Over the years, Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) have been an important topic of interest across CRE organizations of various sizes and shapes. Not only is it vital to protect the global environment and the health and well-being of local communities, but it also ensures external pressures are met, such as the fulfillment of GRESB and ESG scores, compliance with government carbon reduction regulations that hold hefty fees, and maintaining an asset’s value. But the question is, who is responsible for decarbonizing an office building and meeting these industry-wide requirements?
Typically, decarbonization is among the top topic of attention among these environmental pillars in an organization. Multiple leaders are often responsible for pushing their office buildings to attain net-zero energy, lower carbon levels, and reduce costs.
However, with ESG as a fairly new consideration within the CRE industry, some portfolios struggle to decide who in their organization should lead ESG efforts. Keep reading to learn more about which roles are taking charge of their organization’s ESG strategies within the top companies in the CRE industry.
Roles responsible for decarbonizing an office building
Here are various team players in an organization who are responsible for decarbonizing an office building:
- Asset managers are often responsible for deciding which decarbonization initiative to prioritize. Major CRE companies are responsible for the overall carbon emissions of the buildings, leading strategies to reduce those emissions, and reporting the decarbonization progress to investors and the relevant government regulatory authorities.
- Sustainability executives are often responsible for leading the organization in its commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility. Also, they are responsible for ensuring that all employees are aware of the efforts to decarbonize an office building. Importantly, these environmental pillars are also in charge of ensuring a plan to monitor progress and make adjustments. Thus, this personnel plays a significant role in ensuring the organization’s well-being rhymes with the required standards.
- Building engineers are responsible for decarbonizing their individual office buildings with everyday decision-making in how they choose to run their buildings. The amount of carbon dioxide produced by an office building depends on how energy-efficient a building is operating in relation to its unique size and occupancy rate. Therefore, building engineers have the power to reduce environmental impact by using software to help guide intentional and efficient operations.
Get a customized decarbonization plan for your business building today!
Decarbonizing an office building is now a critical step in ensuring a business thrives and succeeds in the long term. Though, decarbonization is not always an easy process — no matter which part you play within your portfolio’s ESG plan. To learn more about our solution to accelerate the decarbonization of the built environment and how your office buildings can create a business-smart path to decarbonization, get a custom decarbonization plan today!
