Environment
DW Property places great importance on the environment and the climate. It is essential to understand the impact the organization has on our living environment and on our planet. Climate change affects everyone, including businesses. Extreme heat, flooding, drought, and rising energy costs have direct consequences. By making our organization more sustainable, we protect ourselves against these climate risks.
The goal is to achieve Net Zero by 2050. We are committed to reducing our emissions. This applies both to our own organization and to the homes we rent out. By monitoring our CO₂ footprint year on year, we are able to track our progress and take corrective measures if we are not on track.
Net Zero
For our real estate portfolios, we use an ESG data platform that generates CRREM Pathways for us. These pathways are scientifically substantiated trajectories that indicate how much CO₂ a building may emit per year and how this must decrease annually in order to achieve Net Zero by 2050. This allows us to assess for each building whether it is aligned with our objectives and whether action is required if this is not the case.
Measures taken by our organization include entering into green energy contracts for our leased offices and electrifying our vehicle fleet. We limit our energy and water consumption, separate our waste, and recycle wherever possible.
CO₂ footprint
We use the Greenhouse Gas Protocol as the basis for determining our CO₂ footprint. This standard method for reporting greenhouse gas emissions consists of three defined Scopes for calculating and reporting emissions. Among other things, this helps prevent double counting.
The largest share of the CO₂ footprint of our own organization comes from the energy consumption of our leased offices in Rijssen and Berlin, as well as the offices of NMG Vastgoed. In addition, emissions result from the use of our leased vehicles and from kilometers traveled by other vehicles (private transport or taxis), as well as by train and air travel.
We have significant influence over the type of company vehicles we use, making it relatively straightforward to reduce this part of our CO₂ footprint. The government encourages the use of electric mobility through subsidies on the one hand and additional taxes on non‑sustainable transport on the other. Moreover, the availability of affordable electric vehicles continues to increase.
Each year, we determine the CO₂ footprint of our real estate portfolios. For this purpose, we use the results from the GRESB Real Estate Benchmark reports. Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions are reported annually in our Sustainability Report.
Biodiversity
In our Program of Requirements (PoR), we specify the biodiversity standards that new real estate developments must meet. When acquiring new properties, these requirements are assessed with the aim of implementing as many measures as possible. In consultation with an ecologist, the principles of nature‑inclusive building are applied during both the design and construction phases.
Our buildings incorporate green roofs, façades, and/or walls. When adding greenery, a mix of native plant species is used to promote biodiversity. Facilities are also provided for wildlife, including insects, birds, and bats.
Energy Rating
Within the EU, there are significant differences between national energy ratings. When EU regulations are transposed into local legislation, differences in interpretation or practical implementation have led to variations among EU Member States. This is reflected in the different approaches countries have adopted regarding real estate energy ratings and the methods used to determine them.
DW Property prefers to use fixed, measurable units, enabling reliable comparisons when assessing the sustainability of buildings. European differences in the determination of energy ratings may decrease as a result of future changes in EU legislation, but for the time being, we look beyond energy ratings alone.
Consumption Data
DW Property continuously works to improve the collection of consumption data, with the aim of achieving broader coverage and improving data quality.
Collecting accurate consumption data (energy, water, and waste) is a major challenge and is unfortunately not always possible. The collection of this data is highly dependent on the cooperation of grid operators, energy suppliers, water utilities, waste management companies, and tenants. Due to privacy legislation, it is not possible to obtain individual consumption data without the consent of tenants.
In the Netherlands, Other Service Providers (OSPs) are authorized to request consumption data. They can anonymize this data by aggregating it. We use this anonymized, aggregated consumption data to determine the CO₂ footprint of our real estate portfolios. In Germany, this system does not yet exist.
GRESB
DW Property participates in the GRESB Real Estate Benchmark. The GRESB benchmark provides insight into how our real estate portfolios perform in terms of sustainability compared to our industry peers. We use this information to increase our engagement within the sector and to improve our decision‑making regarding sustainable investments. DW Property also uses the results from the GRESB Real Estate Benchmark reports to monitor the CO₂ footprint of its real estate portfolios.
Certification
To gain greater insight into the sustainability performance of our buildings, they are equipped with Green Building Certificates. In 2022 and 2023, all of our Dutch and German properties were certified by W/E Adviseurs, the certifying body for GPR Building. Some German buildings already held a DGNB certificate (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen); these were not included in the GPR Building certification. By certifying all buildings, we have established a benchmark that allows us to compare the sustainability performance of our properties. The certification is reviewed every three years and updated where necessary.