Since launching the Energy Efficiency in Buildings Manifesto in November 2009, the WBCSD has received a lot of questions about the Manifesto and its implementation guide. Based on those questions, we decided to create an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page. We hope that this page will give answers to the questions you might have and help clear up misunderstandings, and encourage even more Companies to sign on.
We divided this FAQ into 2 categories:
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Questions about deciding (or not) to sign the Manifesto;
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Questions about the implementation of the Manifesto (organized following the Manifesto's 5 actions).
We would like to thank particularly Jay Dietrich and Doug Johnson from IBM, who helped us with some of the questions and answers below.
Of course, if you have other questions that are not answered below, do not hesitate to contact us:
Christian Kornevall : +41 22 839 31 02 kornevall@wbcsd.org
Lucie Garnier : +41 22 839 31 54 garnier@wbcsd.org
As an introduction to this FAQ, note that the WBCSD's global approach with the Manifesto for EEB has always been not to be overly prescriptive; otherwise we could risk that the Companies would not come on board. As well, we believe that Companies that already have a building energy policy and process in place and are already doing the essence of the Manifesto for EEB could adjust easily and should have no difficultly to sign-on.
Down the road, over the years, as we benefit from our Member Companies' experience, standards and ambitions may be set more stringently, in line with energy or environmental needs; but for now, the signing Companies can implement the Manifesto for EEB the way they decide; the Companies who do not have anything in place should choose to operate within the general framework defined in the implementation guide.
FAQ:
Signing the Manifesto or not
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My Company has very few commercial buildings per se, it has many more manufacturing sites or labs or offices; so there is no point in signing the EEB Manifesto, which is restricted to commercial buildings.
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The majority of my Company's CO2 emissions are not related to its buildings. So it is not pertinent that I sign the Manifesto.
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My Company has a much more holistic approach - i.e. we do not have a dedicated building policy but buildings are included in our environmental strategy - and establishing separate goals and metrics on buildings, transportation, manufacturing, supply chain, etc. does not make sense.
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I already have a program in place in my Company to tackle the issue of Energy Efficiency in Buildings, so I do not need to sign the Manifesto: it would complicate things, having two programs for the same objective.
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Then if I already have a program in place, and the EEB Manifesto does not have added value, what is the point in signing it?
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My Company does not wish to make further financial support to this EEB program, so we cannot sign on.
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We cannot sign the Manifesto because we cannot include all our buildings in a dedicated program: our organization is too complicated.
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We rent the buildings we work in, so we have very little influence over our landlords to make the buildings more energy efficient.
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What are the requirements to sign the Manifesto? What does the signature procedure consist in?
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Is there a legal aspect associated with the EEB Manifesto?
Implementing the Manifesto
Signing the Manifesto or not
My Company has very few commercial buildings per se, it has many more manufacturing sites or labs or offices; so there is no point in signing the EEB Manifesto, which is restricted to commercial buildings.
The term "commercial" was chosen for the Manifesto for lack of a better term, and takes up the technical word used in specialized literature on buildings ("commercial" buildings, as opposed to "residential" buildings); so this concept includes offices, outlets, labs, training centers, computer centers, or even manufacturing sites, � or any type of building the Company chooses to include in its scope, or "building universe". Companies may decide narrowly in order to get started; but, they may choose down the road to open up their universe to a broader definition.
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The majority of my Company's CO2 emissions are not related to its buildings. So it is not pertinent that I sign the Manifesto.
Buildings represent, today, 40% of primary energy use globally, and if we include the energy consumed in manufacturing, steel, cement, aluminum and glass used in building construction, this number grows to more than 50%.
Of course, for most Companies, relatively speaking, buildings do not represent much compared to their manufacturing sites, their vehicle fleets or their employees' travels - depending on their core business. But the Companies who have joined the WBCSD have done so to demonstrate the business' contribution to sustainable development solutions, have agreed that Global business must lead the way, and demonstrate that it is "walking the talk". This is why committing to the Energy Efficiency in Buildings Manifesto is key for all our Member Companies - at least to send collectively a strong message to property developers and building owners, their stakeholders and employees.
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My Company has a much more holistic approach - i.e. we do not have a dedicated building policy but buildings are included in our environmental strategy - and establishing separate goals and metrics on buildings, transportation, manufacturing, supply chain, etc. does not make sense.
