There Is No Future in FM Without ESG

By any measure, the climate crisis is a Facilities Management crisis too.

In the UK, the built environment is responsible for close to 40% of national carbon emissions. And who runs those environments? Facilities managers. While ministers posture and corporations make net zero pledges on paper, it’s people in facilities, engineering, and estates teams who are actually tasked with turning those promises into something physical – a building that leaks less heat, a campus that uses less water, an office block that doesn’t demand four diesel vans to keep the lights on.

For businesses like us, this is no longer a conversation about innovation. It’s a conversation about survival.

Why Sustainability in FM Is a Trending Topic (for Good Reason)

FM professionals in the UK are searching, researching, and scrambling for guidance on sustainability. Not because it’s a buzzword, but because the sector is under pressure from every direction:

• Legislation:Net zero by 2050 is enshrined in UK law. The 2030 EPC B rating requirement for commercial buildings means thousands of FM-managed sites are now legally on the hook for efficiency improvements.

• Clients:Procurement teams increasingly require ESG commitments. Contracts are won or lost on whether you have a plan – and whether you can prove it works.

• Energy costs:Even before the Ukraine conflict, prices were volatile. Energy bills for large estates have ballooned, and FM budgets are being asked to find savings while cutting emissions.

• Public opinion:Greenwashing is under fire. Vague claims and half-measures are no longer tolerated by stakeholders, media, or staff.

The interest isn’t theoretical. A 2021 IWFM survey found 75% of FM professionals believed clients considered sustainability a key deciding factorin tenders.[1] Meanwhile, Mitie’s 2023 report shows 70% of sustainability leads in the built environment feel bogged down by the reporting admin – but still believe in the mission. As one facilities lead told researchers: “We’re tired, but we can’t afford to stop. The buildings aren’t going to decarbonise themselves.”[6]

Rising Costs, Shrinking Margins: Where Sustainability Still Stands Tall

The FM sector is experiencing a squeeze. National Insurance contributions are up. Inflation is biting. And government support for energy-intensive industries is patchy at best. For smaller providers and local teams, this creates a grim choice: keep the lights on, or invest in greener infrastructure?

But here’s where the argument flips. Because done right, sustainability is not a cost. It’s a cost-cutting strategy.

Smart lighting systems slash power bills. Predictive maintenance reduces equipment failure and labour costs. Heat pump installations might sting on capex, but they cut operating costs within three years. And waste-reduction measures often reduce disposal charges and procurement needs in one fell swoop.

In a time of budget pain, sustainability is increasingly the only viable way to keep operating costs under control while meeting compliance thresholds. According to CBRE, the most forward-looking FM firms are prioritising digital tools that enable just this: real-time performance tracking, emissions dashboards, and energy usage metrics that let managers take action beforethey get hit with fines or ballooning utility charges.[3]

What Real Sustainability in FM Looks Like (Beyond the Greenwashing)

Here’s what no FM whitepaper ever says out loud: sustainability is hard. Really hard. Especially when you’re managing ageing buildings, working with patchy tenant buy-in, or operating under 12-month SLAs with minimal wiggle room.

But this is also why FM is central to solving the problem. Because this isn’t a job for think tanks or LinkedIn influencers. It’s a job for people who know how to change a boiler, reduce a site’s carbon footprint, or negotiate a cleaning contract that cuts waste.

Here are the frontline strategiesthat are actually working in UK FM:

• Energy retrofits: Replacing fluorescent with LED lighting; upgrading HVAC systems; installing smart thermostats and motion sensors.

• Renewable integration: Solar panels, on-site battery storage, switching to 100% REGO-backed green energy tariffs.

• Fleet decarbonisation: Moving away from diesel. Installing EV chargers. Route optimisation using telematics.

• Building management systems (BMS): IoT sensors and smart meters allow real-time data capture, remote diagnosis, and predictive maintenance.

• Waste and circularity: More reuse, less landfill. From office furniture to packaging materials, FM teams are rethinking waste at source.

• Water efficiency: Low-flow taps, leak detection, rainwater harvesting.

• Science-based targets (SBTi): Ensuring emissions targets align with 1.5°C warming limits, not vague ‘aspirations’.

These aren’t blue-sky ideas. They’re being implemented now by the FM arms of large service providers, local authorities, and hospitals.

FM Leadership: The Job Description Just Changed

Leadership in facilities used to be about uptime, cost control, and ticking compliance boxes. That’s still true. But now, ESG performance is part of the brief.

If your FM team can’t provide emissions data for a client’s ESG report, they’ll find someone else who can. If you’re not ready for EPC upgrades, you’re risking tenancy voids. If you can’t speak the language of SBTi, GHG Protocol, or Net Zero 2040, you’re not in the room where future contracts are being signed.

And this isn’t just about client retention. It’s about recruitment too. Young FM professionals want to work for companies that align with their values. Companies that treat sustainability not as a marketing exercise but as a serious operational goal. As the IWFM report notes, “Culture change starts with leadership. If the board doesn’t back it, the site team can’t deliver it.”[4]

Why This Matters at Premier

At Premier, we already know that sustainability is no longer one person’s job. We’re on a journey to baking it into our cleaning protocols, our maintenance schedules, our contract mobilisation plans.

Here’s what that looks like:

• Carbon trackingthrough third-party tools and carbon consultants.

• Rolling out Electric and hybrid vehiclesfor mobile teams.

• Chemical-free, concentrated cleaning productsthat reduce emissions from deliveries and use.

• ISO 14001 certificationand responsible procurement policies.

But we also know it’s not enough. If we want to lead in this space, we can’t stop at compliance. We need to anticipate. Innovate. Challenge ourselves. Our clients. Our suppliers.

What’s next for Premier?

• We will continue to have SBTi validationof our carbon goals conducted via our Partnership with Neutral Carbon Zone.

• Commitment to Net Zero by 2028, aligned with client estate plans.

• Open discussions – telling the truth about progress, setbacks, and what still needs to be done.

• Upskillingour front-line teams to understand how their daily tasks link to bigger environmental outcomes.

Because this isn’t about saving the planet in theory. It’s about making sure we have a business model that still works in five years. Ten years. Beyond.

The Verdict

There’s no neutral stance on sustainability anymore. If your FM strategy doesn’t include ESG, you don’t have a strategy. You have a liability.

The tide is coming in. And in the world of FM, you’re either building a seawall or pretending the water isn’t rising.

We choose the former. Because the alternative isn’t just expensive. It’s unthinkable.

Sources:

(1) RICS, 2021: UK FM client preferences survey

(2) FMJ, 2024: Trends in FM and EPC regulations

(3) CBRE, 2023: FM performance and sustainability tech trends

(4) IWFM, 2023: Culture and leadership in FM sustainability

(5) ExpansiveFM, 2022: ESG regulations in FM

(6) Mitie Sustainability Reporting Survey, 2023

(7) Premier Support Services: Carbon neutral commitment 2028, public statement