Peatland restoration investment helps firm offset its carbon footprint

David Halliday

HALLIDAY Fraser Munro has announced it has become the first Scottish firm to invest in a ‘pioneering’ peatland restoration project in Wester Ross in the north of Scotland. 

The architecture and planning practice revealed the investment in carbon offsetting units is in partnership with Highland Carbon.  

The rehydrated peat acts as a carbon sink. The project supports biodiversity in the Scottish Highlands and cleanses the local water supply as well as creating job opportunities for the local community. 

Halliday Fraser Munro added that it intends to offer further investment within the peatlands scheme as part of its service on projects that align with its environmental ambitions. 

As part of the firm’s journey to offset its carbon footprint, it also recently commissioned a report from environmental consultants Practically Green on its greenhouse gas emissions as it aims to exceed the Scottish Government’s net zero targets by 2030. The practice will also become a Certified Passivhaus Designer in June. Halliday Fraser Munro is a member of the Passivhaus Trust and the Association for Environment Conscious Building (AECB).

David Halliday, MD of Halliday Fraser Munro, said, “As architects and planners, sustainability has always been at the core of what we do. Whether we’re designing a new office, a new school or a home, environmental considerations are high on our agenda. Therefore, addressing our carbon footprint as a practice is a natural extension of how we have been working for decades. We’re proud to be the first Scottish firm to support Highland Carbon’s peatland restoration project in the wilds of Wester Ross. This local and entrepreneurial biodiversity project reflects the spirit of Halliday Fraser Munro. 

“We’re well positioned, given our experience, to help clients meet the challenges of Scotland becoming a net zero economy and to ensure the environment comes first. This will always be part of our ethos.”

 Richard Clarke of Highland Carbon added, “We’re pleased to have Halliday Fraser Munro on board to support such a spectacular project in Wester Ross in the wilds of Scotland, while reducing their carbon footprint. A brilliant  aspect of peatland restoration is that biodiversity benefits happen from the off, with birds and wildflowers immediately beginning to settle on the site, as well as supporting the Paris Agreement on climate change.”