Sustainability
Aroundtown’s Sustainable Business Strategy is guided by our dedication to operating responsibly, creating value for our stakeholders, and improving the environmental and social performance of our assets.
Our approach, and success, is underpinned by a set of comprehensive long-term targets which aim to deliver tangible benefits for our stakeholders; our investors, tenants, building users, local communities, and employees.
We provide an account of our performance against these long–term targets in our annual sustainability reporting. We publish a suite of reports that align with mandatory reporting requirements and international best practice standards including the EPRA Sustainability Best Practice Recommendations (sBPR) and the GRI.
A message from our Board of Directors
Frank Roseen
Director
A primary goal of our business strategy is to extract value from existing properties by implementing refurbishments and upgrades. Through our asset repositioning and management approach, we support the transition to a low-carbon and resource-efficient economy, provide much needed high-quality accommodation for businesses and people, and revitalise the existing built environment.
Our sustainability activities, organised across five focus areas, help us to attract and retain tenants and investors; reduce both landlord and occupiers’ operating costs and sustain the long-term value of our assets.
Across all stages of our business, we recognise the importance of the quality and competence of our employees in determining company performance. We support staff to develop specialist skills and expertise and aim to provide a work environment that reinforces high levels of motivation, fosters diversity and promotes health and wellbeing.
Focus Areas
Sustainability reporting
We aim to provide relevant and valuable insights to our stakeholders on our progress against our long-term goals and Sustainable Business Strategy. It is important that we continually assess our reporting to ensure it meets the expectations of all our stakeholders. Consequently, in 2021 we made a number of changes to our reporting to more accurately communicate the information needed by our stakeholders.
Our sustainability reporting consists of three main publications: our Non-Financial Report, our Sustainability Insights and our summary Sustainability – In Focus report.
Non-Financial Report
The Non-Financial Report is prepared in accordance with the Law of 23 July 2016 on the Publication of Non-financial Information and Information on Diversity, which transposes into Luxembourg legislation EU Directive 2014/95/EU.
Intended primarily for legislators and investors, the report details our approach to the management of our material environmental, social and governance issues that are essential for an understanding of our development, performance and position; and secondly, our impact on these matters.
The report (along with our in-depth Sustainability Insights), is designed to complement our annual Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ending December 31 2021.
Sustainability Insights
The Sustainability Insights, intended for investors and ESG analysts, provide a comprehensive account of our management approach and performance in relation to the individual topics which form our Sustainable Business Strategy. The Insights are prepared according to the guidelines developed by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the EPRA Sustainability Best Practice Recommendations (EPRA sBPR), and the disclosure requirements of the main investor-orientated ESG benchmarks that we engage with.
Given the growing volume of ESG rankings and indices, it is not practical for us to engage with every framework that we are invited to participate in. Instead, we choose to align our reporting and actively engage with the annual RobecoSAM assessment as this supports our inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), of which Aroundtown is a constituent since December 2022.
Environment
Employees
Society
SASB Mapping
Sustainability – In Focus
Lastly, our summary Sustainability – In Focus report provides a useful overview of our sustainability activities. This report is intended for use by our wider stakeholders; including our tenants, employees, and the communities in which our assets are located.
Reporting frameworks and indices
To demonstrate our commitment to best practice, we align our reporting with international standards including the EPRA Sustainability Best Practice Recommendations (sBPR) and the ‘Core’ in accordance requirements of the GRI Standards.
Aroundtown’s SASB Mapping 2021
We also provide a summary of how we support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Our SDG index summarises how we contribute to Goals 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16 and 17.
Awards and recognition
We have been recognised with numerous external awards for our sustainability achievements. A selection of the most recent awards we have received can be found under the Awards section of the website. Furthermore, Aroundtown is a component of several leading ESG indices, such as the DAX 50 ESG, S&P Europe 350 ESG, and DJSI. An overview of leading indices in which Aroundtown is included can be found under the Share section.
