Panattoni has become the first developer in the sector to introduce BREEAM certification at the ‘Excellent’ level as the standard for all its new facilities. To date, Panattoni has built 5,7 million sqm of space that has qualified for green certificates and tops the rankings for sustainable industrial construction. This includes the first BREEAM ‘Excellent’ certificate in the Polish industrial sector – for Panattoni Park Sosnowiec I – to add to having developed the most sustainable industrial building in Europe: Panattoni Park Cheb in the Czech Republic, which has an ‘Outstanding’ rating.

Heimstaden Bostad has set new sustainability targets and will invest nearly €500 million (SEK 5 billion) to reduce the company’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 46% by 2030, in line with the Paris Agreement ambition to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

Marius Persenea, Chief Operating Officer of Romanian real estate developer IULIUS talked to Property Forum about financing, sustainable development and future plans for different market segments.

Romania's Impact Developer & Contractor will increase its share capital within one year in a bid to support its pipeline of residential projects in Romania.

Hungary-based Alfa Group plans to raise approximately HUF 10 billion in its first Green Bond issue scheduled for October 2021. Ohad Epschtein, Managing Partner of Alfa Group International talked to Property Forum about the importance of sustainability and he also shared some details about the company’s expansion strategy.

Will Robson, Executive Director and Global Head of Real Estate Solutions Research at MSCI, talked to Property Forum about the assessment of environmental, social and governance (ESG) indicators in commercial real estate and its emerging role in the risk management of organizations.

Hungary-based Alfa Group’s first Green Bond receives strong anticipation from investors with proceeds from the approx. HUF 10 billion issue planned to be invested in green buildings.

Awaiting the reopening of shops and service outlets to go shopping at traditional brick-and-mortar stores, positive footfall results achieved by most shopping centres in May, the opening of a second Primark store with a third one in the pipeline, plus a strong debut of a new Polish off-price concept – these are some of the key news and developments to have taken place in the retail sector in Q2 2021, according to BNP Paribas Real Estate.

Hannes Wimmer, Executive Director, Loan Syndication at Erste Group Bank AG talked to Property Forum about the segments driving the property investment market and the funding focus of banks on sustainable projects. He reveals that compared to Western Europe, the CEE region is lagging a bit when it comes to financing sustainable projects, but big changes can be expected during the next 6 to 12 months.

Since 2007, when the European Investment Bank (EIB) issued the world's first Climate Action Bond (CAB), green bonds have evolved from a marketing tool into one of the fastest-growing investment vehicles. This trend is also visible in the real estate market and is expected only to strengthen, according to Colliers.