The global commercial real estate industry over the past 10 years has improved its energy use intensity by 17%, according to a report released Wednesday by the Urban Land Institute's Greenprint Center for Building Performance.
Energy use intensity is defined as annual energy consumption divided by gross floor area.
In 2018, commercial real estate reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by 1.5%, its water consumption by 0.6%, its energy consumption by 0.1%, its electricity use by 0.8%, natural gas use by 1.7%, waste intensity by 3.8% and waste diversion by 7%.
The Greenprint Performance Report noted that commercial buildings account for 39% of global carbon emissions, adding that there are three trends pushing commercial properties to be more sustainable:
- A move to reduce building material waste.
- Cities to set minimum energy performance standards in the absence of federal guidance.
- Heightened investors pressure.
The Greenprint Center is an alliance of real estate owners, investors and financial institutions to improve environmental performance of real estate around the world. Members include BlackRock; Boston Properties; $376.3 billion California Public Employees' Retirement System, Sacramento; CenterPoint Properties; Clarion Partners; CommonWealth Partners; Heitman; and Jones Lang LaSalle.
