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29 June 2018

JLL has surpassed its carbon emission reduction targets and issued the company's next set of Building a Better Tomorrow programme goals in a 9th annual Global Sustainability Report.

Released on June 26 JLL's Global Sustainability Report said the company had exceeded its goals for carbon emission reductions within its corporate offices and committed to hit a Science Based Target by 2020. Reductions achieved on a per corporate office employee basis included a drop in building-related greenhouse gas emissions by 15 per cent (vs. a target of 10 percent), building-related energy consumption by 12 per cent (vs. a target of 10 per cent) and rented area by 10 per cent (vs. a target of 8 per cent).

 

Global importance

According to United Nations estimates, real estate accounts for about 40 per cent of the world’s energy consumption and a third of all carbon emissions. Because of this, achieving double-digit reductions can have a significant impact on environmental sustainability. JLL has established new stretch goals for its own offices and in its work with clients.

“We have a tremendous opportunity to address climate change head-on by creating sustainable workspaces, buildings and communities where everyone can thrive,” said Christian Ulbrich, JLL's CEO. “We’re taking tangible action to deliver a more sustainable future for all of our stakeholders by integrating our Building a Better Tomorrow ambition into all aspects of our organisation.”

 

Journey

During the nine years JLL has been reporting its sustainability performance, the firm has made strides toward improving its environmental impact. JLL exceeded its existing targets at the end of 2017 and reported annual performance highlights including:

• $82 million in estimated U.S. client project savings through energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions by roughly the equivalent of removing 77,000 passenger vehicles from the road for a year.

• 452,000 metric tons of CO₂e averted by advising on renewable energy projects saving seven times the amount of energy the firm uses in its own buildings across the world.

• 225 sustainable building certifications for clients.

• $8.7 million in total charitable contributions and 8,300 days of employee volunteering.

 

The new targets include:

• Transform workplaces. Adopt a common sustainable procurement framework globally by 2020. Set a Science Based Target for JLL’s global emission reductions, with interim goals including - reducing building related GHG emissions per corporate office employee by 2 percent per annum from 2017 to 2019; and reducing building related energy consumption per corporate office employee by 2 per cent per annum from 2017 to 2019.

• Deliver lasting value for clients. Deliver targeted training to employees from key business lines and incorporate sustainability basics into JLL onboarding for new hires by 2020.

• Engaging JLL people. Improve gender balance of leadership population by 2021. Identify challenges and provide targeted solutions to the attrition and development of employees.

• Support communities by increasing the time employees spend volunteering, with an aim of reaching 15,000 days by 2020.

 

United Nations

Additionally, to help achieve its sustainability goals, JLL continues to strengthen partnerships with various external organisations, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the UN Global Compact, the Ethisphere Institute and the World Economic Forum’s Partnering Against Corruption Initiative. JLL also partners with local and global Green Building Councils.

Picture: Christian Ulbrich, JLL's CEO.

Article written by Brian Shillibeer | Published 29 June 2018

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