黑洞社区

DHL

Logistics and communications services company DHL, which also includes the German postal service Deutsche Post, operates in more than 200 countries and employs about 470,000 people.

The nature of the company鈥檚 business means that its sustainability strategy has a strong focus on reducing the impact of its fleet of vehicles and planes. However, the strategy also aims to increase the efficiency of its buildings through a combination of installing energy-efficient lighting, heating and air conditioning systems and sourcing as much of its energy as possible from renewable sources.

According to Warren Cobb, director of construction for DHL in the UK and Ireland, the group has a target to cut energy use by 30% by 2020 and an interim target of 10% was achieved last year. Cobb adds that 90% of its electricity in the UK is from renewable sources.

KPMG

One of the big four accountancy firms, KPMG operates in 156 countries and has over 152,000 employees worldwide. Its parent company, KPMG International, is a Swiss cooperative and acts as a coordinator for a global network of independent firms.

According to Alistair Young, head of property at KPMG, the firm鈥檚 Global Green Initiative, which launched in 2008, aimed to cut the company鈥檚 carbon emissions 25% by 2010. When it achieved 29%, the firm set a new target to reduce emissions another 15% by 2015.

鈥淭here is a joined up approach across the globe, which means that individual member firms focus on local or regional environmental [issues],鈥� says Young. 鈥淲estern Europe has a view on water consumption as a priority while South America is more focused on sustainable energy strategies.鈥�

In terms of new build, KPMG鈥檚 offices in Boston and Charlotte in the USA recently received gold-level LEED certification from the US Green 黑洞社区 Council.

EVERSHEDS

Eversheds is a global law firm with 45 offices in 28 countries. According to Paul Dunn, Eversheds鈥� head of sustainability, the company places a premium on a building鈥檚 environmental credentials when opening a new office or moving sites within a city. Many of the firm鈥檚 offices have been built to BREEAM standards, he says.

However, Dunn says that the company is now interested in understanding how the buildings are performing on a day-to-day basis and how they can be made more efficient.

With this in mind, Eversheds last year engaged specialist contractor NG Bailey to carry out an energy audit of all its buildings and to recommend changes.
Eversheds is also currently undergoing the process to register its London office for a BREEAM In-Use accreditation. According to Dunn, this is a first step in rolling out the rating method across its property portfolio.

鈥淲e鈥檙e applying the same principles internationally. For instance, BREEAM In-Use is an internationally transferrable model, so we鈥檙e applying the same audit challenges to our international offices,鈥� he says.

JONES LANG LASALLE

Global property firm Jones Lang LaSalle currently employs more than 40,000 people in over 1,000 locations across 70 countries.

Because the company鈥檚 sustainability consultancy is an increasingly important part of the business, it cannot afford to be associated with poor quality buildings.

鈥淚ncreasingly we鈥檙e getting involved in the sustainability of the buildings we work in,鈥� says Jones Lang LaSalle upstream chief operating officer Jont Cole.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got quite a large programme globally [that is] looking at it. It鈥檚 very important and many of our clients challenge us on it. We have to practice what we preach.鈥�

Jones Lang LaSalle鈥檚 refurbishment of its Hong Kong office in 2011 achieved a LEED Platinum rating, narrowly beating the US Green 黑洞社区 Council office鈥檚 own rating.

The project was overseen by the Jones Lang LaSalle鈥檚 own project and development services team.

LEND LEASE

Though its headquarters are in Sydney, Australian property and infrastructure company Lend Lease works in most areas of the globe, including the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, continental Europe and the UK and Ireland.

According to head of sustainability Pascal Mittermaier, the company tries to reduce its impact on the environment by minimising carbon emissions and waste on its sites, among other measures. Mittermaier says that a substantial part of all Lend Lease project managers鈥� bonuses is pegged to the environmental performance of their projects. 鈥淪o, people can make more or less money depending on how they score on various sustainability league tables鈥�.

Mittermaier says that Lend Lease is also interested in pushing the boundaries on sustainable building design, highlighting a hotel the company is building in Sicily that he says will be the first in Italy to run entirely on renewable energy. According to the Forest Stewardship Council, Lend Lease鈥檚 athletes鈥� village development for the London 2012 Olympic Games was the biggest project in the UK to use 100% of its timber from responsible sources.