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diverse portfolios would often prefer one set of consistent rules for all their property within a particular country. Building owners now find tenants more willing to pay a premium to lease space in sustainable properties. Rents in buildings with ENERGY STAR or LEED certification are higher than in other buildings. Increased interest in sustainable real estate has led to the development of green leases, which offer tenants and landlords meaningful quantitative and qualitative benefits. Both parties agree to a few critical commitments that will improve the environmental performance of leased space. Financial incentives ensure that each party benefits from adopting green measures. The potential for making commercial real estate more sustainable is immense. While much attention is given to new green buildings, for example, the opportunities are as great or even greater for existing properties. Most commercial buildings in the world are more than ten years old, so opportunities abound to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in older buildings.Although our greatest potential impact on climate change comes from the work we do for clients, we also try to practice what we preach. We have set three sustainability goals for JLL through the end of 2017:Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions in our own offices by 10 per cent per employeeReducing our office energy use by 10 per cent per employeeReducing our occupied space by 8 per cent per employee. Our progress and commitment have been validated by numerous awards and honours. We were recently listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for North America. And we have named one of the ‘World’s Most Ethical Companies,’ for which sustainable business practices are a key requirement, for the past nine years. Since 2013, we have received the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award. The United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21, held in Paris in December 2015, rounded out a significant year for sustainability. Recognizing the leading role our industry has to play in tackling climate change, JLL sent a delegation to join leaders from the public and private sectors at the event. We will do the same for COP 22 in Marrakech. Since the majority of carbon reduction plans submitted by UN members include measures to cut energy use in buildings and the world’s major cities, the contribution JLL can make toward delivery of the Paris Agreement is clear, and we intend to remain at the forefront of these efforts. ■ABOUT THE AUTHORChristian Ulbrich is the Chief Executive Officer of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (NYSE:JLL) and a member of the JLL Board of Directors. Mr Ulbrich joined the Company in 2005 as the Managing Director of its German business and held the role of Chief Executive Officer of JLL’s Europe, Middle East and Africa business from 2009 to 2016 – when he was named President and then CEO of JLL’s global operations. Prior to joining the Company, Mr Ulbrich was the Chief Executive Officer of the HIH group of companies headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, and part of M.M. Warburg Bank. For ten years prior to that, he held various positions within German and international banks. Mr Ulbrich is a member of the board of directors of Vonovia SE, Germany’s largest residential real estate company. He has a Diplom Kaufmann degree in Business Administration from the University of Hamburg.Pictured: Christian UlbrichLeft: Costanera Center in Santiago, Chile, for which JLL provided leasing servicesBelow: P&G has deployed JLL’sIntelliCommand across 12 buildings totalling 3.2 million square feet of real estateCOMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE 113
