Introduction

― INTRODUCTION

The impact of climate change—including extreme heat, severe storms, sea rise, pollution and drought—is being felt globally. To protect our planet, and meet government targets, we have to act now. But the interiors, fit out, and refurbishment industry is already behind. As an industry we need to set bold, ambitious, and achievable targets to reduce our environmental impact. These targets must be underpinned by science, creativity, and new approaches to design.

If we don’t start now, we won't get there in time.

In 2019 we pledged to offer a net-zero carbon operational design strategy to all architectural clients up to RIBA Stage 2, at no cost to the client. For the majority of interiors projects however, it is currently not possible to deliver a net-zero embodied carbon scheme, but we need to figure out how we can. This manifesto sets out our journey to achieving the net-zero embodied carbon targets for interiors projects, and the key milestones we will use to track our progress along the way. Every package, every project, every year, we will change and improve.

We don’t have all the answers now, but we do have the motivation to find them. And we can't do this alone. Tackling this is an industry-wide challenge and we, collectively, need to find the solution. We must be agents for change, and take an inclusive approach to engage with our clients, partners, supply chain, and peers, to see how, together, we can deliver net-zero interiors.

We hope you will join us, starting now.