22. 11. 2023
Urbanity is the first developer in the ESG Rating rankings. It is putting its trust in energy savings and recycled building materials
Prague, 22nd of November 2023 – Urbanity is the first real estate company to place on the ESG Rating rankings announced by the Association of Social Responsibility. It ranked among the top 10 in the SME category thanks to its emphasis on building sustainable production campuses that use recycled building materials, reduce their energy intensity and use technologies producing energy from renewable resources. The evaluation, which 135 domestic companies applied for, was based on 22 areas assessed by experts from the Faculty of Business Administration of the University of Economics.
The ESG Rating rankings was established in 2022 as a joint project of the Association of Social Responsibility and the Faculty
of Business Administration of the University of Economics in Prague. Its goal is to bring an independent comparison of ESG
activities of companies and organisations to the public. The ESG Rating measures selected indicators within the individual
ESG pillars and compares the extent to which domestic companies monitor and communicate their impact on the environment, society
and company management.
“The real estate market accounts for almost 40% of the total annual carbon emissions, of which 70% is allotted to real estate operations and 30% is construction. Improvements in sustainable development are therefore of great importance to society and are a challenge for us. That makes us all the more pleased that independent experts have reviewed and appreciated our ESG strategy, making us the first real estate firm to score in the ESG Rating. Our business model is built on the construction of environmentally-friendly production campuses, based on sustainable technologies, while benefiting local communities and the development of regions. It turns out this is the right path,” stated Roland Hofman, co-founder of Urbanity.
During the development and management of production campuses, the Urbanity Group focuses on the origin of the construction
primarily through the reclamation of neglected brownfields. In addition to the use of recycled materials in the construction
of the campuses, the conservation of water is also essential and great attention is paid to landscape planting, greening and
biodiversity. Emphasis is placed on energy self-sufficiency based on high building standards and renewable resources, as well
as on the support of local communities.
Mandatory non-financial reporting will soon affect large corporations as well as small businesses. ESG data reporting is increasingly required by financial institutions and clients in the real estate sector. At the same time, it is a way to better monitor and manage the company’s operations with the help of data and to actually mitigate the environmental impacts. Last year, Urbanity set up an ESG strategy that allowed it to gather the necessary data and achieve sustainability goals. It has also published its first ESG report for 2022 and won the international BREEAM Communities certificate with the highest ranking in the CEE region, along with a victory in the 25th year of the prestigious “Best of Realty – Nejlepší z realit” awards.
Mandatory non-financial reporting will soon affect large corporations as well as small businesses. ESG data reporting is increasingly required by financial institutions and clients in the real estate sector. At the same time, it is a way to better monitor and manage the company’s operations with the help of data and to actually mitigate the environmental impacts. Last year, Urbanity set up an ESG strategy that allowed it to gather the necessary data and achieve sustainability goals. It has also published its first ESG report for 2022 and won the international BREEAM Communities certificate with the highest ranking in the CEE region, along with a victory in the 25th year of the prestigious “Best of Realty – Nejlepší z realit” awards.