Kendall Square REITs Management Parent Company Achieves Asia No.1 in ESG Management Evaluation

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] ESR Kendall Square, the parent company of Kendall Square REITs Management, which operates the nation's first logistics center REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts), ranked first in Asia in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management evaluation.

On the 25th, ESR Kendall Square announced that it ranked first in the Industrial category in the Asia region in the 2020 GRESB (Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark) Developer assessment.

GRESB is a global real estate sustainability benchmark that has evaluated ESG performance of real estate funds worldwide annually since 2009. As the importance of ESG has been emphasized, the number of funds evaluated by GRESB has gradually increased. This year, a total of 1,229 funds were evaluated by GRESB, with the assessed real estate assets amounting to $4.8 trillion.

GRESB evaluation results serve as an important indicator for investment decisions by global institutional investors. Nam Sunwoo, CEO of ESR Kendall Square, explained, "Investors' interest in ESG performance, in addition to financial performance, is increasing every year. Accordingly, we are actively incorporating ESG into company management and making efforts to improve ESG performance."

Since 2017, ESR Kendall Square has been evaluated for ESG performance by GRESB and has been pursuing sustainable management by establishing ESG policies. From site selection for logistics centers to design, construction, development, and operation, ESG factors are actively reflected to pursue environmentally friendly business. Additionally, it has obtained green building certifications (LEED, WELL, etc.) and is actively introducing renewable energy, continuing efforts to strengthen ESG.

Ruben Langbroek, GRESB Asia Director, stated, "We highly appreciate ESR Kendall Square's continuous efforts to improve ESG performance," and evaluated, "These efforts and achievements of ESR Kendall Square are expected to have a positive impact on establishing ESG directions in the Asian real estate sector in the future."