Global ESG Case Studies

As part of the building owner’s broader Sustainability agenda, Twenty8 Freshwater successfully expanded and upgraded end-of-trip (EOT) facilities by converting some car parking spaces to support bicycle commuting for tenants rather than driving a car. The addition of EOT facilities has increased the lifestyle amenities of this building, strengthened tenant relationships by promoting health and wellbeing activities and therefore improved the owner’s ability to renew tenant leases and maintain high occupancy rates. 

Seasons by Amvest integrates informal care within a supportive community, promoting independence and reducing reliance on formal healthcare. By fostering social interaction and efficient care delivery, it enhances well-being while lowering costs. With high occupancy rates, cost savings of up to 30%, and strong resident satisfaction, Seasons redefines assisted living as a model of connection, dignity, and sustainability.

The case study highlights how LGIM transformed Poole's Dolphin Centre from a struggling shopping mall into a thriving mixed-use space with healthcare, education, and leisure facilities. This revitalisation created new jobs, and fostered community impact through initiatives like an Adult Education Centre and NHS clinic. The project illustrates the power of place-based strategies in improving both social and economic outcomes.

Southside, located in central Stockholm is a redevelopment of an office building into a state-of-the-art educational building that will focus on the wellbeing of its occupants, demonstrating strong social value credentials.

Prepared by EQT

Code, located in Paris CBD was a major redevelopment from a car park into a Grade A office with a strong focus on sustainability certifications and occupier health and wellbeing. Several sustainability and health and wellbeing certifications were achieved upon completion.

Prepared by EQT

Allee Center, located in Leipzig (Germany) is a daily needs shopping destination and community hub in the district. Indoor and outdoor greenery, water features and biophilic elements enhance the visitor experience. Active engagement with community groups and charities as well as holding community events have ensured strong links with the local community.

Prepared by EQT

In November 2019, Patron Capital announced its intention to establish the Women in Safe Homes (WISH) Fund, believed to be the world’s first gender-lens property fund, alongside Resonance and Big Society Capital. The fund will be a solution to the lack of affordable, safe and secure homes for women who are experiencing homelessness, have been involved with the criminal justice system, are survivors of domestic abuse or have other complex needs.

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a powerful organizational and communications tool for institutional investors and asset managers as they are universally accepted across multiple facets of society. But the SDGs are vulnerable to misuse, misrepresentation and dilution. Investors need to ensure that when a product is labelled as “aligned with the SDGs” that it moves beyond just alignment and makes a real contribution to positive social and environmental outcomes. In this article we explain how we have approached this challenge with an investment in affordable housing, one of the main sectors within social infrastructure.

Prepared by Franklin Templeton

The case study details the development of Innocent Drinks’ energy-neutral factory in Rotterdam, designed by Deerns. The facility integrates sustainable features, including a solar park, wind turbines, and efficient energy systems, achieving BREEAM-NL Outstanding and WELL Platinum certifications. Producing 400 million bottles annually, it reduces transportation miles by 25% and CO₂ emissions by 10%. This innovative approach highlights effective collaboration and sustainability in industrial design.

The Malinas Retail Park in Mechelen, Belgium, developed by Mitiska REIM, is Europe’s first CO2-neutral retail park. Achieving BREEAM 'Excellent' certification, its sustainable features include solar panels generating 2.85 MWp, green façades, permeable paving, and rainwater management systems. The park also promotes biodiversity, creating 254 jobs and providing eco-friendly infrastructure like EV charging stations. Opened fully let in 2021, it reflects the demand for accessible, sustainable retail solutions.

The Elithis Danube Tower in Strasbourg is the world’s first energy-positive residential building, generating more energy than it consumes through solar panels and smart design. Completed in 2018, this 17-story, 63-apartment tower emphasizes sustainability, affordability, and comfort, offering near-zero energy bills and reduced CO₂ emissions. Residents use a Smart Home App to monitor and optimize energy usage. The project demonstrates that sustainable construction can be cost-effective and scalable, inspiring plans for 100 similar towers by 2030.