The EEB Manifesto does not require that your Company establishes a separate environmental policy for buildings. The way you implement it is up to you; signing the Manifesto is just a way of showing that you are tackling the building energy efficiency issue in a systematic way, with a commitment to improve their performance and publish progress.
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I already have a program in place in my Company to tackle the issue of Energy Efficiency in Buildings, so I do not need to sign the Manifesto: it would complicate things, having two programs for the same objective.
The EEB Manifesto is first and foremost a commitment that your Company makes on the issue of Energy Efficiency in Buildings. The way the Manifesto is implemented is up to the Company, who may or may not choose to operate within the general framework given in the implementation guide attached to the Manifesto. Since the Manifesto's approach has been not to be overly prescriptive, and as long as the program in place in your Company corresponds to the essence of the Manifesto, there is no reason at all for your Company not to sign on, since you have already done the hardest part. On the contrary, this issue needs to be made more visible and not buried under - this might be often the case because buildings represent only a small fraction of a Company's footprint. Companies need to give a signal to the market, and therefore increase the visibility of their intentions.
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Then if I already have a program in place, and the EEB Manifesto does not have added value, what is the point in signing it?
Being part of the group of Companies who have signed the Manifesto enables you to be in contact with all the other signing Companies and to share your experience with them, as well as best practices.
It also sends a strong message and shows Global business' contribution and concrete actions to sustainable development, which is the WBCSD's mission, as well as its Members'.
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My Company does not wish to make further financial support to this EEB program, so we cannot sign on.
No financial support is asked for the EEB Manifesto. It is just a commitment from Companies who pledge to act on the energy efficiency of their buildings with the aim to reduce energy consumption, and keep the WBCSD informed about their actions in this regard.
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We cannot sign the Manifesto because we cannot include all our buildings in a dedicated program: our organization is too complicated.
There is no rule or guideline that delineates how much building area must be represented in terms of percentage of square meters, or percentage of energy used by the Company, for instance. Each Company has a different building reality, and its EEB policy must be adapted to these difficulties. The underlying principle of the Manifesto is that Companies make one step after the other, as explained in the implementation guide.
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We rent the buildings we work in, so we have very little influence over our landlords to make the buildings more energy efficient.
In that case, you should seize the opportunity of having a text like the Manifesto to discuss the subject with your landlord, using it as a base for your discussion. It might create interest, and start promoting the issue of energy contracting, where landlords and tenants can share the costs and benefits of their buildings' improvement. Promoting responsible employees behavior aiming at saving energy can deliver up to 30% energy consumption reductions at no cost. This kind of program can be a strong lever supporting employee's motivation.
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What are the requirements to sign the Manifesto? What does the signature procedure consist in?
There are no imposed requirements or procedure to sign the Manifesto; any Company can sign on. As far as the WBCSD is concerned, it is firstly the commitment that matters, that should come from the higher level of the Company, i.e. ideally the CEO and/or Council Member. You can sign the Manifesto and then define your EEB policy, or you can first set your Company's objectives and policy, and then sign. The WBCSD is of course here to help you, if you need it, with the definition and/or the implementation of a building efficiency program. Do reMember, though, to send the WBCSD a scanned copy of your Manifesto signed, for us to file it.
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Is there a legal aspect associated with the EEB Manifesto?
There is no legal aspect implied, it is only a moral commitment.
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Implementing the Manifesto
My Company has signed the EEB Manifesto. How should we now start to implement it?
The implementation guide attached to the Manifesto can give you a framework in which you can operate to implement the Manifesto - this is especially recommended for Companies who do not have anything in place yet on that subject. The first thing to do is to define your building universe, i.e. your scope of implementation, to define a baseline. Your building universe can include any type of commercial building (this term "commercial" is used in specialized literature on buildings as opposed to "residential" buildings), i.e. offices, outlets, labs, training centers, computer centers, or even manufacturing sites, � Then you should gather data and set objectives based on this data. You do not have to include all your buildings from the very beginning: for some large or complex Companies, it would be too much too fast. You may choose down the road to open up your universe to a broader definition, once you have already gotten a good grip of the subject.
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Action 1 - Baseline and targets
How should a Company define its building universe, that is its building definition boundary, number or area of buildings, given all Companies have very different types of buildings (labs, manufacturing sites, headquarters...)?
