The UK’s biggest grant-making organisation is looking into relocating its office, museum and library as it seeks to hit net zero.
The charitable foundation announced yesterday (28 June) that its current buildings presented “significant decarbonisation challenges”.
It said it had commissioned a “detailed survey” to look at how to make its current buildings in Euston, central London, fully sustainable.
The foundation added that it would “simultaneously also explore the possibility” of relocating its office space and the Wellcome Collection, a museum and library, to an alternative central London location.
The announcement comes as Wellcome seeks to reach a net zero target for its scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, which covers emissions from sources owned or controlled by the foundation, such as the heating and cooling of its buildings and emissions from purchased electricity.
Currently, Wellcome offsets its scope 1 and 2 emissions through Woodland Trust’s Woodland Carbon offsetting scheme.
The foundation has a longer term ambition of achieving net zero by 2050 for its £38bn investment portfolio.
Paul Schreier, interim chief executive of Wellcome, said: “In common with many organisations, we are looking at ways to bring our buildings up to date and minimise future energy usage. We are at the information-gathering stage of determining what the best way for us to do this is.
“Both a refit and a relocation are significant and resource-intensive options. However, doing nothing is not an option. Climate change is one of the biggest threats to human health we face today, and we all have a part to play in building a more sustainable future.”
Wellcome said it would continue its “exploratory work” of both the refit and relocation options throughout 2023.
The foundation seeks to improve health for everyone “by funding research, leading policy and advocacy campaigns, and building global partnerships”, according to its website.
Its scope includes climate change, infectious disease and mental health.
New data revealed earlier this week showed that Wellcome distributed more than £847m in grants in the year 2021 to 2022.