Panellists at our virtual European ESG Forum have pointed out that environmental, social and governance criteria are gaining prominence in property investment. Going forward, as ESG certifications become mainstream, securing funding for green buildings will be streamlined, according to the panellists.

Savills has forecast the key ESG, investment and leasing trends for 2022 in 36 cities around the world as part of its 2021 global Impacts research programme. The international real estate advisor predicts that, globally, tech occupiers are set to dominate leasing activity, offices will be the most popular investment sector, prime real estate yields are set to remain largely static, and Asian cities are seemingly lagging behind others around the world when it comes to prioritising sustainable investment.

Property Forum’s next free-to-attend virtual event will focus on sustainability in real estate. Environmental, social and governance factors, alongside financial factors, are playing an increasingly important role in the investment decision-making process for many companies. Leading international experts will come together at our European ESG Forum to discuss sustainable real estate strategies for the future and to provide a deeper insight by going beyond the buzzwords.

Globe Trade Center has presented its first-ever ESG report, summarizing the group’s achievements during 25 years across its six markets. The 2020 report presents data on GTC’s engagement in sustainable development, responsible construction and asset management, collaboration with local communities and responding to stakeholders’ expectations. GTC is the first among commercial developers to present an ESG report on the CEE market.

CTP announced that in its first-ever ESG Risk rating, carried out by Sustainalytics Inc., the company achieved a low-risk score of 11.0. The ESG Risk score measures the degree to which the enterprise value of a company is exposed to material financial impacts from ESG (environmental, social and governance) factors. A score of 11.0 places CTP in the lower end of the “low-risk” category, which on the Sustainalytics scale ranges from 10–20.

Cushman & Wakefield has appointed James Woodhead to head its EMEA wide Asset Services sustainability and environmental, social & governance (ESG) consultancy.

CTP has purchased 460 hectares of forest in Eastern Czechia, raising the total forest the company owns to 560 hectares. The purchase is part of CTP’s strategy to own one sqm of forests for every one sqm of buildings it has, and with this ownership, to restore and protect the forests’ native biodiversity. This purchase brings CTP to the 89% benchmark of this goal.

ESG considerations play an increasingly important role in investment, financing and location decisions across the real estate industry. Four Colliers experts talked to Property Forum to discuss the role of sustainability in the post-COVID-19 world.

BNP Paribas Real Estate Investment Management (BNP Paribas REIM) has successfully launched the first property fund that sets out to be compliant with the 2015 Paris Agreement, a landmark agreement that brought nations together to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future. 

The geopolitical diversity of the EMEA region means that there are multiple economic and business permutations to consider in light of a new first term for President Biden and the Democratic party. There is a strong likelihood that the EU and national EEA (European Economic Area) governments will cooperate more openly with the United States under President Biden. Outside of the EEA, in Middle East, Africa, Russia and Turkey ongoing relationships will be more mixed.