The mountain to climb is immense, but the journey to decarbonise commercial real estate is well and truly underway.
The HollenPlus team enjoyed a productive and inspiring day at FOOTPRINT+. Despite well-known industry headwinds, we left with a renewed sense of positivity about where the sector is heading.
Here are our 4 key takeaways from the event:
1. The Investment Case Remains Intact Any building delivered without solid environmental credentials will suffer a significant discount, a reduced buyer pool, and poorer liquidity at exit.
2. SFDR 2.0 and Brown-to-Green The EU’s SFDR overhaul introduces a dedicated Transition category. By shifting focus from static green metrics to rewarding credible decarbonisation plans for high-emission assets, the regulation finally supports real-world net-zero financing.
3. Standardising Operational Energy There is widespread agreement that operational energy is the correct route for measuring asset performance. The industry is calling for a single, Europe-wide methodology to allow direct cross-border comparisons and smoother capital allocation.
4. Asset-Level Energy Security This is a rapidly growing requirement. Occupiers are actively seeking on-site generation to secure long-term cost certainty.
Our Final Thoughts: While the pioneers pushing boundaries should be commended, they only represent the top 10% of the market. The remaining 90% must now take practical, urgent steps to find economically viable solutions that protect and improve returns.
