As an independent third-party advisor and technical auditor, Catalyst gives asset managers the carbon data, strategies and pathways they need to decarbonise with confidence, and to defend asset value as regulation and 1.5C alignment targets tighten. Three recent projects, spanning logistics and residential assets in EU and the UK, show how Catalyst turns carbon reduction from an ambition into a measurable outcome.
Making a Nordic logistics portfolio 2050-ready
For a six-asset logistics portfolio in Sweden (c. 285,000 sqm) that needed a credible route to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across every building and stay ahead of tightening carbon regulation, Catalyst developed a full decarbonisation strategy. Using the CRREM framework, Catalyst tested each asset against 1.5C-aligned carbon thresholds, identified exactly when each building’s carbon intensity would fall out of alignment, then modelled the carbon impact of energy efficiency upgrades, renewable sourcing and long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).
The improvement measures reduced GHG intensity to 0.90 kgCO2e/m2/yr in the reporting year and pinpointed a portfolio misalignment year of 2041. After applying long-term PPAs, every asset became 2050-ready and fully aligned with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C decarbonisation pathway, with individual assets pushing their alignment horizons out by years (for example, from 2040 to net zero by 2050), resulting in a portfolio future-proofed against carbon regulation and positioned for green finance.
Closing the performance gap at a London Build-to-Rent scheme
At a multifamily Build-to-Rent development in London (c. 19,000 sqm) that was underperforming against its design intent, driving up energy use and operational carbon emissions, Catalyst acted as independent technical auditor. Catalyst carried out a site inspection to pinpoint the inefficiencies inflating the building’s energy consumption, feeding a three-stage process, site inspection, energy audit report, and a prioritised action plan, all focused on restoring performance and driving down energy-related emissions.
Catalyst identified the key inefficiencies undermining energy performance and delivered targeted, data-driven measures to reduce consumption. The prioritised actions give the asset manager a clear route to lower operational carbon, real energy cost savings, and stronger alignment with EU energy efficiency directives, turning a decarbonisation gap into a defined reduction plan.
Evidencing embodied carbon for EU Taxonomy alignment
For a large Swedish logistics hall (c. 85,000 sqm) where the investor needed to evidence the embodied carbon locked into the building across its whole life, Catalyst assessed a Life Cycle Assessment from the construction phase, measuring carbon from “cradle to grave” over a 50-year horizon. Catalyst quantified Global Warming Potential across fossil, biogenic, land use and total emissions, covering every life cycle stage from raw material extraction (A1) through operation (B) to end-of-life and circular recovery (C and D), specifically to evidence EU Taxonomy alignment.
The assessment returned an embodied carbon result of 12 kgCO2e/m2/year, or 589 kgCO2e/m2 over 50 years, consistent with best practice for low-carbon new and refurbished buildings under EU Taxonomy climate change mitigation criteria. It gives the investor hard, defensible data to drive lower-carbon design and procurement decisions and demonstrate its decarbonisation credentials.
The Catalyst approach to carbon reduction
From portfolio-level decarbonisation pathways to operational energy audits and whole-life embodied carbon assessments, Catalyst tackles carbon wherever it sits in a building’s life. The common thread is independent, technically robust analysis that translates net zero ambition into quantified, actionable carbon reductions, protecting asset value and keeping investors ahead of regulation.