REIT ASIAPAC MAGAZINE REITASIAPAC SECOND- QUARTER 2021 ISSUE | Page 26

REIT ASIAPAC
Outlook

ESG: FROM AMBITION TO ACTION

By Bernie Devine, Regional Director Asia Pacific, Yardi Systems
Photo by Iva Rajović on Unsplash
How Do You Ensure Sustainable Customer Relationships Through Sustainable Outcomes?
E-S-G. How can three little letters carry such a big burden for so many real estate companies?
Environmental, social and governance investing has exploded over the last few years, as investors zero in on a host of issues from climate change to human rights.
Green bonds issuance tipped over the magic US $ 1 trillion mark in 2020, according to Climate Bonds Initiative. PwC research has found that 77 % of institutional investors plan to stop buying non-ESG products by the end of 2022. So it’ s no surprise that pension funds and private equity firms are hiring sustainability teams to scrutinise their investments through an ESG lens.
At the same time, asset managers are upping their game. Real estate companies across the Asia Pacific are setting ambitious net-zero targets. The Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance, representing US $ 32 trillion or roughly a third of the world’ s assets, has committed to decarbonisation by 2050.
Millennials – the largest generation in human history to live, work and play in buildings – have identified climate change as their priority, according to Deloitte’ s 2020 Global Millennial Survey.
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