Global ESG Case Studies

In 2021, CRREM extended its remit to include Asia & North America. This Case Study explains the aims of the pilot, the approach taken, key findings and lessons learned. This Case Study provides some updates on the next steps for the CRREM pathways and its implementation across Asia & North America.

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. 

A report released in 2019 by Urban Land Institute and Heitman details the potential risks and implications of climate change on the real estate sector. Furthermore, the report makes a call to investors and investment managers to come into action and work towards better solutions in the future, for which the report presents a number of thinking paths.

Firstly, the report aims to give property investors a better understanding of climate risk and its real estate investment implications. As such, types of climate risk and their potential impact on real estate are explained.

Secondly, the research addresses the state of current practice for assessing and mitigating climate risk in real estate as well as highlighting best practices across the industry. From the examples it becomes clear that, nowadays, climate risk insurance is used as the main protection for asset value.

Finally, it is acknowledged that climate risk insurance alone is insufficient to mitigate the risk of devaluation in the future. As such, investors and investment managers need to find effective solutions. The report touches upon a number of potential solutions:

• Mapping physical risk for current portfolios and potential acquisitions;
• Incorporating climate risk into due diligence and other investment decision-making processes;
• Incorporating additional physical adaptation and mitigation measures for assets at risk;
• Exploring a variety of strategies to mitigate risk, including portfolio diversification and investing directly in the mitigation measures for specific assets; and,
• Engaging with policymakers on city-level resilience strategies and supporting the investment by cities in mitigating the risk of all assets under their jurisdiction.

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.

A lack of affordable housing is a global issue and not one exclusively seen in developing markets, with acute issues also common in property hotspots in Western Europe and North America. Whilst there is no single definition of affordable housing, generally the term captures a wide spectrum of housing options, varying from social rent, to intermediate rent, to first-time buyer schemes aimed at getting people on the property ladder.

Prepared by BMO Global Asset Management

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