The property investment industry is playing an ever more prominent role in people’s lives in many ways.
Property has always played an important part in investment portfolios, historically as a diversifier against equities and bonds, but in recent years its role as a provider of income in a low-interest-rate, low-bond-yield world has come to the fore. As a major consumer of energy and emitter of carbon dioxide, property has a prominent role to play in combating climate change.
ESG is one of AREF's strategic priorities for 2021:
REAL ESTATE
Property is responsible for around 40% of UK carbon emissions and creates the environment in which we live, work and play. Property funds therefore have a crucial role to play in the ESG agenda.
Environmental:
Through initiatives such as GRESB, which AREF supports, real estate is in a leading position among investment asset classes with regard to measuring and managing environmental impact. AREF will be working with GRESB, members and other partners to consolidate our industry’s position as a leader in this field.
Social:
Property has a profound effect on people’s lives through architecture, the design of buildings and public spaces, and the training and development of its own employees. This is likely to become even more important during the “build back better” phase of the recovery from COVID-19, particularly in High Streets and town centres. AREF will work to ensure that the property investment industry plays its full part in developing a built environment that works for all its users.
Governance:
AREF is a leader in fund governance and transparency through its Code of Practice (Code). We are working on refining the Code and making it more principles and outcome-based rather than rules-based.
ESG News:
Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR)
Consultations on ESG Ratings and Data Providers
FCA consultation on enhancing climate-related disclosures
GRESB
View how AREF Fund Members performed in the GRESB Real Estate Assessment in 2019 and 2020
Net Zero Carbon
Watch the 10 minute podcast. LISTEN to ESG experts, LEARN how you'll be affected, WHY you should care and importantly, HOW TO PREPARE!
TCFD (Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures)
Watch the 10 minute podcast. LISTEN to ESG experts, LEARN how you'll be affected, WHY you should care and importantly, HOW TO PREPARE!
SFDR & EU Taxonomy
Watch the 10 minute podcast. LISTEN to ESG experts, LEARN how you'll be affected, WHY you should care and importantly, HOW TO PREPARE!
MEEs & EPCs
Watch the 10 minute podcast. LISTEN to ESG experts, LEARN how you'll be affected, WHY you should care and importantly, HOW TO PREPARE!
The AREF ESG 5 Year Roadmap
Featuring six exclusive short films on:
SFDR & EU Taxonomy
TCFD
Net Zero Carbon
MEES & EPCs
Impact
Scope 3 Emissions
Listen to ESG industry experts explain what each theme is, when you'll be affected, why you should care and importantly how to prepare!
Proudly sponsored by Sanne Group
In collaboration with Carbon Intelligence.
Related Links:
News Articles relating to ESG & Social Impact
Click to read news articles and resources relating to ESG
ESG and Impact Investing Committee
Read information from our leading ESG & Impact Investing Committee
ESG & Impact Investing Committee - Activity page
Read what our ESG & II Committee have been working on recently.
ESG & Impact Investing Committee biographies
Our committee is made up of ESG industry experts, read full details here.
Diversity & Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion is important to AREF and is one of our strategic priorities for 2021.
For any queries relating to this, please do not hesitate to contact us by emailing info@aref.org.uk.