IMPACT Profile: Robbie Epsom – leading the transition to net zero

Robbie Epsom, EMEA head of sustainability at CBRE Investment Management, tells Richard Betts about his role and involvement in the green transition.

What is your background in terms of sustainability?

Before joining CBRE IM three years ago, I worked for 12 years in sustainability and ESG consultancy. I’m a chartered environmentalist and fellow of both the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (ICRS) and the Institution of Environmental Sciences.

I studied chemical engineering and work as part of a growing in-house team of scientists and engineers. Our technical backgrounds support us in measuring, communicating, and managing ESG risks and opportunities.

Collaboration and sharing best practices to support the sustainability revolution is something I put a high value on, both personally and professionally. To that end, I volunteer as a board director and vice-chair at the ICRS, and I am also an advisory board member of the International EPD System, a global programme for environmental product declarations.

What are the key elements of the ESG strategy at CBRE IM?

Our strategy combines green investment principles with social and governance factors, including diversity, equity and inclusion. We have ambitious targets for the next two decades, including a corporate commitment with the aim to achieve many of our aspirations by 2040. This work represents many perspectives and is the product of extensive engagement with our stakeholders, clients and employees.

Our commitments are:

Climate: We seek to address climate risks and enhance investment return opportunities by focusing on delivering net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) performance and physical resilience.

People: Our people are at the forefront of our thinking as we work towards strategic goals for diversity, equity and inclusion. We also have a strong commitment to advancing long-term change in our industry. 

Influence: We seek to engage and inspire those we work with to embrace sustainability, which informs our engagement with key stakeholders and our involvement in industry working groups to help shape and advance sustainability in the industry.

How do you see this developing over the next three years?

CBRE IM’s core focus for the next three years is on our transition to net-zero carbon emissions, reducing GHG emissions and addressing physical climate risk. We are moving from a period of strategy and target setting to implementing projects at scale to initiate systematic change on the ground.

The data gathering, analytics, strategic framework and actions taken around net zero will provide us with a strong foundation that will enable us to integrate wider sustainability topics that we expect to rise up the agenda over the coming years. For example, social value, biodiversity, the circular economy, carbon removal and whole-life carbon.

The implementation of a systematic decarbonisation audit programme across our global portfolios will help us achieve our carbon reduction targets. We are taking proactive steps, with the aim of being ahead of the curve on transition risk and effectively managing our emissions.

What are your key personal goals in your role at CBRE IM?

As a sustainability leader within the built environment, my ambition is to harness the scale of the real asset management sector and foster collaboration across the whole value chain, with the ultimate objective of removing barriers and driving systematic and scalable solutions to accelerate the transition to a net-zero and sustainable economy.

I’m passionate about finding the win-wins for both sustainability and business and making sure changes are done in the right way with maximum positive impact.

In my role as EMEA head of sustainability, I am responsible for the implementation of CBRE IM’s Sustainability Vision, which underscores the firm’s commitment to be a leader in sustainability.

Working closely with the global sustainability team and all of the EMEA investor and operator teams, my priority is the continued integration and harmonisation of sustainability practices and leadership throughout all four of CBRE IM’s business lines in EMEA – direct real estate, indirect real estate, private infrastructure and listed real assets.