sustainability at clarion

We’re creating solutions that will not only help protect the planet for future generations, but for the here and now. This includes improving the energy efficiency in our homes, cultivating nature and biodiversity in our outdoor spaces, and reducing our carbon emissions.

Why we must act now

The impact of climate change is being felt more every year. In the UK alone, we have seen droughts, water shortages, and wildfires, as well as an increase in storms. All of this can cause devastating damage, power cuts, and flooding. We know this is affecting you and that climate change is making these incidents worse and more frequent.

As a landlord committed to making a difference, we know we must lead by example to cut out fossil fuels, which are making this problem worse. As well as this, we want to ensure you are protected from some of the risks of climate change, such as overheating.

We’re putting sustainability front and centre by delivering healthier, energy efficient homes and boosting biodiversity in our communities through high-quality, green spaces.

Standing up for nature

Nature is in crisis, with wildlife populations declining at an alarming rate. Yet, nature sustains us - it shapes the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. It’s also critical that we protect and restore nature for our own health and wellbeing.

How we're taking action

What does sustainability mean for you?

We know from resident surveys that you are concerned about air quality, increasing rates of pests and diseases, extreme weather conditions and flooding. You have also told us you want Clarion to lead by example in the fight against climate change; to reduce your bills and improve the comfort of your home.

“It’s fantastic that Clarion is committed to this. It’s not just about us, it’s about our children, our grandchildren, and everyone in the community. It’s all for the future.”
Clarion resident

In 2023/24 we:

installed almost 5,000 energy efficiency measures to homes
carried out work to ensure 74.6% of homes are now EPC C or above. This means that the property has good energy efficiency, resulting in lower energy costs and reduced carbon emissions
saved residents an estimated £1.5m in energy bills from energy efficiency work
connected 47% of homes in our new developments to solar power
delivered £123m in social value, including funding community projects, helping people find jobs and training, digital skills and managing their money
spent £418m on maintaining homes through planned maintenance and repairs
launched a new composting programme in west London to reduce green waste from our estates, such as grass clippings and food scraps
helped more than 150 people into jobs that protect or improve the environment
supported 6,118 households with one-to-one money guidance and energy advice.

“We didn’t know what retrofit was at first, but the team was friendly and explained what the work would entail. We were really impressed. Now it’s finished, the work has updated our whole home, made it more efficient and brought down running costs. I would recommend it to anyone.”
Emma, Clarion resident

Improving energy efficiency in your home

Every home is unique, so we create a retrofit plan tailored to each property. Retrofitting involves making upgrades to homes that are hardest to heat to improve energy efficiency - this could include better insulation and heating systems. When it is time to retrofit your home, we will give you plenty of notice and walk you through each step of the process.

Our Sustainability Strategy

Our Sustainability Strategy focuses on three areas:

Recovering nature

We are shrinking our emissions and moving to renewable energy, enhancing and protecting biodiversity, and reducing the waste we produce.

Restoring social equality

We are tackling fuel poverty, improving the physical and mental health of our residents, and protecting our communities from future climate risks.

Rethinking our business practices

We are openly comparing ourselves to others, celebrating the richness of our diversity and the communities we serve, while upholding the highest standards across our business.

Small changes for a big impact

We can all live more sustainably to protect nature and reduce global warming by making small changes. Here are some suggestions:

travel on foot, by bike, or public transport where possible
turn off unnecessary lights and taps
cook the right amount of food and save leftovers to prevent waste
grow your own fruit and vegetables, or buy local, seasonal food
choose reuseable products instead of single-use ones.

Sustainability jargon buster

Sustainability terms can be confusing, so we’ve worked with residents to create a sustainability jargon buster that helps simplify and explain some of these key terms

