Sustainability
Our Sustainable Business Strategy aims to deliver strong portfolio returns by improving the environmental and social performance of our assets and communities, while ensuring we operate to the highest standards of responsible business.
We have identified our material issues, risks and opportunities within the context of our business model, and have developed long-term objectives to deliver tangible benefits to our investors, tenants, communities and employees.
We report on our performance in line with our investors’ and wider stakeholders’ expectations. Our annual sustainability reporting outlines in detail how we integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria into our activities, and aligns with the main investor indices and benchmarks that we prioritise.
Message from our Chairman
Christian Windfuhr
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Grand City Properties’ Sustainable Business strategy affirms the positive contribution we can make to tackling global challenges such as climate emergency, while safeguarding the wellbeing of our tenants and supporting our wider communities.
Our approach to property investment prioritises the acquisition of assets in need of modernisation. By upgrading existing buildings to ensure high standards of energy efficiency and low or zero-carbon status, we contribute to efforts limiting greenhouse gas emissions. Through the asset repositioning process, we identify and pursue interventions that directly contribute to improving quality of life for building residents.
Beyond this, we also create new facilities and services for wider social benefit that support better relations, better education, health and wellbeing, cohesiveness and social opportunity in the communities where we are present.
This approach is good for business. Our sustainability commitment aligns to our strategic aim of retaining residents by actively fostering tenant loyalty; it helps us attract and retain investors who want to invest in long-term resilient and low carbon assets and support a positive contribution to society; it supports our ambition to attract and retain talented staff who share our enthusiasm for customer care; it enables us to reduce risks relating to safety, environmental and social factors; and it reduces costs associated with resource consumption.
Across all stages of our Sustainable Business strategy, we recognise the importance of our employees in determining company performance. We support staff to develop specialist skills and aim to provide a work environment that reinforces diversity, high levels of motivation and promotes their health and wellbeing.
Focus Areas
Sustainability Reporting
Starting FY 2023, GCP's Non-Financial report is integrated in the Consolidated Annual Report.
Sustainability In-Focus
GCP’s 2023 Non-Financial Report, integrated into the 2023 Annual Report, provides very comprehensive information regarding all material ESG topics and will continue to do this in the future with the reporting under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Aimed at those stakeholders, who would like to read an executive summary-style report of GCP’s key sustainability topics, the Sustainability In-Focus provides such an overview mixed with highlight projects, our Spotlights, which offer a closer look at projects and activities that we are proud of.
Reporting frameworks and indices
To demonstrate our commitment to best practice, we align our reporting with international standards including the EPRA Sustainability Best Practice Recommendations (sBPR) and the ‘Core’ in accordance requirements of the GRI Standards.
Finally, we have aligned our long-term goals with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), Our SDG index summarises how we contribute to Goals 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16 and 17.
Awards and recognition
We have received external awards and recognition for our sustainability approach and performance. