Leading the way in embracing ESG

Joining sustainability leaders Mazyar Mortazavi (CEO & President, TAS Impact), Menno Lammers (Founder, PropTech for Good) and Clemens Brenninkmeijer (Head of Sustainable Business Operations, Redevco BV), Ami urged the real estate sector to move away from box ticking towards a new focus on performance and output.

As a tangible asset class, we can easily monitor performance and measure results – and with top-level leadership, we can go further to transform the cultural mindset away from insularity and truly embed ESG into our DNA.

Putting competition aside and placing a combination of profit and purpose at the heart of our operations will make real estate organisations ambassadors for a movement, rather than winners or losers in a ‘race to zero’.

Ami highlighted a complete strategy pivot for Amro’s micro living project on Kingston Riverside, The Rex, which saw plans for a full demolition and rebuild withdrawn from planning and scrapped in favour of a retrofit that is set to become London’s first green retrofit, net zero building. This willingness to adapt quickly and take projects back to the drawing board if they no longer align is a testimony to our commitment to becoming carbon negative. The panel agreed we must all consider every opportunity not to demolish – and more proptech and climate tech solutions are needed to help real estate firms upscale retrofits.

Offsetting has an important role to play in our journey to net zero, not as a way out but as a means of ensuring any residual emissions can be mopped up. But permanence and provenance are two vital considerations when choosing an offsetting pathway, considering buildings will stand for a minimum of sixty years.

To watch a recording of the full discussion please click here.