2050 targets will still be there when economic dust settles

Despite the short term distractions of rising interest rates and inflation, there is still a pressing need for decarbonisation and an urgent need for real estate to become more sustainable.

Raoul Thomassen, chief operational officer for Belgian listed care home specialist Aedifica, said that in the medium to long term, his company needs to make sure that its portfolio is “future proof”.

“Future proof in terms of care homes that are fit for purpose for the needs of elderly residents but definitely also future proof when we speak about their energy performance,” he said.

Thomassen said the company is committed to the goals of the Paris Accord and is aiming for net zero emissions by 2050.

“There is a long road between now and 2050 and that’s what we are actively working on with our business partners to achieve,” he said.

“Currently, when it comes to launching new developments there is sometimes a delay, some projects are being renegotiated, some projects are being put on hold. So that doesn’t help if you actually want to provide more beds for residents or more care homes,” Thomassen said.

And that extra capacity will be needed for the expected wave of ‘baby boomers’ that will be 80 years and older by 2025. “This temporary setback – the current interest rate environment – doesn’t help, but we are counting on the fact that at some stage the market will find a new balance.”

He said that this will be at a new level. “From there we can pick up where we left off, so in the end we will adjust and make sure we still meet our goals,” he said.

Please click on the video above to watch the full interview or listen to the podcast below.