There is scepticism in the market regarding the correlation between sustainability and financial performance but it is beneficial to be sustainable if you consider the overall life-cycle of the building, explains Oana Stamatin, ESG Chief Officer | CEE & Romania at Colliers. She talked to Property Forum about the challenges and opportunities owners of real estate face in striving for ESG compliance. 

There is a belief that ESG costs money but in fact, the opposite can be true, says Stefan de Goeij, Head of Property Management at Avison Young in the Czech Republic. He talked to Property Forum about compliance, commitment and tackling all the components of ESG in the real estate industry.

Hungarian investment and property management company Indotek Group has launched 16 energy efficiency projects with a total worth of €1.4 million (HUF 500 million) to modernize its shopping centres and office buildings.

Cushman & Wakefield expands its sustainability and ESG services. In the Central and Eastern European region, Tereza Jelínková will lead the coordination of Cushman & Wakefield’s sustainability teams.

S Immo Hungary decided to install more than 400 solar panels on top of the Blue Cube office building. The solar panels will cover 20-25% of the total energy consumption of the office building

Despite the pandemic triumph of e-commerce, customers are not giving up on shopping in brick-and-mortar shops. Brands wanting to benefit from the synergy of these channels implement innovative formats and compete for customers' attention with technology and environmentally friendly products. However, retail parks and convenience centres continue to enjoy popularity among investors and developers, says JLL.

CTP has closed a €700 million four-year green bond under its €8 billion euro medium-term note (EMTN) programme. Total demand for the issue peaked at circa €1.3 billion, reflecting the solid reputation CTP has built with investors in corporate green bonds in the 15 months since the company entered the capital markets for funding.

P3 Group announced the issuance of its inaugural senior unsecured RegS dual-tranche green bonds across 4- and 7-year tenors, in an aggregate principal amount of €1 billion. The bonds, which will be traded on the Euro MTF Market and listed on the official list of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, will bear a fixed coupon of 0.875% for the 4-year tenor, and 1.625% for the 7-year tenor, and are expected to be rated BBB by S&P, in line with the corporate rating.

CPI Property Group has become the first real estate company from CEE to issue sustainability-linked bonds. The sustainability-linked bonds were issued in the amount of €700 million, with an annual coupon of 1.75% and a maturity date of 14 January 2030.

CTP has started the construction of solar power plants across its entire portfolio, with the first phase of 6 buildings to be installed in Biatorbágy and Üllő, both located in the outskirts of Budapest.  The plants, each with a capacity of 500 kW, are scheduled to start operations in the first quarter of 2022, aiming to meet tenants' green energy needs while reducing energy costs. The project will be carried out by local contractors and will be developed by CTP as its own investment, entirely from its own resources.