As we hit the start of 2025 and while everyone is setting out their personal resolutions, we thought we would set out our goals for Glotman Simpson’s sustainability efforts too. This year feels particularly significant—we are now only five years away from 2030, the milestone many governments and Fortune 500 companies have tied to their ambitious climate targets. Where has the time gone? As 2030 approaches, we’re sticking to our plan—taking real steps to reduce embodied carbon and doubling down on our efforts to reduce embodied emissions associated with our buildings.  As a SE2050 signatory firm, we are looking to achieve a 20% reduction in emissions every five years to achieve net-zero carbon structures by 2050 – baby steps as we see them.

GS is committing to reducing the GWP intensity of our buildings by 20% from 2025 to 2030.

Revolutionizing Our Tools

This leads to our first 2025 goal – an overhaul of STEVIE, our embodied carbon tracking software. We are replacing TALLY with a custom-built tool that aligns with our Revit modelling. We’re encouraging our engineers run the LCA for every project sent for construction from now on (whether it’s focused on sustainability or not). By fostering a spirit of friendly competition in our team, we’re hoping our engineers become even more motivated to strive for the lowest carbon intensities and achieve outstanding results. After all, low-carbon intensities are just a good indication of smart, efficient and cost-effective designs.

Keeping Ourselves On Track

Our second goal is to release monthly posts this year that will keep all up to date and accountable for the developments within the company. We will use these posts to showcase the creative solutions we are implementing to achieve these reductions.

What Lies Ahead for 2025

We have many other smaller goals that will make this a busy year for the sustainability team at GS – we’ve listed them prominently in the office to keep ourselves on track. I won’t bore you with the minutia, but they encompass specifications, technical research/studies, a library of guidance documents, and a new service offering later in the year that we are very excited about.

All in all, the sustainability team at GS is energized and ready to tackle the action-packed year ahead. Here’s to a productive 2025 – let’s get to work!

Written by Rory Roberts

Together, we can contribute to a more sustainable built environment. If you are interested in sustainability and would like to discuss any of the topics in this article, please get in touch with us at [email protected]