Why Every Business Should Care About Being Sustainable

Sustainability to me is a holistic approach that incorporates environmental, social, and economic factors to ensure a balanced, long-term development benefiting both the present and future generations. Many people just think about sustainability as reducing carbon footprint, but it touches every aspect of our daily lives. Embracing sustainability isn’t merely an ethical choice but can be a strategic move for businesses looking to thrive in the future by aligning with the values of their stakeholders and contributing positively to the environment and society

Practically, can you tell us how your approach to sustainability influences your business and is delivering better results for everyone involved in real estate and your wider networks?

Our journey towards becoming a B Corp is integral to our perspective. It signifies our commitment to balancing profit with purpose, aligning our operations with higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. Our approach to sustainability is fundamentally within our DNA on how we run our business along with the advice we give to our clients in how we shape, design, manage, and operate properties.

This involves optimising energy efficiency, reducing carbon footprint, promoting green infrastructure, fostering healthier work environments and supporting the wider community to ensure we are bringing all key stakeholders on the journey. By integrating sustainability into real estate practices, we attract conscientious tenants, enhance property value, and create positive impacts within our wider network and most of all create resilience developments.

For example, we have created the largest UK clean air mural in Southampton, which extracts CO2 from the atmosphere. We are making sure we are future-proofing our clients’ businesses with the accommodation we acquire to account for regulations.

How do you maintain a ‘green growth mindset’ as a medium-term business transition/transformation amidst a challenging economic and political climate?

Sustaining a green growth mindset involves adaptability, innovation and learning from others. I have just finished The Cambridge University Sustainability in Real Estate course, which was an intense 10-week course, but an incredible experience to learn from an experienced international cohort.

It’s important, we learn from others. So we focus on investing in sustainable technologies, implementing efficient resource management strategies, and fostering collaborations with businesses sharing similar values. This approach allows for resilience and adaptation to economic fluctuations while promoting sustainability.

How do we make the business benefits for Net Zero more appealing and scalable?

Making the business case for Net Zero involves highlighting the tangible advantages, such as cost savings through energy efficiency, enhancing brand reputation, and meeting evolving regulatory requirements. Scalability is achieved by showcasing successful case studies, providing accessible resources, and fostering a supportive ecosystem through partnerships and alliances.

How do we sustain the low carbon, high growth mission across Hampshire and Surrey?

Sustaining a low-carbon, high-growth mission necessitates collective efforts. This includes engaging local businesses, advocating for supportive policies, investing in sustainable infrastructure, and fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.

Creating a network of like-minded stakeholders ensures a cohesive approach towards achieving sustainable growth. We just hosted the South Coast Commercial Property Show which had great panels from landlords, occupiers, sustainability consultants and banks, sharing the challenges and the solutions that they are respectfully supporting in each of their fields of experts, which brings me back to a holistic approach is key to unlocking the low carbon, high growth mission across Hampshire and Surrey.