BAM Facilities Management (BAM FM) has assisted The Sustainable Facilities Management Index (SFMI), Bouygues ES and Skanska for Stage 2 of its project to develop a tool for managing Scope 3 carbon emissions in the FM sector. 


This builds on the initial Scope 3 Framework  sponsored by BAM FM, to develop a solution to collect, aggregate and analyse complex Scope 3 data and move another step closer to positioning the FM industry at the heart of the decarbonisation pathway for the built environment. 

The news comes as BAM in the UK and Ireland has set some of the most challenging targets in the built environment sector, for achieving net zero across its whole range of operations.

Over the next 10 months work will be conducted around data collection and analysis, using the methods outlined within the Framework. At the end of this stage will emerge an industry framework for the measurement and reporting of FM Scope 3 emissions that has been applied in the real world and stress tested. The Framework will be accompanied by invaluable data collection and aggregation tools that the industry can use for the measurement of Scope 3. 

Sunil Shah, Director of Acclaro Advisory & The SFMI commented: “FM has a hugely important role in helping to decarbonise buildings during the life of its operations. What is often missed out is the additional services provided to ensure the operational deliverability of the building, its Scope 3 emissions, which are substantial and must be included to achieve true decarbonisation.”

Globally, the built environment accounts for up to 27%  of total emissions each year, with recent reports  highlighting the sector as one of the more challenging to meet Net-Zero targets. In addition, climate change is increasingly having an effect on building profile and subsequent management, putting pressure on FM companies. The establishment of Scope 3 FM footprints will demonstrate the significance of the current building life-cycle carbon emission gap that is not currently reported. Once this significance is understood, FMs will be in a critical position for facilitating the decarbonisation of the built environment along its entire value chain. 

The project will be headed by a Project Board consisting of both the Stage 2 partners and Industry Bodies including RICS, IWFM and IEMA, ensuring an objective and holistic view of the issues and challenges to be resolved.