Carbon neutral, the Royalmount? | The Press

On its website, the new Royalmount shopping center is presented as “100% carbon neutral”. But is it really? Probably not, three experts conclude.

The website of the developer Carbonleo describes the Royalmount as the “1^er 100% carbon neutral mixed-use project in Canada”, which includes green spaces with “more than 450,000 trees, shrubs, plants and perennials” and an “energy loop allowing 93% reduction in greenhouse gases”.

The Press asked the developer for more details. We submitted this data to three experts. And the findings are unanimous.

“There seems to have been an in-depth reflection, but there are many things that they do not include,” says Simon Langlois-Bertrand, researcher at the Trottier Energy Institute at Polytechnique Montréal.

What do we mean by “carbon neutral”?

When we say that a building is carbon neutral, we should take several things into account.

According to Julien O. Beaulieu, lawyer and lecturer in corporate social responsibility law at the University of Sherbrooke, we must consider the entire supply chain and the life cycle.

On the one hand, so-called intrinsic carbon, which includes all greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted by its construction, from the extraction of raw materials until the end of the building’s life. And on the other hand, so-called operational carbon, which accounts for emissions linked to the use of the building – for its heating, for example.

In the case of a shopping center, we could also take into account the emissions from the travel of employees, customers, or even the goods consumed there.

So, for a shopping center to qualify as carbon neutral, one might think that it must necessarily offset all the emissions listed above by purchasing carbon credits or planting trees. The objective is to achieve a zero balance between the carbon emitted into the atmosphere and that which is captured.

That’s the theory. But in practice, “on a technical level, the term is not really defined, so it does not require as much rigor,” underlines Paul-Antoine Dostie-Guindon, net-zero transition consultant.

Blind spots

In the case of the Royalmount, “there is clearly a blind spot: it’s the construction,” adds Paul-Antoine Dostie-Guindon.

Indeed, in the response provided to The Press by the developer, carbon offsetting is only mentioned once, regarding the energy footprint.

“Eighty-six percent of the energy used at Royalmount comes from renewable sources […]. The remaining 14%, coming from natural gas, is offset by carbon credits,” it is indicated. However, it is not specified what type of carbon credits these are.

Regarding the footprint of building construction, it is written that “Royalmount focuses on durable and noble materials, including low-emission paints, adhesives and insulation.” Efforts have also been made to manage construction waste, and to reduce transport needs during construction. But no compensation for emissions linked to construction is mentioned.

Regarding customer movements and increased congestion around the shopping center, The Press asked if these emissions had been taken into account. Carbonleo did not respond to the question. And the comings and goings of freight trucks were also not mentioned.

The question of green roofs

The green roofs promised by Carbonleo, which will see the light of day in subsequent phases of the project, will offer numerous environmental benefits, such as reducing heat islands, improving air quality and preventing rainwater runoff.

The developer claims that 100% of the water needs of outdoor green spaces will be covered by rainwater collected in basins – an effort praised by experts.

Furthermore, these green roofs will also capture CO₂ ; but compared to the GHG emissions of a shopping center, they do not weigh heavily, specialists point out.

“Will green roofs succeed in capturing a lot of carbon and sequestering it in the soil? I doubt it,” says Paul-Antoine Dostie-Guindon.

“Could this offset building emissions? I doubt it even more,” he adds.

And the trees?

We could also wonder if the rest of the Royalmount’s green spaces, which must bring together “more than 450,000 trees, shrubs, plants and perennials” (according to the developer’s website), could help to partially offset its emissions.

Asked about this, Carbonleo indicated that it was in fact only “500,000 square feet of greenery, including nearly 475 mature trees, including 155 large trees”.

“Did they count the flowers? », jokes Simon Langlois-Bertrand.

Carbonleo did not say whether he would plant more trees afterward.

Verdict?

The three experts emphasize that in light of the information provided by Carbonleo, it is difficult to assess the overall impact of the shopping center. But it is very unlikely that it will be carbon neutral as a whole.

“Indicators are selected for us, and we don’t know if they are hand-picked or if they are representative of the entire environmental footprint of the project,” notes Julien O. Beaulieu.

The Press insisted on the promoter having access to more detailed data, without success.

“If they say they are 100% carbon neutral, I would expect all emissions to be offset. Any company that makes this kind of claim should be able to substantiate it. And if they are just talking about energy, they should specify it,” insists Julien O. Beaulieu.

Experts, however, welcome the reflection made by the developer about the environmental footprint of its shopping center. Carbonleo notably called on a firm to reduce it and said it was “aiming for several environmental certifications”, including LEED v4 certification.

“They have made efforts to change their practices. They hired people and invested money in it,” remarks Simon Langlois-Bertrand.

“So, let’s say it’s a step in the right direction, but it’s not very forward-thinking. And the public should be better informed about what it means in concrete terms to be “carbon neutral”, because it can really lead to confusion, like here,” underlines Paul-Antoine Dostie-Guindon.