The Manifesto is intended to be adaptable to the type of business and operations the WBCSD Members are in. You can define your Company's definition of "commercial buildings" and type of buildings (term "commercial" was chosen for lack of a better term) and place emphasis on that. Companies may decide narrowly in order to get started; but, they may choose down the road to open up their universe to a broader definition; but for starting out, choosing a limited scope is fine.
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Is there a minimum set by the Manifesto in terms of proportion of buildings represented in the scope of implementation?
There is no rule or guideline that delineates how much building area must be represented in terms of percentage of square meters, or percentage of energy used by the Company, for instance. The Company may choose as well to start small and then expand to a larger percentage of its overall stock over time.
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If a Company commits to the Manifesto, must the commitments be made against all six specified metrics or can a Company select for instance two of the six metrics (one each for energy use and GHG commitments)?
You have to choose your own metrics that are best for your Company as the metrics that were provided in the implementation guide were for reference only; there are no defined standard measurement metrics for the moment for buildings. The implementing committee of the WBCSD "EEB In Action" working group understands the challenge to Companies and that standardized methods of reporting are needed to accurately report progress in a harmonized system. The challenge for EEB metrics and measures is that no such standard methods exists today and thus each Company will choose what fits best for them. Thus, one outcome of the early stages of the Manifesto implementation is that best practices and methods will emerge that may become standard methods in the future, using an established approach for launching a standard. This will be part of the regular assessment the WBCSD undertakes, as information becomes available in coordination with standard setting organizations.
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Are we allowed to specify the time frame for the commitment? Or is it a requirement that all signatories must use a single time period (i.e., decade per metric)?
The Manifesto implementation process is anticipated to take no more than 3 years to develop, as indicated in the Manifesto's implementation guide (Action 4). We have discovered that some Companies may already be meeting the intentions of the Manifesto, thus their implementing timeframes will be shorter; while some Companies may be starting from scratch and need the full 3 years to implement their process. Regular reporting is expected to keep every Member informed of each other's progress and that is expected to be part of the Companies' existing CSR reporting (no additional reporting is required).
Regarding reduction targets, goals and timeframes, depending on the Company, some will have a different reality/building universe and different ambitions. However, the intentions of the Manifesto are to be on the front end of a market transformation, and in order to send appropriate signals into the market, it cannot be a non-ambitious target. Please refer to the challenge that has been set out in the EEB "Transforming the Market" report (pages 10 to 15, notably). Companies could have a long-range goal (2050, for instance), with defined time stages in between.
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Action 2 - Policy
What does the word "policy" mean? Can it be like a business process, i.e. a somewhat technical document, or is it a more "political"/high level document? Both are possible.
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Action 3 - Audits
Do energy audits have to be done by an external party?
You can use external audits performed by independent 3rd parties, as well as internal audits that are performed by Company representatives. However, the results should be unbiased and represent a standard process for your Company.
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My Company's organization is very complex and scattered. As signatories of the Manifesto, do we have to carry out audits for all our sites?
Of course not, you should make a sample and choose which representative buildings you are going to audit, like for any other CSR approach. Your approach would be more thorough if every building in the defined building universe was audited, though, so our recommendation is that you do so if you can. This is because buildings are unique: even if some are very similar, their orientation to the sun, shading, occupancy, etc. won't be identical and those elements will impact their energy consumption.
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Action 4 - Official publications and reports
To comply with the implementation guide's Action 4, "Publish building energy use and progress (�)", do we need to report per building?
When writing the Manifesto, the WBCSD's approach was not to be overly prescriptive. Since, for now, we have no intention of consolidating the data of all the signing Companies, there are no strict guidelines in terms of reporting methodology. All we ask for in the Manifesto is to report on the progress you have made with regard to the target you have set for yourself in a consistent and transparent way over the years.
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Action 5 - Advocacy
The advocacy activities listed in the Manifesto's implementation guide are a list of possibilities; a signatory is not required to advocate in every area and/or to every audience. Is that correct?
The number of advocacy areas (see implementation guide, Action 5) you do is up to the Company; you should start somewhere, then you can see how you move forward. It would be a lost opportunity not to convey what you are doing. Through the process of discussing this with other Members, we have discovered that many Companies are already meeting some of the intent of the advocacy area. This area, generally, is to raise awareness and start to change behavior.
As a signatory of the Manifesto, is my Company expected to advertise it externally? You can choose to use the Manifesto in your internal or external communications strategy if you want to, but it is not compulsory. However, note that we may, at the WBCSD, communicate on your Company's commitment, on our website, or in our external communication.
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