NEW YORK CITY—Corporate occupiers valuesustainability in their office space, and make apoint of it in leasing negotiations. “There can be no doubt that adiscussion about corporate social responsibility takes place withalmost every occupancy decision made today, “ says EricDuchon, sustainability strategies director atCushman & Wakefield. However, a client surveyconducted by C&W reveals that questions remain about putting aprice tag on it, whether in terms of how much it's worth to paymore for it or how much is lost by not paying attention to it.

“Demand for sustainable properties from stakeholders on bothsides is strong and occupiers and investors are both developinginternal policies to address sustainability in theirorganizations,” according to C&W's report. “However, occupiersand investors struggle with quantifying the premium being appliedin the market for sustainable property.”

Among the 37 real estate and sustainability directors at 23US-based corporations surveyed by C&W, 74% see value in goingto a sustainable building compared to a non-sustainable one. Ofthose, 88% think sustainability leads to reduced occupancy costs.However, while 48% of respondents said they believe a moresustainable building can command a rental premium in some markets,only 39% are willing to pay that premium.