Sustainability stock-take

Jensen PLUS recently brought staff together for a sustainability workshop – part reset, part reality check and part planning for what comes next.

This work has been building for several years. Since committing to carbon neutrality in 2020, our business has continued to evolve its understanding of emissions, certification and the role planning design can play in responding to climate change.

With support from Jacob Potter at Dsquared, who has guided our carbon reporting and accounting from the outset, the session revisited the fundamentals while bringing newer staff into the conversation.

As Michael reflected:

“We need to keep challenging ourselves, understanding what we’ve done, what’s working and where we can do better. We have consistently managed the environmental impacts of our day-to-day business for several years now. The biggest opportunity for future improvement and a much harder one to influence is through our projects. But that’s where we can show leadership and work with clients to achieve better environmental outcomes.”

What the data is telling us

Looking at our own emissions remains one of the most useful reality checks.

Jensen PLUS’ carbon footprint has remained relatively consistent in recent years, sitting at around 13 tonnes of CO₂ each year. The breakdown highlights that transport, sub-contracted professional services and purchased goods make up most of our emissions, with business travel continuing to play a significant role.

The data also reveals how easily emissions can shift. A 2023 increase was driven by investment in new IT equipment, highlighting the hidden impact of digital infrastructure. This led to a broader discussion around the energy intensity of AI and data centres which is a growing issue that is difficult to control, but important to understand.

It’s a reminder that not all challenges have simple solutions, but awareness is a good first step.

More importantly, the session reinforced that while operational emissions matter, the real influence of Jensen PLUS lies within our projects, the developments and land uses we recommend and the designs and materials selections that we help to define.

From intent to action

Two clear priorities are now shaping the next phase of work.

The first is continuing to strengthen business operations and maintaining carbon neutral certification, reducing emissions through everyday decisions and extending impact through social and environmental initiatives. (Nina has done a great job last year by expanding our recycling by collecting organics and soft plastics from the office!).

The second is more ambitious, defining a clear and practical framework for regenerative planning and design as part of our project work.

This framework we are working to define will bring together key themes: carbon, biodiversity, liveability and long-term performance into a consistent approach that can support client conversations and deliver measurable outcomes.

Reducing our own footprint is only part of the picture.

The bigger opportunity is to influence the places we help create.