Westminster’s world-famous buildings help make London the incredibly exciting and vibrant place it is today. However, non-domestic buildings also contribute 71% of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Find more information on our interactive emissions dashboard.
This contributes to climate change, impacts the quality of life of residents, workers, and visitors, and dictates how far buildings will continue to meet our needs into the future.
Organisations which own, manage or occupy non-domestic buildings in Westminster are taking climate action by signing the Sustainable City Charter.
The charter is a free, voluntary sustainability pledge supported by the Westminster Property Association and Westminster City Council. It contains eight commitments to reduce carbon emissions from non-domestic buildings, covering areas such as energy use, procurement, transport, waste, and deliveries. The charter also commits to net zero buildings by 2040 or earlier.
Read our Sustainable City Charter:
Hear from one of our early signatories, the Royal Opera House, about how the Sustainable City Charter is helping them improve sustainability across their buildings. We are excited that this iconic global institution has pledged to help us reach net zero by 2040.
Our most recent signatories, The St Marylebone CE School, spoke about their decision to join the charter. Kat Pugh, the school's headteacher, said:
St Marylebone students wear green and want to be green. They want to preserve and protect a world which is green, clean, healthy and sustainable. We are delighted to be part of the Sustainability City Charter to give credibility and momentum to our commitment to a more sustainable, climate-friendly life in our school community now and for years to come.
Which organisations can sign up to the charter?
Any organisation (whether for profit or not) that owns, manages, or occupies one or more non-domestic buildings in Westminster can become a Sustainable City Charter signatory. This includes micro businesses, major landowners, public bodies, charities, and many more. View the list of current signatories.
If you are a small organisation with fewer than 10 FTE employees and are just getting started on your sustainability journey, then you can become an Associate Member of the Sustainable City Charter. Associate Members gain access to the charter network and resources without making the commitments of a full signatory.
Why should organisations sign up to the charter?
Benefits include access to:
- 10% discount on recycling services through Westminster City Council's Commercial Waste Service (available for new customers immediately and for existing customers at contract renewal).
- A support network of like-minded local businesses, as well as regular networking and knowledge-sharing events and roundtables.
- An evolving toolkit of resources and guidance to support you in implementing the charter commitments in your organisation.
- Energy efficiency grants for small and medium-sized businesses of up to £10,000 (£20,000 for social enterprises).
- Use of charter promotional materials and branding to demonstrate to your customers, service users, partners and employees that your organisation is committed to climate action here in Westminster.
Building owners can also use the charter to improve engagement with their occupiers to collectively take climate action (and vice versa).
Hear from one of our early signatories, the Royal Opera House, about how the charter is helping them improve sustainability across their buildings. We are excited this iconic global institution has pledged to help the city reach net zero by 2040.
How does the charter application process work?
- Fill out the short expression of interest form.
- If eligible, you will then receive a link to the full application form via email.
- A member of our team will review your application and ask any additional follow-up questions before accepting your organisation as a signatory.
- Once confirmed as a signatory, you will be required to provide an annual progress update on the information/data provided through the initial application.
If you would like more information or have a question that isn’t addressed above, get in touch with us via [email protected]