51% of companies have a sustainability strategy; however, the topic ranks fifth for medium and large-sized businesses, says report

REsource lists the best sustainable practices for your business

Nicolaos Theodorakis - CEO Noah

By: SiiLA News

01/24/2025

Sustainability has shifted from being a trend to becoming an urgent matter. Government organizations, and especially private companies, are mobilizing to find better solutions related to sustainability in their businesses.

Brazil ranks fifth in the global sustainability ranking, according to LEED. Among the locations monitored by SiiLA, Brazil, for example, has 260 offices with some form of sustainability certification, with São Paulo leading in terms of the number of companies adopting the model.

See: Brazil has 240 sustainable developments; more than half are located in São Paulo

A study on ESG maturity in Brazilian companies, conducted by Nexus, Beon ESG, and Aberje between March and May 2024, revealed that 51% of companies have some form of sustainability strategy. This research is the second edition of a survey first conducted in 2021. The difference between the two years is 14 percentage points.

According to the report, 20% of companies publish sustainability reports, and 34% of ESG actions are managed by the Human Resources department, demonstrating how sustainability is integrated into people practices.

ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. This concept aims to bring these issues to the forefront of large corporations' daily operations, seeking a balance between industrial and business activities with sustainability, social actions, and governance practices in society.

Sustainability in the Corporate Real Estate Market

Noah Tech, a company that identifies itself as a "greentech" firm, has a sustainability portfolio. The company shared with REsource that it is developing three engineered wood corporate projects in São Paulo. The goal is to optimize and transform the construction industry.

According to Noah, the new regulatory framework limiting CO2 emissions in the Brazilian construction sector will further boost the adoption of sustainable technologies, such as engineered wood.

“Thanks to industrialization, this technology can be adopted immediately, offering a positive impact that goes beyond sustainability. ‘Mass timber’ buildings are of extremely high performance, with innovative design, promoting well-being for users and meeting the new criteria companies seek for more productive spaces,” explains Nicolaos Theodorakis, CEO of Noah.

The executive notes that this approach applies not only to the corporate market but also to residential, retail, hospitality, healthcare, education, and other sectors.

Visit: Executive discusses energy efficiency trends in logistics properties

Here are practices that can help you in your business

Even with positive figures, the topic of ‘sustainability’ still ranks fifth among the top priorities for organizations. To make sustainability a more prominent subject in corporate offices, businesses can add a few relevant topics to their agendas, such as:

1. Direct actions to reduce carbon dioxide and use energy efficiently. For example, lights with motion sensors are a simple way to use electricity efficiently.

2. Circular economy actions, which replace finite and disposable resources with infinite or durable ones. For instance, replacing disposable cups with durable mugs.

3. Implementation of technological solutions that monitor and control energy consumption, such as Building Management Systems (BMS), to increase efficiency and reduce waste.

4. Adoption of sustainable construction practices, such as using recycled materials or materials with a lower environmental impact, and planning projects that aim to reduce waste during construction and operation.

5. Promotion of sustainable mobility within the corporate environment, such as creating incentives for employees to use bicycles or public transportation, and installing infrastructure for electric vehicle charging.

And more: Inside the Sustainable Real Estate Movement That Could Help Save the World

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