Climate action and sustainability

City Bridge Foundation is playing an important role in the transition to net zero and building climate resilience. We are doing this by reducing the environmental impact of our activities and using our convening power to lead change across our sector and the capital.

We have signed up to the ambitious Climate Action Strategy of our trustee, the City of London Corporation, which commits us to reaching net zero in our operations by 2027 and across our investments by 2040. In February 2022, our Board approved the creation of a designated £15m fund to support our Climate Action Strategy work, to be reviewed on an annual basis.

We are also a signatory to the Funder Commitment on Climate Change, managed by the Association of Charitable Funders.

The climate crisis is the biggest issue we face. Only by working collectively with our partners, our funded organisations and our trustee will we deliver meaningful change on the journey to net zero. 

Environmental sustainability is intrinsic to our role as a bridge owner. We aim to maintain our bridges using processes that are as environmentally conscious as possible. 

This includes our procurement processes. We prioritise the environmental sustainability of the goods and services we use in keeping our bridges operating safely, as they play their essential role in London’s transport infrastructure.

Our bridges are huge structures, and even small changes can have long-lasting impacts. For instance, during the refurbishment of Blackfriars Bridge we used special UV resistant paint. This lasts around 25 years longer than normal paint, reducing the need for maintenance and the associated environmental impact.

For the Blackfriars Bridge refurbishment work, we used a carbon calculator to monitor and report the carbon emissions of the project’s lifecycle. This data helps identify carbon reduction measures for future projects. The data also ensures that contractors comply with the environmental considerations which we stipulate in our contracts.

Tower Bridge isn’t just a bridge, it’s also a world-famous visitor attraction, attracting hundreds of thousands visitors a year. This creates more environmental challenges, and more opportunities, to improve our environmental footprint.

Practical measures to reduce environmental impact have included the installation of automatic taps with water aerators to reduce water usage across the Bridge. Paper tickets have been replaced with digital tickets, and even visitors’ access stickers are now biodegradable.

Tower Bridge has received a Gold Award from Green Tourism, the member organisation which supports and recognises tourism businesses taking action to become more sustainable.

In the three years to 2023, City Bridge Foundation awarded £5.9m to projects which improve the environment or tackle the climate emergency. 

Funded projects included those which reduce emissions or tackle poor air quality; boost open spaces or promote biodiversity; and increase access to growing spaces.

One example out of many was a two-year grant of £95,000 towards Vauxhall City Farm​’s costs. The funding supported the farm in offering local children the chance to grow their own food and learn about topics such as sustainability, composting and animal welfare.

Our free Eco Audits set out ways charitable organisations can be more sustainable and reduce their carbon footprint. These cover all aspects of an organisations’ environmental impact including energy, water and resource usage; waste production and recycling.

An initial audit gives recommendations for changes, and a later follow-up meeting assesses the changes made and the impact achieved.

Our analysis shows that on average, organisations undertaking an Eco Audit and implementing suggestions could expect to save 13 tons of carbon annually (where the average UK citizen produces around 10 tons annually).

Organisations which have completed an Eco Audit can apply for up to £150,000 to support related building works. Such work would typically reduce carbon, improve resource use, and enhance biodiversity.

Works can include insulation, solar panels, heat pumps, on-site biodiversity schemes, and energy efficient lighting systems.

Eco Audits and related funding closed to new applications in October 2024 when we closed all our rolling grant programmes to new applications. This closure will allow us to manage our existing grants and pre-closure applications, while reviewing and developing our new funding policy, launching in autumn 2025. Learn more about these closures using the link below.

City Bridge Foundation has a considerable investment portfolio, accumulated over our 900-year-old history. This secures the maintenance and the future of our five bridges, and also powers are funding work, alongside our social investments and other philanthropic activities.

In 2023, our board agreed a new Investment Strategy Statement which aligns our allocation of assets around four of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, including climate action and sustainable cities and communities.

By adjusting our financial investments, we achieved an 18% reduction in related carbon emissions between 2022 and 2023.

To reach our aim of net zero in our investments by 2040, we have a target of a 24% reduction in the emissions resulting from our financial investments by 2025, and a 55% reduction by 2030.

We are also reducing the carbon impact of our property investments. This includes reviewing the Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) of all our directly managed properties and developing plans to increase the energy efficiency of any properties which don’t meet the standard. 

We are targeting an EPC rating of ​‘B’ across our directly managed property portfolio by 2030. Energy efficient properties aren’t just better for the planet, they are also cheaper to run, making them attractive to leaseholders. 

City Bridge Foundation is closely operationally linked to its trustee, the City of London Corporation, and to the City Corporation’s own climate targets.

City Corporation is on track towards reaching net zero in its own operations by 2027, having slashed its net carbon emissions by 66% between 2018 and 2023. These are clearly tracked on City Corporation’s Climate Action Strategy Performance Dashboard.

City Corporation has reduced emissions across its buildings including Guildhall, where City Bridge Foundation’s main office is based. This has been achieved by installing energy-efficient lighting, heating, cooling, humidification and insulation.

Other measures include a renewable Power Purchase Agreement in which the City Corporation buys all the electricity generated by a single solar farm. This provides half of its electricity and saves £3 million in energy costs per year.

Main image shows Nature Vibezzz — a charity that has been funded by City Bridge Foundation to provide activities such as gardening, forest school and nature conservation, building community, and safely involving families in their local green space’s development and use.