ESG in real estate: Key issues and risks facing the industry
The real estate industry is undoubtedly a driver of economic development. Both absorbing and generating capital, it requires space and planning, while processing but also producing significant resources. It consumes huge amounts of energy, water and raw materials and produces twice as much waste. The world is running out of sand, with the cement manufacturing process being responsible for high global carbon emissions. It’s clear we need a systemic change to achieve sustainable development.
The challenge of implementing ESG measures is becoming one of the key factors in successfully attracting investors, customers, vendors, tenants and, ultimately, employees. Awareness of ESG is growing, as are the activities, opportunities and expectations of the market itself, which is demanding ever higher standards and more effective solutions.
ESG is becoming a strategic element of all real estate investments
Like every other area of our lives, ESG is constantly evolving. On the one hand, this is due to changing conditions, evolving technologies, increasing levels of our knowledge and access to resources. On the other side, the regulatory and legislative environment is trying to keep up with the changes affecting contractors, investors, engineers and software developers.
How to navigate this environment? What can we expect? Where is the industry heading as it tries to adapt to the demands of sustainable business? And what is the future of the real estate sector?
These and similar questions were answered during a training session with experts from Savills, a real estate market leader, as part of a series organised by Rzeczpospolita.
ESG in real estate: Key issues and risks facing the industry
During the training, we discussed the impact of environmental, social and governance factors and risks on the value of real property, about green leases and the legal aspects of non-financial reporting, i.e. the requirements of the CSRD.
We discussed how to avoid greenwashing. We touched on international and national regulations for decarbonising real estate and the benefits of applying sustainable financial practices and ESG in the real estate industry.
It was exactly as we expected – precise, substantive and intensive.
Indeed, the training was conducted by our best experts:
- Malwina Jagiełło, Counsel, and expert of the Real Estate Committee at the National Chamber of Commerce
- Kamila Jachnik-Czarnecka, Senior Associate in the Energy, Infrastructure & Environment Practice Group
- Wojciech Wrochna, Partner, Head of the Energy, Infrastructure & Environment Practice Group
- Krzysztof Zięba, Partner, Head of the FMCG, Retail & Automotive Practice and the Trade & Distribution Law Practice
- Jan Ziomek, Partner, Head of the FinTech Practice
This is the second training we have held in cooperation with Savills. We wrote about the first one here.
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