Occupiers slow to measure environmental performance
Only about one third of occupiers are measuring their environmental performance, according to a benchmarking survey conducted by DTZ and CoreNet Global. Reporting the results, DTZ says that despite increasing pressure on companies to be more socially responsible, only around a third (35%) are collecting environmental metrics for portfolio benchmarking.
Cost is the most popular benchmarking metric to be collected, with 87% of organisations collecting total occupancy costs, and 72% of organisations measuring cost per person at least once a year. Among the organisations that are collecting environmental data, the focus is on CO2 per person/per sq m and water consumption per person, with 35% and 34% of organisations respectively measuring these figures at least once a year. And 28% of organisations are collecting data on the amount of non-recycled waste per person.
DTZ associate director Stephen Fleetwood says the low level of environmental benchmarking, which is at odds with the growing importance of the ‘sustainability agenda’, means that occupiers are less able to make informed decisions about portfolio strategy.
“Whilst some organisations are at least collecting CO2, water and waste data, the environmental agenda is rapidly evolving and companies will need to start looking at other metrics, such as how much of their power requirements are met by renewable energy and the impact of travel to work patterns and modes,” he notes.
Michael Anderson, manager of research and the Knowledge Center at CoreNet Global, says that a rigorous benchmarking exercise “is a very powerful way of engaging senior managers and company boards to focus on how changes in real estate strategies can make an enduring difference to the success of their business. Generally, benchmarking is high on the real estate agenda but in practice it is still very piecemeal. While there has been a laudable enthusiasm to date, it will only move on with the creation of clear industry standards and collaboration between organisations in different sectors of the market.”
Over 200 corporate real estate professionals from more than 140 companies around the world and across a wide range of sectors shared their benchmarking practices and opinions as part of the survey.
