Sustainability: The Numbers Do Add Up

I don’t care about sustainability. It’s not a priority. 

Okay, so no one would actually say this out loud. Well, certainly not in the project meetings I’ve attended. But I get the sentiment and understand it. Sustainability when you have shareholders to satisfy or project budgets to meet seems like an extra layer of complexity that comes with a price tag. 

But the market is shifting and it’s is becoming increasingly important for companies to have a detailed understanding of the relationship between their business and sustainability. Recent studies by the Capgemini Research Institute have shown that 79% of consumers are changing their purchase preferences based on sustainability, while 77% of businesses said that sustainability has increased brand loyalty. Trust and loyalty are the cornerstone to any successful business and sustainability is a key component to building and maintaining a strong relationship with your customer base.  

And, it’s not just customers that have the power to make or break a business. A common theme across all strands of industry is the skills shortage and staff retention. In the 2020 ‘Future of Workplace Sustainability Report’, a survey conducted by Unily and Censuswide found that 65% of respondents said they are more likely to work for a company with a strong environmental policy, while 64% said they would turn down an offer from a firm with a bad record. As a hotel brand or retailer, how you fit out and finish your spaces is a huge part of your ongoing environmental impact (good and bad) and is a crucial part of your brand messaging.  

There is of course there is also the bigger picture to consider. According to the World Green Building Council, the building and construction industry is responsible for 39% of global carbon emissions. 28% from operations and 11% from construction and materials. To understand the impact of fit-out, we must look at the entire lifespan of the building. Typically, the majority of the carbon cost in a new building is in the shell and core. However, this is justified over the entire lifespan of the building.  

The fit-out equates to roughly a quarter of the carbon investment, but over the lifespan of the building, with it’s likely frequent refurbishments, the initial outlay is dwarfed by the cost of refits. The pace of strip-out and refurbishment every 5-10 years based on evolving needs, lease term changes or style changes, is effectively a carbon subscription over the life of the building.  

When we work with a client, one of our main focusses is to help them realise the commercial value in their project. Time and again, I explain that sustainability is not the time and money drain that it might at first appear. Our ‘Design for Disassembly’ process supports a system of repair and refurbishment with a focus of longevity and lasting relevance. This approach can drastically reduce material use and carbon. Later in the year, I’ll be releasing a white paper on Design for Disassembly (D4D) that outlines how the approach works in practice and why it’s so important both commercially and from an environmental standpoint. Watch this space!