Which is better to meet ESG goals? Greenfield investments or conversion of existing buildings? Wise people say: it depends. Although a lot of top experts took part in a panel at the first CEE ESG Forum organised by Property Forum and Green Forum in Vienna last November, no clear answer emerged from the discussion.

With a collective urgency to accelerate decarbonisation in our built environment, national targets and business commitments are supporting change. However, we critically need to turn these plans into action and realise significant carbon reductions in our towns and cities.  

More action, less talking - this is how one can summarise “The future of decarbonisation - How to build and rebuild for a better future” discussion panel, which was a joint part of the conferences Future of Real Estate 2024 and Poland ESG Forum 2024, held last week in Warsaw. Both events were organised by Property Forum.

Tina Paillet, President of RICS, talked to Property Forum at Mipim about the real estate industry's crucial role in addressing climate change. She highlighted the sector's significant environmental impact and emphasized the need for the industry to become a force for good.

Members of the European Parliament adopted plans agreed upon with the EU Council, which will contribute to reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the buildings sector, according to a statement from the European Parliament.  

Ultimately, more than 10 MW of green energy from photovoltaic farms will power Warsaw UNIT, an office building developed and owned by Ghelamco. It is the first skyscraper in Poland entirely powered by green energy. Funding for the innovative remote farm project was provided by ESCOlight, and the contractor is Revolt Energy, part of the Blachotrapez Group.

Jarosław Fiutowski, Member of the Board responsible for ESG strategy and innovation at Ghelamco Poland, talked to Property Forum about the renewable energy in office buildings,  the awareness of ESG issues among tenants and the related stance of Western investment funds.

Polish warehouse developer 7R is implementing a decarbonization plan. This plan aims to reduce the company's carbon footprint by 42% by 2030 and systematically decarbonize individual warehouse projects. At the same time, 7R is joining SBTi and publishing another ESG report.

Introducing the first of its kind, RICS World Built Environment Forum – Europe is taking place at the Procuratie Vecchie in Venice on 19-20 October 2023. At this two-day forum, organised by RICS in collaboration with Generali Real Estate, over a hundred professionals from across the region are taking part, offering a unique opportunity to network, collaborate and exchange industry best practices. Property Forum is proud to be joining the event as a Media Partner and readers have the chance to secure tickets with a 10% discount using the WBEFPF code.

EPP’s near- and long-term science-based targets have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). By 2050, the largest asset manager of retail real estate located in Poland commits to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across scopes 1, 2 and 3.