The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has successfully subscribed to a €24.7 million ticket as part of an inaugural five-year €300 million green bond issuance by MAS Securities BV. The firm is wholly owned by MAS Real Estate Inc., an investor and operator of predominantly retail real estate assets that focuses on CEE.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has successfully subscribed to a €67 million ticket as part of an inaugural eight-year €600 million green bond issuance by VGP NV, a pan-European provider of logistics and semi-industrial real estate. EBRD’s investment will support the development of sustainable semi-industrial and logistics parks in Hungary, Latvia, Romania and the Slovak Republic.

Three years ago, Aldi installed its first solar power plant in its store in Sopron, followed by the unit in Budaörs. Experiences have shown that the company was able to generate two months' worth of electricity consumption this way, which motivated it to expand the initiative. Aldi will install solar panels on the rooftops of 16 stores nationwide. It expects each plant to cover at least two months' electricity supply in the given store.

CPI Property Group plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030 and commits to transition all electricity purchases by the Group to 100% renewable sources by 2024. The company announced changes to the Group’s environmental strategy and targets.

Public transport expert Dávid Vitézy, CEO of the governmental organisation Budapest Development Agency (BFK), was recently invited by RICS to join its ranks as a Fellow Member, recognizing his unique professional knowledge. On the occasion of this new appointment, he talked to Property Forum about the future he imagines for Budapest.

Logistics developer VGP is committed to further implementing comprehensive and sustainable measures along its sustainability strategy in the next years to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025. To this end, the company has now set itself new targets.

Concrete and the cement used as a binder in it have been found one of the major contributors to climate change. Cement production accounted for 7% of all global carbon dioxide emissions in 2018, a ratio unlikely to decrease in coming decades as concrete remains one of the most often used resources on Earth. This has made creating a technology that prevents large quantities of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere when concrete is poured necessary, according to an article by the World Economic Forum.

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.

Although recently analysts have been focusing primarily on the impact of the pandemic, long-term trends on the property market are also shaped by another factor, namely climate change. The term sustainable development in real estate most often has positive connotations. Certificates granted to “green buildings” increase their prestige and appeal to future users. However, the environmental factor in property valuation also has its dark side. Commentary by Alicja Zajler, director of Valuation and Advisory Services at Colliers.

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.