Time for talking sustainability over, now it’s time for action

For the last two years or so the real estate industry has discussed the targets, such as achieving net zero operational carbon by 2030 or 2040 but it is now time to focus on action, says European head of ESG at Hines, Daniel Chang.

“And it’s not just about carbon but also the social agenda,” he emphasises.

In terms of carbon in operational buildings the key is collecting consumption data, harnessing that information and managing those buildings to optimise consumption.

When designing and building new property it is a question of building with lower embodied carbon but setting industry-wide standards to enable a proper understanding of what the objectives are.

“If you are talking about the social agenda, it’s really about continuing to focus on creating human-centric spaces.”

Chang emphasises that that does not only mean the spaces within the building. “But also it’s about the impact of our buildings in their broader community and really integrating them and embedding them to create more resilient communities.”

And he added that it is essential to ensure that we are leveraging innovation to work more effectively over time.

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