Sustainability

Populous has been at the forefront of environmentally sustainable design solutions for public assembly venues since the formation of our practice, from Accor Stadium, Sydney (1999), Nationals Park, Washington D.C. (2008), the London Olympics Stadium (2012), Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle (2021) to the Stade de la Meinau in Strasbourg (2025).

The future of venue design and events is an environmentally sustainable one, and we are committed to producing outcomes that are world-leading in reducing their impact on our environment, with an end goal of regenerative and climate positive venues.

The buildings and events we create are often vast and the centerpiece of wider community districts, meaning our role in climate action is unique. Environmentally responsive design, energy performance, sustainable materials selection and technological integration are foundational elements to our design approach.

Zero Carbon Projects by 2030

We touch over millions of square feet annually. Hundreds of millions of fans and visitors spend memorable moments in buildings and venues we have designed each year.

We are committed to delivering zero carbon projects by 2030. This is already coming to fruition with Climate Pledge Arena, the world’s first arena to earn a net zero certification from the International Living Future Institute.

To achieve this commitment, we are measuring and tracking the environmental impact of our projects. We are accounting for both operational carbon — the amount of carbon emitted during the operational phase of the project, also known as the total energy needed to operate the project over its life —and embodied carbon, the amount of carbon emitted in producing materials needed for construction.

We are using the definitions set forth by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the World Green Building Council (WGBC), the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) or the ASHRAE Standard 228 as the framework to deliver zero carbon and zero energy projects.

Carbon Neutral Business Operations

Sustainability at Populous means ensuring we lead by example and are operating our offices in an environmentally responsible way.

We are committed to operating as a carbon neutral global business by reducing our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This starts with reducing our own offices’ energy usage and business travel and then offsetting emissions, which are divided into three scopes.

• Scope 1: direct emissions owned or controlled by Populous.
• Scope 2: indirect emissions from purchased electricity to operate our offices.
• Scope 3: indirect emissions (not included in scope 2) that occur in the value chain of our company, including both upstream and downstream emissions, such as our operations.

Our Road Map

1. By the end of 2023, we will complete a carbon footprint assessment for our own operations for scopes 1, 2 and selected scope 3 emissions and achieve carbon neutrality soon thereafter.

2. By 2030, we will expand firmwide carbon neutrality to account for all applicable scope 3 emissions.

As part of our ongoing commitments, Populous is a signatory to Architects Declare Australia, Architects Declare UK, and the AIA 2030 Commitment. In the UK we are a member of the British Association for Sustainability in Sport (BASIS).

We will continue to reformulate our workflows and educate our staff so the decisions we make are informed and help mitigate the realities of climate change.

Our EMEA region and Australian offices have achieved ISO 14001 certification. In addition, our Australian offices are currently operating as a carbon neutral business, they have committed to a carbon reduction strategy, which has a target of 75% reduction by 2030 (scopes 1, 2 and 3).

For more information or to access our environmental policies or sustainability action plans, please contact sustainability@populous.com.