In today's landscape, delivering city-wide decarbonisation isn't just about investing in new technologies and implementing isolated retrofit measures across the built environment. It requires a deep, cohesive partnership between service providers, local authorities, and the communities at the heart of the city in question, to ensure there is buy-in from all parties.
The path to net zero isn't simply about reducing carbon emissions. You are asking people to assess and change human behaviour and habits that have built over a lifetime. We can tell people what to do and hope for the best; or we can engage with them, educate them and support them to thrive under a new sustainable, way of living; improving not only the carbon footprint of the city, but the lives of those who call it home.
Equans' partnership with Manchester City Council exemplifies how collaboration, open communication, and community engagement can offer the foundation for transformative change.
In response to increasingly unprecedented weather events, Manchester City Council declared a climate emergency in 2019, pledging city-wide decarbonisation by 2038. The council boldly recognised that this target was only achievable if every resident, school and organisation was actively involved in the process.
It has not only driven tangible environmental results but also enhanced social and economic value for Manchester's residents.
As a trusted partner of the council, already delivering repairs and maintenance across the councils social housing stock and public buildings, Equans acknowledged our responsibility to proactively support the council to achieve its ambitious targets. In response, both parties formulated the ‘Zero Carbon Partnership': an overarching umbrella agreement dedicated to aligning the priorities and resources of both organisations towards the achievement of net zero carbon emissions.
The Zero Carbon Partnership is an asset-led approach to decarbonisation, which acknowledges the critical role that proactive management of the built environment and assets contained within, play in the achievement of net zero.
The partnership is a cradle to grave approach which covers information gathering; development of decarbonisation plans; securing funding; developing designs; project delivery and operation/maintenance. When applied to an entire estate, this approach provides a managed pathway to net zero.
It has not only driven tangible environmental results but also enhanced social and economic value for Manchester's residents.
Through the collation of existing information and the generation of decarbonisation plans, we were able to overlay lifecycle modelling across the affected assets. Doing so allows us to model anticipated long-term asset replacement costs against the identified decarbonisation works, to minimise duplication of efforts. Considering both factors allows us to identify the ‘optimum year of intervention', the most cost and carbon-effective year to undertake decarbonisation works, aligned with expected lifecycle costs.
Equans has built strong partnerships with educational, community and charity organisations, which ensures targeted, meaningful activities aligned with the council's strategic objective to be a progressive and equitable city.
This approach ensures, for example, that boilers are not replaced with net zero technology such as Air Source Heat Pumps, until they are close to life expired. This saves cost, as well as embodied carbon. In addition, having a considered decarbonisation programme covering an entire estate supports Manchester with budget planning, which can also be aligned with grant funding opportunities for the likes of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.
Beyond service delivery, the partnership extends to supporting local priorities such as job creation, social welfare, and innovation, evidenced by social value activities including employment opportunities and community fundraising.
By engaging in stakeholder mapping and research, Equans has built strong partnerships with educational, community and charity organisations, which ensures targeted, meaningful activities aligned with the council's strategic objective to be a progressive and equitable city.
Between March 2020 and March 2024 Equans delivered seven fundraising events, donated 1,708 hours of volunteering and to date, the contract has delivered £4.6m worth of social value across the city. We have also delivered six community-based workshops, three outreach events, six energy workshops and six business mentoring workshops, actively contributing to Manchester's social and economic well-being and reinforcing alignment with the council's mission.
Collaboration extends beyond the two core partners. We have recognised the significance of transparently: sharing our vision, values, and practical examples to cultivate a focused and committed workforce. This involves extending collaboration beyond core partners to include suppliers and subcontractors. By engaging them in initiative development, such as our SMART Buildings solutions for example, we have fostered buy-in and strong collaborations, aligning everyone with the project objectives.
As the partnership progresses, Equans and the council are setting our sights on continued innovation and sustainability. A zero carbon charter, currently under development, will guide future efforts, focusing on workforce education, supply chain decarbonisation, and emerging technologies such as drone-based thermal imaging. This charter aims to equip all stakeholders with the skills and knowledge necessary to continue reducing emissions and improving efficiency.
By blending technical expertise, innovative solutions, and a holistic approach to social value, Equans and Manchester City Council are not only advancing Manchester's net zero targets but also setting a blueprint for sustainable urban transformation.
Matt Crossley is Commercial Director at Equans UK & Ireland
Key achievements
● Since its creation, the zero-carbon partnership has saved in excess of 500 tonnes of carbon from the council's public building portfolio.
● In addition, more than two thirds of the operational estate now has a heat decarbonisation plan, providing technical solutions and budget costs
● More than £4m of grant funding to deliver the decarbonisation works has been secured utilising the information from the heat decarbonisation plans
● More than £20m of decarbonisation capital works completed on the council's Public Buildings estate
● Surveying and decarbonisation spec developed for representative architypes of the council's Northwards housing estates of approximately 12,500 homes
● Residential asset information captured to facilitate obtaining central government grant funding
● Work underway to consider innovative contractual and funding solutions to fast track the council's net zero ambitions
