EQS-News: SIGNA Prime Selection AG publishes 2021 Sustainability Report
EQS-News: SIGNA Prime Selection AG publishes 2021 Sustainability Report
EQS-News: SIGNA Prime Capital Market GmbH / Key word(s):
Sustainability/Miscellaneous
SIGNA Prime Selection AG publishes 2021 Sustainability Report
19.07.2022 / 10:30
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
SIGNA Prime Selection AG publishes 2021 Sustainability Report
Highlights in 2021
• Green Finance Framework established
• Issue of sustainable financing instruments with a volume of €250m
• Green lease clauses introduced and re-certifications for buildings in
the Long-term Portfolio initiated
• Reporting in accordance with GRI Standards: Core option, first-time
application of EPRA Sustainability Best Practices Recommendations, and
TCFD
Vienna, July 19, 2022 — SIGNA Prime Selection AG (“SIGNA Prime”) has
published its 2021 Sustainability Report. Today, people spend around 85%
of their life indoors. SIGNA Prime presents its approach to this
far-reaching responsibility toward its stakeholders in the light of
climate change under the heading “Responsible Buildings.”
Important steps were taken once again during the past year as part of the
ESG strategy “Our sustainable SIGNAture”. Around two-thirds of the
sustainability initiatives planned up to 2025 have already been delivered.
The focus here is ESG management and the significant progress that has
been made in terms of its buildings.
Reduction of greenhouse gases in buildings
SIGNA Prime creates sustainable buildings that make a significant
contribution to decarbonization whilst still retaining their value over
time. At the forefront are the energy-efficient setup, renovation, and
management of the projects to ensure a low-emission life cycle.
Important milestones were reached on this basis in 2021, such as the
introduction of green lease clauses in commercial leases, the start of
re-certifications of existing buildings, and the voluntary commitment to
perform green building certifications in all development projects. SIGNA
Prime is working on conversion to green electricity for a gradual
transition to low-emission operation of its buildings. Currently, 51% of
existing properties (2020: 38%) are supplied with electricity from
renewable energy sources.
Timo Herzberg, CEO SIGNA Prime Selection AG: “We want to make a
sustainable contribution to livable cities with holistic, modern, and
sophisticated concepts. We will fulfill our responsibility to reduce CO₂
emissions in both existing projects and current construction projects as
far as possible in the process. We will achieve this through targeted and
long-term measures.”
First sustainable financial instruments issued
The volume of green financing issued by SIGNA Prime for the first time in
fiscal year 2021 amounted to €250m. The medium-term goal is to cover at
least 50% of new financing through sustainable products by 2025.
As the first of several planned issues, SIGNA Prime issued a green
promissory note with a volume of €150m in the fall of 2021. In addition,
the first green profit participation certificate with a maturity of 20
years and a volume of €100m was issued. Thus, in the first year, around
10% of new financing was already being financed with green finance
products.
In line with the EU action plan to promote sustainable financing, SIGNA
Prime has made this a priority. The proceeds of green financing
instruments will be used exclusively for sustainable projects. The Green
Finance Framework, which was published in May 2021, serves as the basis
for this.
SIGNA Prime has an excellent ESG rating. The current risk rating from
rating agency Sustainalytics is 11.3 (“low risk”).
Introduction of ESG software to collect environmental data
Today, the efficiency of the real estate portfolio is a key success factor
when it comes to carefully implementing ESG measures. A software system
was introduced in 2021 to collect quantitative and qualitative
environmental data on the real estate portfolio. This system made it
possible to register the entire portfolio for the first time, which will
guarantee continuous improvement and enhancement of data quality.
Further expansion in reporting and governance
The sustainability report was again prepared in accordance with the GRI
Standards: Core option. The report also serves as progress report as
defined by the United Nations Global Compact. Reporting followed the
guidelines of the EPRA Sustainability Best Practices Recommendations (EPRA
sBPR) specific to real estate for the first time and contains information
on the core areas recommended by the Task Force on Climate-Related
Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
In terms of Corporate Governance and Compliance, in addition to
implementing ESG criteria in due diligence transaction processes, new
guidelines were also published on sustainability, environment and energy,
as well as health and safety in 2021. Furthermore, the SIGNA Holding
Compliance Management System (CMS) used in the SIGNA Group was certified
in the current year in accordance with international compliance standard
ISO 37301.
Positive perception of social commitment
SIGNA Prime considers itself a partner for cities. The real estate company
develops livable districts and helps increase regional added value in a
sustainable way. This understanding is reflected in the new “Strong
communities” action area. In the course of a stakeholder survey at the end
of 2021, data was collected on how activities were perceived outside the
company. The survey elicited a positive response. The majority of
stakeholders consulted cited the impact of SIGNA’s business activities on
future cityscapes and the character of downtown locations as particularly
relevant.
Outlook 2022: Continue to press ahead with decarbonization
Within the framework of the Paris Climate Agreement and the European Green
Deal goals, SIGNA Prime is gearing its activities toward achieving a
net-zero economy. This will be underpinned by a comprehensive carbon
footprint and decarbonization strategy for the entire portfolio. Risk
assessment and management of climate and sustainability risks will also be
at the forefront in the current fiscal year 2022.
2021 Sustainability Report
[1]SIGNA Prime Selection AG
About SIGNA Prime Selection AG
SIGNA Prime Selection AG (“SIGNA Prime”) is one of the largest European
non-listed commercial real estate groups, with a Gross Asset Value of
€18.8b as of year-end 2021.
It exclusively owns prime downtown properties with a long-term
perspective, focused on the largest cities in Germany, Austria,
Switzerland, and northern Italy. This includes the luxury department store
KaDeWe and the UPPER WEST office tower in Berlin, the Goldenes Quartier as
an extension of Vienna’s downtown pedestrian area, and other well-known
buildings in major cities, such as Berlin, Vienna, Hamburg, Munich, and
Zurich.
Centrally located, established properties are characterized by
persistently high demand, enabling long-term contractual agreements. In
order to expand this crisis-resistant portfolio and generate value, SIGNA
Prime is actively repositioning, modernizing, and rebuilding further
city-center assets over the next few years. Thinking in terms of
generations, all new buildings are certified according to international
green building standards.
Additional information is available at [2] www.signa.at
Questions?
Robert Leingruber
[3]r.leingruber@signa.at
+43 1 5329848-0
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
19.07.2022 This Corporate News was distributed by EQS Group AG.
www.eqs.com
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Language: English
Company: SIGNA Prime Capital Market GmbH
Freyung 3
1010 Wien
Austria
E-mail: investor@signa.at
Internet: www.signa.at
ISIN: AT0000A0WPF1
WKN: A1HAYF
Listed: Luxembourg Stock Exchange (Euro MTF), Vienna Stock Exchange
(Vienna MTF)
EQS News ID: 1400857
End of News EQS News Service
1400857 19.07.2022
References
Visible links
1. https://eqs-cockpit.com/cgi-bin/fncls.ssp?fn=redirect&url=5e2a86521191c17feda215af2b62fc80&application_id=1400857&site_id=apa_ots_austria&application_name=news
2. https://eqs-cockpit.com/cgi-bin/fncls.ssp?fn=redirect&url=376889d983b9aeba98804ca44e357e23&application_id=1400857&site_id=apa_ots_austria&application_name=news
3. r.leingruber@signa.at
OTS-ORIGINALTEXT PRESSEAUSSENDUNG UNTER AUSSCHLIESSLICHER INHALTLICHER VERANTWORTUNG DES AUSSENDERS. www.ots.at
© Copyright APA-OTS Originaltext-Service GmbH und der jeweilige Aussender