From April 2018, it will be illegal to let out certain energy inefficient buildings in the UK. Under what has commonly been termed the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, or MEES, landlords will not be able to let out properties with an Environmental Performance Certificate (EPC) rated F or G. Government estimates have shown this could affect as high as 23% of the commercial real estate market, affecting as much as £165 billion of real estate.
The GRESB survey is the leading means by which funds investing in Real Estate can be benchmarked for their Environment Social and Governance (ESG) performance. The 2017 assessment covered 77,000 assets across 62 countries on 6 continents, equating to $3.7 trillion GAV. This represents a 12% increase in overall participation and reflects the growing appetite from investors to understand the ESG impacts of their portfolios.
Companies are increasing their impact on community through program design that reflects the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Christine Foster, Tata Consultancy Services, will share her recent experience strategizing through an SDG lens, with colleagues from IBM, IMPACT2030, the Taproot Foundation, and Imagine Canada. This knowledge-sharing will occur November 2-3, 2017, at the upcoming Toronto conference Inside Out: A Transformative Approach to Community Investment.