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The Upgrading of Green Building Certifications
For many years, third-party building certifications like the United States’ Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the United Kingdom’s Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM) have been used to measure sustainability issues on the design-build front.
A recent JLL article said that while LEED, BREEAM and other frameworks are effective when developing a project, they don’t provide a framework for operations and emissions. Put another way, while the built environment accounts for approximately 40% of global emissions, 27% of emissions come from building operations. As a result, more focus should be placed on energy usage and operations geared toward net-zero emissions.
The article’s authors explained that in commercial real estate, green building certification has been under the purview of landlords. However, “when it comes to company-wide carbon targets, an increasing number of corporate occupiers are making ambitious—and public—commitments to net zero emissions,” the article noted. In other words, tenants are leading in aligning operations with reduced-carbon strategies. Some measures include energy use, water use and dealing with waste.
The article said that tenants are relying on the following tools when it comes to building performance:
- The EU’s Carbon Risk Real Estate Monitor (CRREM)
- Science-Based Targets’ Buildings Science-Based Target-Setting Guidance and Tool
- National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS)
- National Definition of a Zero Emissions Building (U.S.) and the Net Zero Carbon Building Standard (UK)
Additionally, there’s been a drive toward local regulatory focus on building performance standards in many cities worldwide.
The green certification organizations are also getting into the act, with the U.S. Green Building Council and Building Research Establishment announcing plans to boost their processes to represent emissions performance. Meanwhile, JLL, Amazon, JPMorgan and ProLogis partnered with the International Living Future Institute to develop a new certification program for green certification outside of major capital projects and developments.
- ◦Policy/Gov't
