Sustainability and wellness are now established as key components of real estate. Increasingly, we’re seeing these trends defining the future of work and accelerate as businesses adjust themselves to the pandemic envisaging towards a more fluid workplace. 

And perhaps even more encouragingly, employees are an indispensable asset in the advancement of operational efficiency of assets while also focusing on the creation of energy-efficient future-ready resources. 

Following the release of JLL’s new research study, where 1,200 individuals aged 21-45 across Asia Pacific, it is clear that real estate sustainability is a more pressing issue than ever before. For both commercial and residential properties, it is evident that the incorporation of urban greenery has made sustainability crucial in improving the mental welfare of occupants. Furthermore, an improved awareness of urban greenery for all, while prospecting the decisions of occupants when deciding their next place of residence and enhancing the productivity of the hybrid work arrangements for office workers, is now centre stage. 

Opportunities in sustainable practices 

Value enhancement through sustainable practises have been highly sought after by homeowners and developers all around. According to JLL’s research report, approximately half of the polled individuals expressed interest in living in residences that promotes water and energy conservation. In an array of green strategies, utilising biophilic designs has been influential in bringing nature into the built environment. In the indoor environment enhancements including maximizing daylight and providing optimal ventilation and moisture control, significantly impacts the health and contentment of inhabitants. 

Similarly, as energy and water efficiency continue to gain traction across the residential and commercial real estate, maximizing energy use by recycling and conserving water is one of the highly adoptable strategies to meet the demands of sustainability-minded individuals. Thus, incorporating these strategies further supports sustainable housing and living.  

Moving Forward

Corporations can actively engage with their employees in contributing towards achieving their green agenda by implementing simple measures. For example, enforcing sustainability practises across their office space, water-efficient fixtures, smart lighting, efficient appliances for the pantry, indoor plants and ergonomic furniture which can provide advantages of a green office. 

Thus, creating a sustainable business that employees can rally around is fundamental to meeting new demands from people. While it is apparent that both businesses and employees recognise the importance and value of sustainability, the difference is, while businesses design and embarks on their corporate sustainability journeys on a larger scale, employees who are eager to contribute gets left behind as they do not know how to start. On that account, business leaders need to provide support, guidance, and collaboration to create opportunities for employees to lead and contribute towards the green sustainability agenda.  

Taking baby steps towards creating a sustainable future, businesses can actively engage with their employees through simple initiatives like printing on both sides of the paper, adopting an office plant, saying no to zero use plastic, recycling waste, and eliminating the use of single-use plastics and disposable tableware. 

While ensuring the facilitation of employee-led initiatives, organisations must support them by reinforcing their time and funding for environmental and social projects. Comparatively, identification of eco-champions within their workforce by their business leader are crucial as they can act as key stakeholders to contribute to the decision-making process on sustainability commitments. 

Looking beyond the immediate, businesses must continuously re-engage their employees by making them feel like they are an integral part of their company’s sustainability agenda, as even the best strategies lose its shine over time.

COP26 – Return on Sustainability 

With COP26 coming up, this event will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. It is reassuring to observe the different countries collaborating to create discussions on reducing carbon emissions. 

Studies has shown that real estate accounts for approximately 40% of carbon emissions, this in turns generates opportunities for real estate to support this agenda by implementing sustainable actions. JLL’s latest research found that 70% of employees agree that office buildings can be highly impactful in reducing carbon emissions, more so than residential (55%) and retail (50%) buildings. 

Both business leaders and their employees are committed to taking urgent action on decarbonization and contributing towards reductions in global emissions. Aware of the enthusiasm and dedication of employees who wants to contribute and observe sustainability features being part of office buildings, organisations should be open to exploring retrofitting office spaces and buildings with sustainability features, such as smart technology to support water conservation and energy efficiency, to reduce environmental impact. 

Envisioning the future of real estate, the direction of travel is clear. Sustainability has the capability and potential to transform businesses, industries, and society. As it develops to a global economic risk, the race to net zero carbon continues to gather speed. It can be difficult to keep up in such turbulent times, but we must start adapting to and embracing change.

Read the reserarch report here.