CB Richard Ellis has claimed has offset its greenhouse gas emissions for the entire Australian operations, making it “the first commercial real estate services firm in Australia to be certified under the Australian Government’s carbon neutral initiative.”
The offsets are certified by Low Carbon Australia which this week also announced its first funding deal for energy efficiency upgrades for a Brisbane building.
Low Carbon Australia chief executive Meg McDonald said: “Like so many workplaces in Australia, the commitment and efforts of employees is essential to reducing a company’s carbon emissions. Identifying potential emission savings and developing solutions should guarantee a reduction in the company’s carbon footprint.”
CBRE’s head of sustainability for the Pacific region Rebecca Pearce said the certification was part of a global strategy to improve the sustainability profile of the company.
“The reduction strategies we have put in place give us a great opportunity to communicate with our people about the impact they can have on greenhouse gas emissions,” Ms Pearce said.
“Ultimately we want low carbon behaviour to become business as usual at CBRE and inherent in the way we work and the services we provide.”
Ms Pearce said carbon credits were offset by programs such as the efficient cookstove program in Uganda and Cambodia, which aimed for lower emissions fuel for cooking.
In India another program was replacing nafta, a high greenhouse emissions fuel used to make fertilizer, with natural gas, which has lower emissions.
Ms Pearce said the programs were selected by a CBREGlobal steering committee.
CBRE president and chief executive office, Australia & New Zealand, Tom Southern said the company also wanted to inspire clients to undertake similar activities and assist them with introducing sustainability initiatives in their own portfolios.
“We seek to establish deep and lasting partnerships with our clients to enhance the efficiency of their buildings, reduce their environmental footprints and operating costs, and ultimately, add value to their business,” Mr Southern said.
