SHIFT Sustainability Standard

Bespoke portal, tools and calculators for our SHIFT sustainability standard

Specifically for social landlords, we’ve created bespoke tools and calculators for our SHIFT sustainability standard, as well as a portal that provides landlords with a detailed audit trail. This enables our expert team to assess the full environmental impact of your activities and deliver a detailed action plan for embedding sustainability.

We cover the full range of environmental impacts across 21 criteria including carbon dioxide emissions, water use, landfill waste, biodiversity and response to climate change risks. This ensures you have a complete understanding of the changes you can make to reduce your organisation’s environmental impact and improve its sustainability standards to achieve long term targets.

We are familiar with the type of data held by social landlords and can readily translate this into performance metrics.  We also have a unique database specific to social landlords which means that we can “sense check” new data and provide default data in the absence of primary data.

SHIFT’s sustainability scheme is proud to be independent from any other commercial body meaning you receive unbiased advice which has your best interests at heart.

The areas of your business that SHIFT covers are: 

  • Existing properties – assessing the sustainability of existing asset management
  • New build standards – benchmarking the standard to which an organisation builds new properties
  • Offices and operations – assessing the performance of offices and business activities
  • Leadership and strategy – demonstrating an organisational commitment to sustainability
  • Supply chain – covering your maintenance activities

You’ll be assigned a bronze, silver, gold or platinum rating which recognises what your organisation has achieved so far and sets targets for future work.  It will also demonstrate your environmental credentials to partners, funders, staff, regulators and residents alike.

What else do you gain? 

  • A full environmental report showing your impacts
  • ESG and SECR reporting alignment
  • Environmental KPI’s and science-based targets which help you anticipate future legislation
  • A gap analysis between your performance and scientific targets, making it easy for you to develop your strategy (we can help with that too!)
  • Cost saving opportunities
  • Logos to make your  sustainability credentials instantly recognisable
  • Access to SHIFT network so you can learn from, and share experience with, others in the same position as you; keep up-to-date about the latest news, legislation and developments for the built environment and sustainability sectors; and attend events throughout the year

To start your SHIFT journey to sustainability

Contact Us

“A2Dominion gained valuable understanding of the organisation’s environmental performance through our latest SHIFT assessment. Areas for improvement through better practices and/or better data were made really clear and I look forward to seeing the progress in environmental performance from our next SHIFT assessment”

- A2Dominion, Sustainability Manager

“Our SHIFT accreditation recognises our work to keep homes energy efficient and reduce carbon emissions. Izzy, our assessor, was a pleasure to work with – she made the process very straightforward and was very patient on our first SHIFT assessment.”

– Lynne Campbell, Bernicia

“We commissioned SHIFT to provide environmental briefings to CCHA’s Green Group, which is formed by representatives across all directorates. Richard and Sam provided engaging, informative presentations and facilitated excellent brainstorming sessions that have generated targets and actions for our forthcoming environmental strategy.”

– Jonathan Jones, Corporate Director of Property, Cardiff Community Housing Association

“We are really pleased to have achieved SHIFT Silver in Halton’s first environmental assessment. Throughout the assessment process we have been able to identify where environmental improvements should be made and Halton are looking forward to implementing the SHIFT recommendations and seeing how the business evolves to meet its sustainability ambitions.”

– Scott Murray, Director of Homes

“As well as benefitting from being a SHIFT landlord, Mosscare St Vincent have worked with SHIFT services in developing a robust and in-depth sustainability strategy. From this, we gained helpful understanding of the organisations current position, with clear SMART targets to work towards long term aims and meet sustainability ambitions.”

– Patrick McKendry, Sustainability Lead

“Thank you so much that was a really lovely engaging session which I think helped us all feel less daunted by this topic.”

– Denise Fowler, Chief Executive, Woman’s Pioneer Housing

“We have worked with SHIFT across numerous environmental projects and have been impressed with their attention to detail, technical knowledge and commitment to improving environmental performance in the social housing sector. The SHIFT assessment has also proved to be a really useful tool for us to demonstrate the challenges ahead to the wider business in an easily understandable format”

– Liz Daniels, Asset Manager

“South Liverpool Homes commissioned SHIFT to analyse the costs and interventions required to achieve net-zero carbon emissions across our housing stock. We have been really impressed with the level of detail provided, but also the effective communication of the longer-term action required across both existing homes and new developments. Sam and the team really advanced our understanding of the agenda and we will enjoy working with them again.”

– Michael Gibney, Asset & Development Manager

“At St Leger, we have expanded on our knowledge of our environmental performance through our most recent SHIFT assessment. The SHIFT assessment helped to highlight areas for improvement and challenges ahead for the whole business, with clear and understandable recommendations for the future. SHIFT has been invaluable in developing and delivering our Environmental Strategy”

– Christopher Litherland, Asset Management Service Manager

“Thank you very much for this morning, it was thought provoking which is exactly what I was hoping for. I am so pleased to see you doing well and that the message is getting out there that SHIFT offers good, independent advice that our sector so desperately needs.”

– Sue Chalkley, Chief Executive, Golding Homes

“VAHT commissioned SHIFT to undertake an EPC analysis and they have provided such a useful report which will enable us to implement plans to achieve both fuel poverty and EPC C targets.”

– Karen Flanagan, Contract Surveyor

“Our recent SHIFT assessment gave us clear areas to target with relevant improvement which we believe will enhance sustainability action throughout the business. The SHIFT team were very supportive and aimed to make the process as easy as possible for us.”

– Poppy Scott, Worthing Homes

“We are delighted to retain our SHIFT Gold status as it shows our commitment to working in a sustainable way and reducing our carbon footprint is continuing to pay off. A big thank you to our Environmental Champions, other Broadland staff and Sam our SHIFT Assessor who helped to gather the information needed for the assessment.”

– Louise Archer, Executive Property Director

“We are delighted to retain our SHIFT Gold status as it shows our commitment to working in a sustainable way and reducing our carbon footprint is continuing to pay off. A big thank you to our Environmental Champions, other Broadland staff and Sam our SHIFT Assessor who helped to gather the information needed for the assessment.”

– Louise Archer, Executive Property Director