Zeroing in on COP26

This year, the UK is hosting the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, bringing together world leaders to discuss climate ambitions and agree to nationally determined contributions to limit greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change. During these discussions, events will be held across the world for businesses and communities to get involved and inspire progress. Tor Burrows, Executive Director of Sustainability & Innovation here at Grosvenor Property UK who is a Built Environment Climate Ambassador for the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), joins us to discuss the summit and the potential it has to accelerate climate action at this crucial time.

Here at Grosvenor Property UK, we are celebrating the launch of our Net Zero Carbon Update report for 2020. One of our key pillars to achieving our sustainability goals is bringing our partners with us as we simply can’t do it without them. In this two-part special, we will be speaking with two of our partners about sustainability and collaboration.Part 2 sees us speak to one of our suppliers, international construction contractors Multiplex, about their approach to sustainability and how they construct buildings responsibly. Tushant Suri, their Head of Sustainable Design & Energy also explains how Grosvenor’s green goals affect them, and what other suppliers can learn from them in their own pursuit to greater sustainability.

Here at Grosvenor Property UK, we are celebrating the launch of our Net Zero Carbon Update report for 2020. One of our key pillars to achieving our sustainability goals is bringing our partners with us as we simply can’t do it without them. In this two-part special, we will be speaking with two of our partners about sustainability and collaboration. We will be exploring how learning from and working with other businesses is fundamental to our progress, and how Grosvenor can help accelerate the efforts of our partners.Part 1 sees us speak with one of our occupiers, Daylesford Organic, one of the most sustainable farms and food retailers in the UK. Their tagline is 'Working with nature' and as such, they place sustainability at the heart of what they do. Their Head of Sustainability, Will Dennis, tells us what sustainability means to them, how Grosvenor has supported them and what advice they can give to other businesses in their own pursuit of sustainability.

In this episode, we are joined by Ed Ikin who is the Head of Landscape, Horticulture and research, part of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, who will be helping us explore biodiversity and its importance in all environments, both rural and urban. From chairing London Parks & Gardens Trust, being Head Gardener at Nymans National Trust and advising us on Landscaping here at Grosvenor Property UK, Ed adopts an ecological approach to understand landscapes and increase the sustainability of horticulture.As biodiversity is a key pillar of our Green Goals, we are looking forward to discussing with Ed the concepts and issues associated with nurturing our natural environments and what needs to be done to both protect and promote them and the species they support. 

Zeroing in on Sustainability Episode 3. Continuing with our discussion around Grosvenor Property UK's goal of zero waste, we will be delving into the idea of the circular economy and how this can lead to better use of resources and less waste. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is leading the movement for building a more circular economy so we are delighted to be speaking to Olivia Finch, a Portfolio Manager at the Foundation. We will attempt to define circularity and how it can be used to re-imagine how we consume resources for the benefit of both people and natural systems. 

Episode 2 of Zeroing in on Sustainability sees us take on the often messy, dirty and smelly business of waste. With Zero Waste making up one of our key goals here at Grosvenor Property UK, we’re joined by Bruce Bratley, CEO and Founder of First Mile to get stuck into how we can waste less and recycle more. First Mile currently support over 25,000 businesses to dispose of waste responsibly and with Bruce’s input, we will discuss how to make waste more sustainable and kinder to the planet. 

The first episode in our new sustainability podcast series, Zeroing in on Sustainability. In this episode we are talking with Andy Haigh, Grosvenor Property UK's Director of Climate Positive Solutions who explains what ‘net zero’ means and what it takes to achieve effective results. Having released our Net Zero Carbon Pathway report in 2020 'Think Zero', we will be reflecting on what this means for Grosvenor, our occupiers, and the wider community and crucially, why successful completion of this pathway is so important for the planet.

Introducing Grosvenor Property UK's podcast Zeroing in on Sustainability. Subscribe to hear from a brilliant line-up of guests who discuss sustainability topics with Sustainability & Innovation team members James Manning and Eve Bellers and Alex Clarke from the Belgravia Asset Management Team. From Net Zero carbon to the circular economy, waste to biodiversity, the podcast aims to understand the current state of our cities and the role that our people, partners and communities play in making our places greener, healthier and more sustainable.