‘Ambitious’ sustainability audit program will be a value driver

LaSalle Investment Management is currently auditing its entire direct holding portfolio across Europe in what Brett Ormrod describes as “a rather ambitious net zero carbon audit program”.

“Sustainability is really embedded into the hearts of our business operations, from investment decision making through to asset management,” says Ormrod, who is the firm’s net zero carbon lead.

“It’s absolutely integral to what we do and we believe it is a value driver for our investments, both now and into the future,” he said.

Currently the firm’s auditors are on site doing energy assessments and providing costed pathways for asset managers and fund managers to use in the investment making decision process.

Ormrod said this is critical to transition on the path to net zero by 2050. “We’re hoping to leverage a lot of the data. We’ve completed 150 audits already and we’ve got another 100 or so to go.”

“We’re compiling a very rich database of asset performance and costs which we will use in the underwriting process to help us understand what costs we need to embed into the asset business plans to get them on a transition pathway.”

Repurposing and reusing buildings is LIM’s main focus and the firm has pioneering developments underway including timber-hybrid office, Tree, in Munich for which materials from the building that it is replacing have been recycled. Meanwhile, at One Exchange Square in London about 90% of the existing structure is being retained.

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