74% of Companies Will Invest in Sustainability

CHICAGO-According to a sustainability survey conducted by Jones Lang LaSalle and CoreNet Global, real estate executives are more interested in energy and sustainability moves than previous years. About 74% of respondents said they plan to invest in energy and sustainability without buildings they own; while 37% are willing to pay more to lease green properties.

“These results clearly show that sustainability as an issue is here to stay, but companies are increasingly aware of the commercial realities,” says Dan Probst, chairman of Energy and Sustainability at JLL. “It is no longer enough to simply be green; organizations want to see the benefits to the bottom line.”

Nearly 90% of respondents said sustainability is a major criteria when making leasing decisions; 46% always take energy labels, such as Energy Star and HPE, into account, while 41% always consider green building certifications, such as LEED.

Still with the economy struggling to correct itself, locating financing to green a building is a large challenge, with 67% of respondents saying it is “extremely difficult” to acquire. But despite the difficulty, 74% are willing to pay a premium to retrofit a building in their current portfolio. This total is up from last year’s figure of 53% willing to retrofit an owned property.

“The survey results show that corporate real estate executives continue to be very focused on sustainability,” says Michael Anderson, research Mmanager for CoreNet Global. “Despite the economic challenges of the past year, more than a third of corporate real estate executives would consider paying extra for a green lease, and nearly three-quarters would pay to retrofit properties they own.”

The survey polled 231 corporate real estate executives across the country between the months of September and October. This is the third year that JLL and CoreNet have published the report.