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Sustainability Services

About Us

As an early pioneer in integrating sustainability in the real estate business, we have built our reputation based on our solid experience in applying state-of-the-art solutions to real estate assets and, we are highly recognised by our partners and clients.

With a holistic and integrated approach, our sustainability services cover the whole lifecycle of the building, offering a comprehensive range of solutions, from assessing and mitigating risks to designing and implementing the best strategy according to our clients’ needs.

Why are we the partner of choice?

  • We offer a holistic approach to risk management and resilience helping clients to prioritise options and protect building vulnerabilities.
  • We work in diverse geographic areas and boast a world-wide network of expertise, always working closely with our clients to solve complex sustainability challenges by offering pragmatic solutions to every project according to their ESG agenda.
  • Our multidisciplinary team enables clients to reach their sustainability goals, reducing the impact of their activities and future-proofing their operating assets, as well as revealing their true sustainable value.

BUSINESS
COMPLIANCE

To clients aiming to achieve compliance and a holistic approach to risk management:

SUSTAINABILITY REGULATORY ASSESSMENT

  • Support with licensing in development project
  • Assess safety, health and environmental legal compliance at the local, national and international level

SUSTAINABILITY RISK ASSESSMENT

  • Develop socioeconomic impact studies
  • Undertake due diligence to assess safety, health and environmental gaps to evaluate risks and opportunities
  • Carry out a risk assessment and draw up a mitigation plan for the following areas: climate change and its financial and technological implications, fire and safety, health and environmental risks
  • Develop environmental impact studies

  • Design and building phase
  • Operating phase
  • Both phases

COST
OPTIMISATION

For clients who wish to optimize costs in order to drive investment, these are the services we offer:

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT

  • Sustainable building design
  • Safety, health and environment management system during construction works

RESOURCE OPTIMISATION

  • Benchmark energy and water consumption
  • Devise energy and water efficiency programmes
  • Design and implement management systems to address operational control
  • Develop a waste management plan

SUSTAINABILITY
FORESIGHT

For clients looking for the best pathway and tools to unleash their sustainable value in real estate assets:

ESG STRATEGY

  • Pinpoint environmental and social challenges and opportunities specifically related to your business strategy through a materiality assessment
  • Carry out stakeholder mapping and assessment and draw up an engagement strategy
  • Develop an ESG strategy for your asset, or portfolio of assets, to leverage your business strategy

CLIMATE CHANGE STRATEGY

  • Develop a climate change strategy towards the implementation of a net zero energy building
  • Assess the carbon footprint
  • Develop a carbon footprint optimisation plan

BUILDING CERTIFICATION STRATEGY

  • Achieve Green Building Certifications such as BREEAM and LEED
  • Achieve Healthy Building Certifications such as WELL
  • Achieve Safety, Health and Environment Management System certifications such as OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001

Key credentials

  • Our environmental management practices were first established in 1999 and we have been improving them ever since. In 2019, our company was able to avoid costs of €16.7 million, due to the implementation of energy, water and waste efficiency measures.
  • In the development of new retail real estate assets (including office towers), 27 Sonae Sierra construction sites have achieved ISO 14001 certification, 11 have achieved OHSAS 18001/ISO 45001 certification and 2 have achieved green building certifications (DGNB and BREEAM).
  • 6 retail real estate assets currently certified with BREEAM in-use certification.
  • 52 ISO 14001 certifications have been achieved at operational shopping centres since 2005, and OHSAS 18001/ISO 45001 certifications have been achieved at 48 operational shopping centres since 2008.
  • Since 2003, our water consumption has decreased by 35%, our electricity consumption has decreased by 54% (since 2002) and our waste recycling rate (since 2002) has improved 249% (47 percent points) from 19% to 66%.
  • The quality of our sustainable business practices and portfolio was acknowledged again in 2019 through our high ranking in this year’s GRESB edition, where Sierra Fund ranked 3rd on the Southern European retail sector for non-listed companies and was recognised with Green Star status and achieved a 5 Star the highest GRESB Rating and a recognition for being an industry leader.

Elsa Monteiro Head of Sustainability


Daniel Santos Sustainability Business Development


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