Today there are a number of differentiators that help businesses strengthen their brand image particularly as we emerge from the pandemic. One differentiator is sustainability and its resultant value – not only will it attract tenants and guests but also maximise asset value and revenue by helping to control operating costs.
Mid-2020, professional services firm EY stated: “Sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) programmes are key components of long-term value and business resiliency… strong ESG programmes may help buffer the impacts of the current crisis, hasten recovery, spur innovation needed to navigate a “new normal” and reduce risks to other crises in the future.”
Sustainable practices undoubtedly have a significant impact on business, real estate valuation, and brand. But it also helps optimise efficiency and costs. In its Green Building and Property Value primer, real-estate appraisal group, Appraisal Institute notes that more sustainable buildings not only reduce operating expenses but also attract higher occupancy and revenue.
Greener building portfolios allow for lower operational costs, meet energy efficiency mandates, and deliver higher valuation. A greener image will also make your brand more competitive in the marketplace, helping attract and retain tenants and fill hotel rooms with guests.
Sustainability supercharges your brand
To be effective, your brand needs to have a simple, clear, consistent, and memorable ‘brand promise’ about the benefits its customers value most.
Sustainability needs to become part of that message. As high-quality tenants increasingly demand properties that demonstrate sustainable practices, and hotel guests seek greener accommodation options, your brand needs to respond. And that simple promise needs to be demonstrated through your firm’s mission, vision, goals, and actions.
Swire Properties builds a sustainable future
Hong Kong-based company, Swire Properties set out to decarbonise its buildings from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland, meeting science-based targets, reducing energy consumption and costs and adopting an overall integrated approach to sustainability.
Schneider Electric worked with Swire Properties to digitalise their energy management infrastructures and deploy the cloud-based EcoStruxure Energy Advisor platform across five prestigious locations.
Swire is now uncovering hidden savings – expecting an annual 10 to 20% reduction of energy costs – while analytics-driven performance tracking helps pinpoint and prioritise the continuous energy improvements needed to meet and exceed sustainability goals.
Schneider Electric offers a simplified and comprehensive, step-by-step approach to taking organisations from a consultative assessment and implementation to operation and optimisation. With our services, software, and solutions, owners can increase building valuation, and shorten ROI time while also contributing to a better environment for us all.
By Anoop Hariparsad, Offer and Channel Marketing Manager: Digital Energy at Schneider Electric.
