NEPI Rockcastle targets Net-Zero Carbon Emissions

NEPI Rockcastle announced it increases the sustainability targets for the following decade and aims to become carbon neutral by 2030. The Group’s initiative meets EU’s efforts to combat climate change through carbon neutrality. BuildGreen, leading advisor in the field of sustainable development in Central and Eastern Europe, will provide NEPI Rockcastle carbon neutral audit and sustainability strategy, to meet the Group’s target and support the line created within the realms of the Paris Agreement. 

In order to strengthen its commitment to a sustainable future and to improve its sustainability performance, NEPI Rockcastle has established the following set of Group targets for the next decade:

• Become carbon neutral until 2030;
• Reduce emissions from construction by 30% until 2030;
• Achieve zero waste to landfill until 2025;
• Develop a Group Strategy for Biodiversity by 2025.

These targets surpass the Group’s previous objective of reducing its carbon footprint by 20% until 2030.  

Achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2030, within the whole value chain, includes customers, service providers and material suppliers, contractors and those connected to the construction and operations of the buildings, as well as the infrastructure and communities that NEPI Rockcastle creates through its real estate investments. 

The decision comes in the vanguard of EU’s recent pledge to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. During the following decade, EU plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 60% by 2030.

As one of the very early adopters of carbon neutrality strategies in Europe, NEPI Rockcastle wants to make the targets along the way even more ambitious. The Group is undergoing a significant carbon footprint audit and sustainability strategy aimed at drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reaching carbon neutrality as early as possible.

In this scope, NEPI Rockcastle co-opted BuildGreen, advisor in the field of sustainable development in Central and Eastern Europe, to set the concrete action plan in order to fulfill the Group’s vision. 

“Carbon footprint and climate change are amongst the most important topics around the globe and NEPI Rockcastle recognizes the challenges ahead. Therefore, we plan to contribute to a greener environment by becoming carbon neutral in all our 54 properties across the group in nine countries, by 2030. The Group thus supports the Paris Agreement and encourages the Green Deal targets recently announced by the European Union”, states Alex Morar, CEO NEPI Rockcastle.“We have been working together with NEPI Rockcastle over the past years, at aligning its entire property portfolio to the highest BREEAM sustainability standards. Turning towards carbon neutrality comes as a natural step forward, in response to one of today’s most stringent environmental challenges. The Group’s vision synchronized perfectly with our own ambition to help property owners reach the EU Green Deal targets. We are therefore honored to be part of NEPI Rockcastle’s respectful decision to make all necessary steps in order to reduce carbon footprint and become carbon neutral by 2030”, states Razvan Nica, Managing Director BuildGreen.

Based on its 10-year experience as leading consultant and assessor for sustainable buildings, BuildGreen offers carbon neutrality audit and sustainability strategy services. In other words, sustainable development certifications become a tool that technically supports clients in achieving their carbon neutrality objectives. BuildGreen thus embarks in today’s most challenging sustainability act in the world: to help investors, real estate developers, public institutions, communities and other stakeholders to reach carbon neutrality in line with the European Union’s Green Deal (Note for editors: the European Green Deal is a set of policy initiatives by the European Commission with the aim of making Europe climate neutral by 2050).