Practice
Sustainability
How we measure, reduce and report the carbon and ecological impact of every landscape we design.
Landscapes can store carbon, cool cities and support wildlife, but only if they are designed and built with care. These are the commitments we hold ourselves to.
Our commitments
Since 2021 every Fieldwork project has been assessed against a carbon budget set at stage one. Where a design cannot meet its budget, we explain why to the client in writing and propose alternatives. You can read more about our approach in Designing parks for hotter summers.
- Net zero studio operations by 2027, verified by a third party.
- A 40% reduction in embodied carbon per square metre of hard landscape by 2030, against a 2020 baseline.
- At least 20% biodiversity net gain on every project, exceeding the statutory 10%.
Measuring carbon
We calculate embodied carbon for materials, transport and construction, and sequestration for planting over a sixty-year period. Calculations use published factors, so any client can check them.
| Surface | 2020 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete paving | 82 | 61 | −26% |
| Natural stone | 64 | 48 | −25% |
| Resin-bound gravel | 31 | 27 | −13% |
| Reinforced grass | 12 | 9 | −25% |
What counts as a reduction
Only design changes count. Offsets, credits and future grid decarbonisation are reported separately and never used to meet a budget.
A tree planted in the right soil will outlive every other decision on the drawing.
Biodiversity net gain
We use the statutory metric on every site over half a hectare, and a simplified version below that. Habitat surveys are carried out by our in-house ecologists before design starts.
- Survey the existing habitats and their condition.
- Set a target with the client, never below 20%.
- Design, then re-run the metric at each stage.
- Monitor for thirty years after completion.
Reporting
We publish an annual report every June. Press Ctrl + P to print this page, or download the 2025 report (PDF, 2.4 MB).
Questions about our figures can go to sustainability@fieldwork.example. Data is licensed CC BY 4.0.
This page is reviewed every six months. Figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.
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