Cala Group’s near and long-term emissions reduction targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) under its Buildings Sector criteria.
The housebuilder says that the new targets represent another significant step towards its net zero goals, having detailed its recent progress this summer. Cala has committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by 2045.
This will involve reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions, including energy and fuel used in Cala offices, on its building sites and in its vehicles. The housebuilder’s near-term goal is to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 63% by 2035, while the long-term target will see it reduce Scope 1 and 2 by 90 by 90% by 2045.
Cala will also tackle its Scope 3 emissions, which include emissions ‘locked into’ the building materials used in its developments, those from business travel, from the treatment of construction and office waste and from the lifetime operational use of homes. The developer will aim to reduce Scope 3 emissions from building materials and their transportation 71.7% per sq m by 2035, and emissions from waste generated in operations, business travel and the use of homes by 66.4% per sq m by 2035 in the near-term.
In the long term, Cala will aim to reduce these by 96.8% per sq m and 97% per sq m respectively by 2045.
Cala has also commited to installing no new fossil fuel equipment that is owned or financially controlled by Cala in its buildings portfolios (new homes and office premises)from January 1, 2030.
Kathryn Dapré, head of sustainability at Cala, said: “The validation of Cala’s own, independent SBTi-verified targets under the Buildings Sector criteria marks another important step in our sustainability journey, confirming that our ambitions meet the rigorous standards required for our industry and align with the goals of the Paris Agreement.”
“We have already made significant progress towards these goals, laying strong foundations in recent years that our new targets will build on. Achieving validation from SBTi reaffirms our commitment to driving meaningful change in how we operate our business and how we design and deliver our homes.”
“Our continued success reflects the dedication of teams across our business, and we look forward to delivering on targets that are both science-based and more closely aligned with our sector.”
The housebuilder also made significant progress in other sustainability areas, including installing an estimated 5,000 nature-supporting features in and around new homes over the year, and diverting 99.9% of construction waste from landfill, with construction waste intensity falling by 18.8% since 2021. The Community Pledge initiative has also provided meaningful support to more than 50 local communities in the areas in which Cala builds since launching in 2023, over and above the housebuilder’s planning obligations.
