When it comes to emissions, green building certifications are typically not an adequate measure as they are often design and construction based, and where operations are taken into account, energy use is just one component of the many other criteria they assess, e.g., water and waste. It is because of these nuances that, as the chart above demonstrates, there is no real trend and no downwards emissions slope as the level of certification increases across one of the most prevalent certification systems in our industry today.

“A key challenge is not necessarily the misalignment between many leading certification schemes and building performance, but rather the market’s misconception of what these credentials actually represent. Often, a building with a collection of certifications is assumed to be NZC when, in reality, they can be very separate things.”

Kirsty Draper
JLL’s Head of Sustainability, UK