Mat Malcolm, senior design coordinator at Willmott Dixon Interiors, explains how he is preparing for a net zero future in his professional and personal life.
How do you rate the construction industry’s progress on environmental issues so far?
There is positive movement, I’ve seen issues such as material traceability and waste reduction becoming the standard rather than a ‘nice to have’. These things always take time to embed themselves, but I do think that the ethos has taken hold.
What are the most effective measures your company has taken to reduce emissions?
We are targeting being a zero-carbon business (without offsetting) that also delivers net-zero carbon in operation on all major projects from 2030. This will heavily rely on our design partners and customers sharing the same aspirations and an upskilling of our knowledge of systems and technologies to help us achieve this target.
What drives you to deliver better environmental performance/lower emissions?
The statistics for the waste produced during the construction process and also the emissions from buildings once in use are so large that even a small reduction has a big material impact.
What advice do you have to your fellow construction professionals to help them reach their net-zero goals?
Keep the conversation alive. The more we challenge each other to explore better solutions the more we will make decisions that benefit the environment rather than just falling back on what we are used to.
What have you done in your personal life to cut emissions?
I have reduced travel, reduced meat consumption, switched to a renewable energy supplier, and tried to educate myself on environmental issues.