User manual for the CRREM Risk Assessment Tool V2: This Reference Guide accompanies the CRREM Carbon Risk Assessment Tool for the Global Commercial & Residential Real Estate Industry. 

The guide provides an overall instruction on how the CRREM tool should be applied, as well as indepth guidance into the user input variables for the tool, user adjustable variables, default data underlying the tool and resulting output figures on property and portfolio level.

APG implemented a biodiversity risk assessment across its global real estate portfolio to address biodiversity loss. This analysis, using data from leading conservation organisations, highlighted areas of protected habitats, priority species, and critical conservation needs. Conducting the analysis for APG’s Amsterdam office serves as an illustrative example of how these type of assessments can be of value, even in urbanised areas. Despite its urban nature, the region around Amsterdam demonstrates significant biodiversity value and conservation potential.The insights from the analysis help APG develop targeted conservation strategies and integrate biodiversity considerations into investment decisions​.

Revelop has partnered with Myrspoven to improve the energy efficiency of its properties.

Myrspoven’s AI platform, myCoreAI, was integrated to optimise energy use. It analyses data from the building and external sources, such as weather and social patterns, to create a unique algorithm tailored to each building’s specific conditions and usage.

The case study outlines how a.s.r. Real Estate partnered with Scaler to meet its ambitious goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2045. Using the Scaler platform, a.s.r. was able to create data-driven decarbonisation roadmaps for its portfolio of over 450 assets. Scaler's tools help track energy use, GHG emissions, and sustainability efforts, while enabling iterative scenario planning. 

This partnership provides transparent, actionable insights for reducing emissions, improving data accuracy, and aligning with international standards like the Paris Agreement.

Cromwell Property Group partnered with Deepki to streamline ESG data collection and reporting across its European portfolio. The Deepki platform automates utility data collection, enabling better asset performance insights, energy and carbon reduction planning, and compliance with European regulations. By March 2023, 74% of Cromwell's European assets were integrated, allowing for improved energy tracking, tenant data collection, and carbon accounting. 

This initiative supports Cromwell’s ESG strategy with clearer reporting and actionable sustainability targets​.

abrdn's AIPUT faced challenges in meeting the UK’s Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements for its Heathrow developments. The solution involved creating a biodiversity bank on a 30-hectare greenfield site. This area, initially agricultural land, was converted into a habitat, generating BNG credits for use in the fund's developments. The project also contributed to carbon offsetting and community rewilding. Although market conditions led to a shift away from the BNG proposals, the model showed potential for future biodiversity and carbon credit initiatives within abrdn’s wider portfolio.

APG implemented a biodiversity risk assessment across its global real estate portfolio to address biodiversity loss. This analysis, using data from leading conservation organisations, highlighted areas of protected habitats, priority species, and critical conservation needs. Conducting the analysis for APG’s Amsterdam office serves as an illustrative example of how these type of assessments can be of value, even in urbanised areas. Despite its urban nature, the region around Amsterdam demonstrates significant biodiversity value and conservation potential.The insights from the analysis help APG develop targeted conservation strategies and integrate biodiversity considerations into investment decisions​.

Bourn Quarter, a 25-acre business park, transformed a former WW2 airfield site with innovative biodiversity initiatives. These included insect hotels, bird boxes and over 2,500 native trees and shrubs. A sustainable urban drainage system supports local species and manages runoff. The site minimises light pollution to protect local wildlife like the Barbastelle bat. This green infrastructure, alongside wildflower seeding, has created a thriving natural habitat, enhancing both biodiversity and the area's aesthetic appeal​.

With the construction of a new shopping center on a plot covered by grassland, KLP Eiendom wished to reduce the project’s negative impact on local biodiversity. KLP Eiendom's Fornebu S shopping center in Oslo incorporates a green roof that recreates a rare local habitat, "dry calcareous grassland," enhancing biodiversity. The roof consists of 84 native plant species and beehives and  provides a vital “green corridor, helping to protect the local biotope after the conversion of significant natural land into a built environment. It mitigates physical climate risks by absorbing water during torrential rain, reducing stress on storm drains. The green roof helps keep the building cool during extreme heat. Furthermore, it enhances the visual appeal for residents in surrounding apartment buildings.