Boston Properties (BXP), a United Stats Class A office properties developer, owner and manager, recently announced several milestones that reinforce its ongoing commitment to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues. The company’s 2020 ESG reports showed that it has committed to achieving carbon neutral operations by 2025; established a Sustainability Committee of its Board of Directors to increase oversight of sustainability issues; launched a Diversity & Inclusion Committee early last year; earned a 2020 Best in Best in Building Health award and completed Fitwel’s Viral Response Module enterprise certification.
“Our steadfast commitment to ESG allows BXP to be a more purposeful company,” Boston Properties CEO Owen Thomas said in a statement. “Focusing on ESG is both the right and smart thing for us to do. The important role of real estate companies in addressing the climate crisis and the opportunities for BXP to provide leadership have never been more evident. Today’s announcement reinforces our ongoing dedication to advancing our efforts in the areas where we can have the greatest impact including energy use, carbon neutrality, climate resilience, diversity and inclusion, health security, and community engagement.”
Boston Properties commits to carbon neutrality
Boston Properties’ commitment to 2025 carbon neutral operations includes direct and indirect Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from its actively managed office portfolio. This includes emissions that are associated with total, whole-building energy consumption (landlord and tenant). Boston Properties’ path towards carbon neutrality includes four primary strategies.
The strategies include energy efficient operations such as energy conservation and more efficient operations; developing onsite renewable energy systems, studying and striving to replace onsite gas-fired systems at the end of useful life; and offsetting remaining emissions during as the company moves towards carbon-free energy.
A leader in healthy buildings
Boston Properties has led the way in healthy building practices and was rewarded when it was named a 2020 Best in Building Health award winner. The company began to work with Fitwel, one of the world’s leading certification systems. Boston Properties finished the first Fitwel Design Certified project in the worked and collected more Fitwel certifications by count and building area than any other company in 2019. As a Fitwel champion, Boston Properties has 13 million square feet of certified buildings and 12 Fitwel Ambassadors among Sustainability, Development, Engineering, and Property Management teams.
Last year, Boston Properties received Fitwel Viral Response enterprise certification, a module that incorporates strategies that create healthy indoor environments and mitigate viral transmission. The Center for Active Design (CfAD) confirmed that Boston Properties’ approach to Health Security aligns with the evidence-based strategies for mitigating the spread of infectious respiratory diseases in the workplace. Meanwhile, the company’s Health Security Plan and the Fitwel Viral Response Certification show its commitment to safe and healthy workplaces and implementing policies and practices to mitigate the spread of contagious diseases. That’s a significant designation as CRE owners, companies and workers determine the best and safest route to return to work following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boston Properties’ full 2020 ESG Report can be found in the “Commitment” section of the company’s website.
Joe Dyton can be reached at joed@fifthgenmedia.com.
