The Northern Hemisphere is yet again in the midst of another record-breaking summer, although this time with devastating wildfires that are destroying real estate and livelihoods. It provides a glimpse of the big picture: a warming planet caused by climate change. This serves as a powerful reminder of the urgent need for businesses and organisations to prioritise their ESG efforts. Regardless of how legislation may change, as an industry we need to be doubling down.

By embracing sustainable and responsible practices, we can not only reduce our impact on the planet but also build resilience to climate-related risks, create long-term value and meet the expectations of stakeholders in an increasingly environmentally conscious world.

At Hollis, we believe that businesses have a crucial role to play in creating a sustainable and equitable future for all. That’s why we have made a steadfast commitment to ESG principles and continue adding to our growing ESG team, led by experts in their respective fields such as Katherine Beisler and Stuart Patience.

Through our various initiatives and efforts, we strive to make a positive impact on the planet, our communities and our stakeholders. It’s been a busy spring/summer of ESG activity…

Get Set for Net Zero

We are proud to be partnering with Property Week on its inaugural Get Set for Net Zero campaign.

Over the next 12 months, the campaign will gather vital information on best practice from around the property industry. The goal will be to focus on practical information and lessons learned so far as well as public-private collaboration, with Property Week aiming to bring industry concerns to the government.

FOOTPRINT+ and BCO’s annual conference

We chaired a panel at Footprint+ discussing how to challenge the dominance of Cat A fitouts. Interesting takeaways? We need occupier buy-in and collaboration to want to reuse materials, but also flexibility at either end of leases to allow for re-use, alongside enabling conversations about what existing tenants might want to leave or keep. It is also everyone’s responsibility to push the message that reused materials can be just as good as brand new.

Besides expanding the debate on how to decarbonise real estate at FOOTPRINT+, we also got to see the advancements of technology in the office sector at the British Council for Offices annual conference.

Thought leadership

Director Will Pasco proved his first-hand sustainability experience by penning an article for EG’s ESG Special Magazine urging landlords to address building fabric in addition to M&E optimisation when looking to refurbish and reposition assets. You can read the full article here.

We are proud to be an official partner on EG’s ESG programme which facilitates debate, discussion and action to address ESG considerations within the built environment.

Property EU Green Roadshow

Associate Deepshikha Mattel was one of five experts brought together in the second of a series of three live events in Amsterdam in April to discuss where the real estate industry has reached on the road to net zero.

The main conclusions included the need for consensus on key terms relating to ESG matters, the importance of a proactive approach, and how engaging more effectively with occupiers to understand their goals can result in a win-win situation for landlords.

Livery Climate Action Group Annual Conference

I attended the Livery Climate Action Group’s second annual conference which welcomed upwards of 120 guests from over 40 livery companies. Acting as a representative from the built environment, I had the opportunity to speak about the fundamentals of the future, stressing that now is the time for us all to act.

Pushing forward with clients

We are lucky to be working with some very forward-thinking clients who are utilising our level of knowledge and the size of our dedicated, cross-European ESG team to work on major decarbonisation programmes. For many institutional investors, this has meant making comprehensive assessments and strategies across large portfolios, whereas others are taking a property-by-property approach to be as innovative as possible.

What is clear is that the industry is waking up to its need to take responsibility for managing climate change, as well as making changes to ensure compliance with impending legislation.