Setting the organisation’s climate ambition. This activity will allow associations to understand the different Net Zero ambition levels and determine the aspiration and intensity of the activities required to achieve their net zero objectives. During this activity, associations should also consider wider ESG requirements, including the enhanced Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards.
1
Collecting and aggregating a variety of data, and developing an emissions inventory. For this sector, most of the direct emissions will likely relate to the use of buildings, including their energy and gas consumption. While heating technologies are advancing, the replacement of natural gas with greener solutions is still representing a considerable cost, impacting the associations’ budget.
2
Setting emission reduction targets. The objective of this step is to determine the high-level and specific targets for each of the emission components identified in the previous phase. Ideally, targets should reflect short-term and long-term objectives and should align with the net zero ambition that has been set.
3
Establishing an action plan to enable the organisation to achieve the required emission reductions, the management of ongoing internal and external communications, and regular disclosures. While there are no current mandatory disclosures directly affecting the social housing market, the Sustainability Reporting Standard for Social Housing provides some voluntary guidelines that associations can use to disclose their progress.
4
Identifying and implementing required changes to the existing organisational operating model to ensure the net zero processes, learnings and knowledge can be fully integrated into the ongoing operations
5