City workers have high expectations of their London office space – they expect their employers to incorporate as many green features as possible.
This is the view of Richard Kauntze, chief executive of the British Council for Offices, who said it is “ever-more important” for workspaces to be environmentally friendly.
“As the years go on, the legislation and both domestic and European Union requirements get more rigorous,” he noted.
But Mr Kauntze argued that this is “right and proper”, as employers should be going that extra mile to reduce their carbon footprints.
“Offices and commercial buildings, generally, are responsible for about 20 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions,” he explained.
“So it’s quite a significant contribution that they make – 20 per cent out of around 45 per cent or so from the built environment.”
Mr Kauntze suggested that the entry of newer generations – who are generally more concerned about green issues – into the workplace has also had an effect on the attitudes of business leaders.
“I think more and more with younger people, they quite rightly care about these things much more,” he added.
The BCO chief explained that simple actions, such as recycling paper, turning lights off and shutting computers down overnight can make a significant difference.
He added that the BCO Specifications are fundamentally about greenness – about how to produce the most environmentally-friendly building at the lowest, sensible cost.
“So if you get the structure right and run it efficiently, then you’re halfway there really,” Mr Kauntze stated.
Last month, research conducted by conducted by Opus Energy suggested that small companies are increasingly turning to renewable energy sources to power their own operations.
The firm said more companies and organisations are installing solar panels onto roofs and utilising using anaerobic digestion technologies.
A third of those surveyed said they intended to introduce environmentally friendly methods of producing energy into their businesses.
