From carbon neutral to net zero

Barry McDermott, Group Head of Sustainability spoke to the Irish Times recently about the impact this is having on industry.

“In simple terms, low-carbon manufacturing requires a low-carbon supply chain and decarbonised energy and utilities for manufacturing operations.”  As a result, decarbonisation of facility operations and resource efficiency have become “immediate key focus areas”, Barry says. “We are now providing carbon emissions calculation, low-carbon and energy efficiency technology selection and decarbonisation roadmap planning for a wide range of clients.”

True net zero for new buildings can only be achieved when construction materials are also decarbonised, an area that will also become reportable as part of future building regulations.

Barry told the Irish Times, “PM Group is working with clients to identify the key carbon emissions sources in building construction and developing design strategies, which include selecting low-carbon building materials, to lower the whole-life carbon emissions over a building lifetime. The forthcoming EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, which will require mandatory reporting of operational carbon emissions, is accelerating these requests.”

Barry also discusses the importance of innovation and collaboration and Government support to achieve carbon reduction goals. ”The regulatory framework and infrastructure could be improved to facilitate easier exporting of excess renewable energy generation to the national grid – this would encourage more energy generation by industry.”

Read the full article in the Irish Times