How certification standards provide practical pathways to safety, health and well-being in our office buildings
In its definition of health, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is clear to highlight that it is not only the absence of disease or illness, but rather a holistic comprehensive state of wellbeing on all levels: physical, mental and social.
The case for healthy materials in a post-COVID world
As the world tries to recover from the ongoing global pandemic, questions are being asked as to how this can be prevented from happening again, but also how we can create healthier environments for ourselves. In the post-COVID world we are all starting to notice how our health and wellbeing is being affected by the […]
Reopening Offices: Examining Health & Wellness in the New Workplace
With offices beginning to reopen across the country, one of the main concerns for landlords and tenants alike is the safety of the workspace. Sanitation levels and preventative measures need to be at an all-time high to comply with local guidelines as well as to ensure that tenants are actually willing to return to work. […]
The state of safety, health, and wellbeing in 2020
Following coronavirus outbreaks in their supply chains, both Tyson Foods Inc. and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. added a Chief Medical Officer to their executive teams. These actions reflect the market’s increased emphasis on employee safety, health, and wellbeing in 2020. Expansions of safety, health, and wellbeing were not uncommon pre-COVID. In fact, many sectors recorded […]
Recalibrating for COVID-19: Protecting Occupant Health, Safety and Wellbeing
2020 marked the start of a new decade, bringing with it a variety of crises that dramatically impact human health, safety and wellbeing. In addition to a number of natural disasters and humanitarian crises around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc as communities scramble to control the spread of the virus and respond to unprecedented challenges such as the social upheaval of […]
AREF Future Gen Survey: Remote working in a post-coronavirus environment
On March 23rd 2020, the UK officially entered a legally enforced “lockdown,” confining many of us to our homes for the foreseeable future. For some, the transition has been an easy one, having already been accustomed to remote working on a regular basis. For others, working from home has come with its challenges, including lack […]
Investors Expect and Demand Meaningful Environmental Goals and Progress
There is no doubt that environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles play an increasingly influential role in investment management today. For real estate investors in particular, climate change has arrived as a material risk both in terms of physical risk from floods, hurricanes, and wildfires, as well as transitional risk such as compliance, insurance, and […]
Diversity and inclusion are both prevalent topics in society in recent years, however, they are not new concepts. The line: “diversity is a fact, inclusion is a choice” is often used to motivate people to achieve the targets of diversity and inclusion. As society is naturally full of diversities that exist amongst people, the aim […]
Revamping Diversity & Inclusion During an Era of Racial Justice
Just as the COVID-19 pandemic has made us rethink health and wellness for our employees, tenants and buildings, so should the recent social unrest surrounding racism and police brutality help us to reflect on diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts within our organizations as we make progress toward achieving our environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. The growing consensus is that racial injustice makes sustainability impossible.
COVID-19: Reshaping the notion of the materiality of health and ESG investing
The COVID-19 pandemic’s economic impact has placed a spotlight on the links between population health and the economy. Once considered the invisible H in environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting, health now is the pivotal piece that underpins all of ESG, and it will play a key role in how companies and shareholders assess where to invest in the years to come. From where we stand, the future of investing is investing for health.
In just a few years, ESG investing, also known as sustainable or responsible investing, has moved from a slightly idealistic niche to front-page, a mainstream dimension for investors, one that strongly influences the performance and resilience of their investment over time. This is particularly the case in infrastructure, in view of its wide-reaching and long-term […]
Navigating 2020 & Beyond in the Australian Hotel Sector as COVID-19 & ESG Cross Paths – Webinar
During this briefing, a panel of experts will explore the impact of COVID-19 to Australian’s Hotel sector and how ESG fitting into the plan. Amélie Delaunay of ANREV, Dr Sabine Schaffer of Pro-invest, Ruben Langbroek of GRESB and Carlos Flores of NABERS will share with us their views from different perspectives.
COVID-19 has impacted the sustainability of building operations in many ways – with reduced energy consumption, lower energy prices and an increase in single use plastics, to name a few. It has also accelerated the digitization of many facets of our lives, including how we engage with each other and the built environment. Our next webinar will discuss how the environmental and social sustainability aspects of the spaces we occupy have been impacted by COVID-19, the commercial benefits of responsible investment, as well as exploring the ethical debate around sustainable digitization.
Concerns are emerging that the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic may be about to sweep the world as economies continue to reopen after lockdowns. There are also concerns about the final wave – climate crisis. We have seen the impacts of COVID-19 in governments, businesses, and people. With limited health care capacity, taking early action, such as staying at home, washing hands and social distancing, could reduce the overall infections to keep cases at a manageable number for hospital to handle. From a short clip of the Canadian government, we understand graphically the importance of these measures in flattening the curve, where the curve represents the number of people getting sick over time. When a lot of people get sick over a short period of time, the curve rises faster, and it is more likely to surpass the level of which the health care system will be overwhelmed.
ESG Has Reached a Flash Point: Now, it’s Time to Digitize
Recent events have forced companies to place a much-needed emphasis on ESG (environmental, social, governance), if they weren’t doing so already. Climate change was once the prevailing driver of sustainability efforts, with business owners striving to minimize their carbon footprint and improve their relationship with the environment. Now, the COVID-19 pandemic has tested companies’ ability to protect the health and wellness of employees and customers. Coupled with recent protests calling attention to racial injustice, the events of this year have forced companies to reexamine the way they interact with and protect their employees and communities.
Responsible investors are leading the way to the post-pandemic recovery and the sustainable future ahead
With overall numbers of new cases and deaths continuing to decline and lockdown measures slowly being eased in most major economies, the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be abating. As countries start to rebuild in the months ahead, the crisis has clearly revealed a fundamental reshaping of investor priorities, accelerating trends which began long before the pandemic took hold.
Looking to the Future with ESG at the Forefront of Mind
Pro-invest Group, NABERS and GRESB collaborated to explore what the future may hold for the Australia Hotel Sector in light of COVID-19. Please see the highlights below or click here to download the full White Paper. COVID-19’s Ripple Effects The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on economies, health systems, and on businesses large […]
Out of Pandemic, Transformational Resilience Can Emerge
WSP’s Emily Wasley and Heather Unger explain how the knowledge gained from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and resilience actions taken in response could provide lasting lessons beyond health crises preparation, including future approaches to acute and chronic risks such as climate change.
