Focus on material topics
The Retail Fund's sustainability strategy is focused on reducing the environmental footprint of the shopping centres or retail assets in its portfolio. It does this by exerting a direct influence on the larger (public) areas of the buildings or complexes, and by investing in improvements that benefit existing and potential tenants. We actively cooperate with existing tenants on initiatives to optimise comfort and energy efficiency. We continue to work with our property managers, local authorities and tenants to provide comfortable, safe and convenient shopping areas in our retail assets. So far, six assets have been assessed or are in the process of being assessed for the ‘Keurmerk Veilig Ondernemen’ safety certification.
Monitoring performance
Monitoring environmental performance data (energy and water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and waste) is an important part of managing sustainability issues. The Fund tracks and aims to improve the environmental performance of its managed real estate assets: those properties for which the Fund is responsible for purchasing and managing energy consumption. The Fund reports on energy consumption (electricity, heating and gas: the energy components) for its shopping centres, which translates to greenhouse gas emissions.
The Fund has set clear targets for the reduction of its environmental impact in the period 2018-2020:
Energy: average annual reduction 2%
GHG emissions: average annual reduction 2%
Water: average annual reduction 2%
Waste: increase recycling percentage
Renewable energy: increase percentage of renewable energy
The Fund's ambition to increase the coverage and transparency of its environmental impact according to INREV sustainability guidelines is reflected in the summary of key ESG data. For more detailed information on the key performance indicators, please see the Responsible investing performance indicators at the end of this annual report.