Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles are no longer mere trends or buzzwords; they are rapidly becoming the norm in the Romanian real estate market, according to a Colliers report.
VDPResearch and Drees & Sommer introduced a set of criteria that real estate properties need to fulfill to be considered part of the top 15% EU Taxonomy.
All new buildings should be zero-emission as of 2030; new buildings occupied or owned by public authorities should be zero-emission as of 2028.
A new report has explored how ESG is helping real estate investors maximize their returns.
Wing has published its second ESG report, providing information about its environmental, social, and governance efforts, as well as its goals, the measures it has taken and the results it has achieved in 2022. The report has been prepared in accordance with the company's first comprehensive ESG strategy, which will be finalised soon.
Lack of education in terms of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) and a poor number of good practice solutions are two of the challenges in the field, says Matius Ichim, Architect at Matius Studio and owner of the retail platform www.prioretail.ro. He talked to Green Forum about the advantages of a sustainably built commercial space. He says that 15-20% of the operating networks in Romania have started implementing ESG key principles in their fit-out design and close to 5% in full sustainable standards.
The number of "green" or smart projects has increased by 100% in the last 10 years.
The Doraly Expo Market commercial park is investing €2.1 million in energy efficiency solutions, by installing photovoltaic power plants, and charging stations for electric cars and replacing all lighting fixtures with LEDs. The photovoltaic panels will produce approximately 2,700 MWh of green energy annually, representing approximately 50% of the energy consumed.
Investors prefer sustainability to be measured in the case of commercial buildings too. Therefore new detailed rules will be elaborated and a so-called green passport for properties will be introduced, international law firm Baker McKenzie and CBRE reported after a special roundtable discussion in Budapest.
The Echo-Archicom 2030 strategy is to follow a road map that lays out year by year how both companies are to decarbonize through zero-emission developments while further increasing the role of greenery in the group's projects and supporting appropriate city development.
Green building certifications have become a must for landlords seeking competitive differentiators in today's challenging real estate market. Retail is the “greenest” sector, followed by industrial & logistics, and office, according to a Colliers report. In the coming years, landlords who fail to align with stakeholders' sustainability - demands will be affected, say the consultants.
Zuzanna Kurek, Investor Relations Manager and ESG Committee Member of One United Properties, spoke to Green Forum Forum about the ESG agenda of the Romanian developer and its role in growing the value of the company.
The Portuguese real estate investment company Sonae Sierra has set out to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and announces that it will expand ESG criteria in shopping center contracts.
In a comprehensive modernization effort, real estate developer GTC switches to 100% green energy; reducing its domestic energy consumption by 20%.
Genesis Property, a company that owns, develops and operates of class A office buildings in Romania, announces that is committed to achieving zero carbon emissions for the buildings in its portfolio by 2030.
Property developer Speedwell says it will be installing photovoltaic panels on two of its office projects in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca in a bid to make its building more sustainable.
The Hungarian property company is bolstering its sustainability efforts by entering an agreement with the fast-growing Norwegian Proptech company Varig Technologies.
In the past 12 months, there were 154 buildings in Romania that received green certifications under the BREEAM or LEED standards, accounting for one-third of all buildings that were certified in the past 14 years, according to data from green building consultancy ADP.
ESG is rewriting the rules of office leasing with the attitude of landlords, tenants and service providers gradually changing.
Property group NEPI Rockcastle, the largest owner of shopping centres in Romania, has secured a green loan totalling €60 million for Ploiești Shopping City from a syndicate of banks.
Conducted in autumn 2025, the RICS Sustainable Real Estate Survey Europe gathered 112 responses from valuers, developers, investors and other professionals across 30 countries. The findings confirm that ESG has moved from a peripheral concern to a core driver of real estate value, risk and decision-making across Europe.
ProCredit Bank Romania has launched a CO2 Emissions Calculator to help microenterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises quantify and understand their carbon footprint. This initiative reflects the Procredit Group's commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, with client engagement at the core of its Climate Action Strategy.
DSV – Global Transport and Logistics, the world's largest logistics operator, has launched a solar installation at its warehouse in Łozienica, Poland, in partnership with commercial real estate investor Accolade. The installation will meet the energy needs of Poland's first multi-client warehouse equipped with an AutoStore system.
Etem Gestamp, the Sofia-based joint venture between Viohalco Group and Spain's Gestamp Group focused on aluminium extrusion and processing for the automotive industry, and Rezolv Energy, the Actis-backed independent power producer, have signed a 10-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) in Bulgaria. The VPPA will see Etem Gestamp buy electricity from Rezolv Energy's 461MW 'Vifor' wind farm, which is about to come onstream in Buzău County, Romania. It is the first cross-border wind PPA that has been publicly announced in Bulgaria.
DP World has launched a five-year coastal restoration programme to create underwater "forests" of native seaweed to boost marine life near the Constanța South Container Terminal on the Black Sea.
