All new buildings developed by Frasers Property Australia must operate at net zero carbon from 2030, and existing buildings from 2050, as part of a new global commitment.

The first global Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment was officially launched in San Francisco today as part of the Global Climate Action Summit.

Frasers Property Australia is one of 37 signatories, comprising 11 businesses, 22 cities and four states and regions, to together commit to eliminating 244 million tonnes of carbon emissions equivalent (CO2e) by 2030 under the World Green Building Council’s unprecedented statement of coordinated action.

The elimination of 244 million tonnes of carbon emissions equivalent (CO2e) is the equivalent of taking 52 million cars off the road for one year.

“As a major property group, we feel a responsibility to join the Global Commitment for Net Zero Carbon Buildings and to be part of the solution,” says Rod Fehring, CEO of Frasers Property Australia.

“We’re not only actively striving to reach net zero emissions in our own developments, we want to maintain a leadership role in encouraging the broader industry to accept the challenge too.”

Fehring says it is paramount Australia increases the pace of change to ensure it meets its international climate change obligations.

“To get there, we need to keep investigating different ways to do things. We are continuing to introduce innovations such as embedded energy networks, use of certified carbon neutral energy in the building and operational phases of our projects, and understanding the potential for prefabricated and modular construction to deliver improved sustainability outcomes, just to name a few.”

“Taking this leap has taken a phenomenal effort from the founding signatories, and we applaud them for their leadership and compel others to join us on this exciting journey,” says Terri Wills, CEO of the World Green Building Council.

“Our Green Building Councils are ready to support each and every signatory as we work together towards decarbonising the built environment.”