STO
Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2019)
Reporting Period: 2019
Environmental Metrics
ESG Focus Areas
- Sustainability
- Wellness
- Resilience
Environmental Achievements
- Increased percentage of companies with stricter sustainability goals (from 54% to 60%), though adherence to goals fell slightly (from 52% to 48%).
- Growing number of companies (26%) making strides toward Zero Net Energy (ZNE) goals.
Social Achievements
- 88% of end users consider incorporating wellness features essential.
- 81% of end users see wellness as a strong component of employee retention and recruitment.
Governance Achievements
- Increased respect for LEED as a third-party rating system.
- Increased percentage of those stating they will complete a LEED project in the next year.
Climate Goals & Targets
Short-term Goals:
- 48% of respondents will begin to require embodied carbon accounting on projects within the next two years.
- 60% plan to incorporate sensors and technologies into their projects to track sustainability measures in the next two years.
- Nearly one-third (30%) of respondents expect to design or construct to passive house standards in the next one to two years.
Environmental Challenges
- High cost of adding sustainability, health, and wellness amenities.
- Lack of knowledge and education on sustainable design and construction.
- Perception that third-party certifications are expensive.
- Insufficient industry standards for sustainability, wellness, and resilience.
- Too many third-party rating systems, leading to confusion.
Mitigation Strategies
- Increased communication about cost studies and true costs/paybacks of sustainability features.
- More education on eliminating red-list materials and embodied carbon accounting.
- Seeking external expertise in wellness and resilience.
Supply Chain Management
Responsible Procurement
- Elimination of red-list materials
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: LEED, WELL, Fitwel, Living Building Challenge, Passive House