Term	Definition
Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs)	ASHPs are an energy-efficient, fossil fuel-free alternative for heating. They work by absorbing heat from the outdoor air and then increasing its temperature to provide warmth inside buildings.
Biodiversity	The variety of animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms that make up our natural world. Each of these works together to maintain ecosystems services such as pollination of crops, air quality, and regulation of climate.
Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)	Increasing the biodiversity in a particular area through habitat provision. We have a legal requirement to deliver a minimum of a 10% BNG on all new developments and we are aspiring to achieve 20%.
Climate Adaptation	Adapting the ways we live and work to take account of the impacts of climate change, i.e. building properties with solar shading to account for warmer summers caused by climate change.
Carbon Footprint	The total amount of greenhouse gases, most commonly carbon dioxide, that are emitted directly or indirectly by an individual, organisation, event, or product throughout its lifecycle. It is often measured in terms of equivalent tonnes or kilograms of CO2 (kgCO2 / tCO2).
Circular Economy	This is an approach to resource management that promotes the continual use, recycling, and repurposing of materials to minimise waste and environmental impact.
Carbon Capture and Storage	The process of trapping carbon dioxide and storing it in a way that it is unable to affect the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.
Climate Change	Long-term changes in the Earth's climate, including rising temperatures and alterations in weather patterns, primarily caused by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.
Carbon Neutral	Carbon neutrality means having a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. This is usually done through offsetting, for example by planting enough trees to absorb the same amount of carbon that has been emitted.
Climate Mitigation	Taking action to reduce the impacts of climate change.
Climate Resilience	Anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from the negative impacts of climate change.
Eco-friendly	Products, practices, or lifestyles that have minimal or no negative impact on the environment. This term is often used to describe items or activities that are environmentally sustainable.
Electric Vehicle (EV) / Electric Vehicle Charging Point (EVCP)	EVs are vehicles that run on electricity stored in batteries, while EVCPs are infrastructure designed to recharge the batteries of these electric vehicles.
Energy Efficiency	Using less energy to perform the same tasks, often achieved through improved insulation, energy-efficient appliances, and sustainable building design.
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)	An EPC provides information about a property's energy efficiency, rating it on a scale from A to G, with A being the most energy-efficient and G the least. It also includes recommendations to improve energy efficiency. EPCs are required when a property is sold or rented out.
Embodied Carbon	The total amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced during the manufacturing, transportation, and construction of a material (such as concrete, steel, or bricks) or building. It reflects the environmental impact associated with the entire life cycle of that material or structure.
External Wall Insulation (EWI)	An insulation method applied to the outer surface of a building's walls to improve energy efficiency by reducing heat loss and enhancing the building's overall thermal performance.
Fossil Fuel-Free	Not relying on or using fossil fuels for energy; free from coal, oil, and natural gas.
Fuel Poverty	Fuel poverty is when a household struggles to afford the energy needed to maintain a comfortable and healthy living environment.
Global Warming	A gradual increase in Earth's average temperature, primarily due to human activities like burning fossil fuels, leading to climate changes.
Greenhouse Gases	Gases in the atmosphere which trap heat and raise the surface temperature of the planet.
Green Infrastructure	Green infrastructure uses natural features like parks and trees in urban planning to address environmental and social issues, promoting sustainability and resilience.
Greenwashing	When a company exaggerates or falsely claims to be environmentally friendly to attract environmentally conscious consumers, without truly implementing meaningful sustainable practices.
Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP)	GSHPs are a low carbon heating system that efficiently heats or cools buildings using pipes underground. They are more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly compared to gas boilers.
Just Transition	A just transition ensures the move to a low-carbon society is fair and inclusive for everyone. It ensures people who cannot afford to make sustainable changes are not left behind.
Nature Based Solutions (NBS)	NBS use nature to solve problems sustainably, like restoring ecosystems or incorporating green elements into urban planning to benefit both the environment and communities.
Natural Resources	Materials or substances found in the environment that are used by living organisms for survival and human activities for various purposes, such as air, water, minerals, and forests.
Net Zero Carbon	A company, business, or country can be defined as being 'Net Zero Carbon' after reducing their emissions to near zero (commonly at least a 90% reduction from their baseline) before offsetting any residual emissions through buying verified carbon offset credits (e.g., tree planting or carbon storage).
Operational Carbon	Operational carbon refers to the emissions produced directly by the day-to-day activities and operations of an organisation or building.
Placemaking	Placemaking is creating public spaces that promote community engagement, well-being, and a sense of identity by considering the needs and preferences of those who use those spaces.
Renewable Energy	Energy derived from sources that are naturally replenished, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat.
Retrofit	Retrofit refers to the process of updating or modifying an existing building to include new features, technology, or improvements without completely replacing it.
Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions	Greenhouse gas emissions are categorised into scopes based on where the emissions have come from and to what extent a company has control over them. Scope 1: Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources. For Clarion, this means the emissions from the fuels we purchase and use, including gas in communal heat networks and fuel in our fleet vehicles. Scope 2: Indirect emissions from purchased energy. For Clarion, this means the emissions from all the electricity we buy for our offices and building communal spaces. Scope 3: Indirect emissions from the organisation's entire value chain. For Clarion, this means the emissions from several sources, mainly those emissions from the materials we use to build new homes (such as concrete, steel and bricks) and those emissions created from our residents heating the 125,000 homes with gas and other fuels.
Solar energy	Energy from the sun is harnessed and converted into electricity or heat for various applications.
Solar Panels or Photovoltaics (PV)	Solar panels or solar photovoltaics convert the sun’s energy into electrical energy.
Sustainability	Sustainability refers to the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It involves balancing economic, social, and environmental considerations for long-term well-being.
Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (previously Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund - SHDF)	A grant programme where government provide financial grants and support to social landlords to deliver retrofit programmes aimed at supporting the reduction of carbon emissions across the social housing sector. Clarion has received funding under the first few waves of the SHDF to deliver our retrofit work.
Whole Life Carbon	Carbon emissions covering the whole life of a building. This covers the manufacture of products, construction activities, operational emissions and emissions at end of life.
Zero-waste	Minimising waste generation and striving to eliminate the need for landfill disposal by promoting recycling, composting, and sustainable practices.

For a better tomorrow - Sustainability at Clarion