the decisions we make, we are committed to fighting climate change. For the Construction team, sustainability is of particular concern because the built environment represents such a big part of the problem. As we flagged in our October article, it accounts for an estimated 40 per cent of global energy use, an estimated 30 per cent of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions and a large share of waste generation and use of natural resources.
The construction sector is changing in response to the challenges we face. In the last couple of weeks alone we have seen a group of leading contractors, including Multiplex, Sir Robert McAlpine and Skanska UK, come together to make a climate emergency pledge. This follows the 'Architects Declare' initiative of last year. It is remarkable that, despite the huge ramifications of COVID-19 for the sector, particularly the financial stresses, sustainability remains front and centre.
That said, there is widespread recognition that economic recovery should be viewed in tandem with our climate ambitions. In other words, we should be aiming for an integrated, 'green recovery'. In the words of the Committee on Climate Change, in their 2020 report to Parliament, published last month, "the UK's climate goals and rebuilding the economy fit naturally together. Each makes the other possible. Success demands that we do both".
Research suggests that an integrated approach will mean more jobs and better returns than more traditional strategies - ideas we explore in greater depth in a piece commissioned from Julie Hirigoyen, CEO of UK Green Building Council, for our latest edition of Built Environment Insights. Julie's article can be found here.
Over the next three weeks, members of the team will consider some of the opportunities at the disposal of the construction industry: from innovative new technologies to embracing a more holistic approach to economic growth. However, as the articles acknowledge, the ways in which UK construction contracts are typically procured can act as a barrier to embracing change. While commercial considerations will continue to dictate future contractual relationships, this does not mean lawyers do not have a part to play.
As we will highlight, there are contracts that can facilitate a more collaborative, and less financially risky, approach to mitigating climate change. Equally, there is a growing awareness that construction lawyers can do more to ensure that a rigorous and conscientious focus on sustainability is embedded in construction contracts than merely referring to a client's sustainability policy.
Ashurst supports the work of The Chancery Lane Project, an organisation whose mission is to address the climate crisis through the creation of legal precedents designed to support the reduction of carbon emissions to net zero as quickly as possible. Of course, legal drafting cannot solve the crisis we face but, as The Chancery Lane Project recognises, the legal profession has an opportunity to help create new market norms that bind parties to take a more ambitious approach to emissions and to sustainability.
COVID-19 has underlined the importance of lawyers acting collaboratively with their clients to find ways through the crisis. The same can be said for improving environmental sustainability. As momentum grows, and time pressures on making a difference intensify, we want to work with our clients and their counterparties to find solutions and achieve ambitious targets.
As well as our forthcoming articles, Ashurst is currently partnering with leading sustainability consultancy, Sancroft, and global environmental consultants, RSK, in connection with a series of webinars. The latest one took place on 15 July when we discussed how the built environment can help deliver a sustainable recovery with guest speakers from Kier Group, Sancroft and RSK. A recording of this webinar can be found here shortly.
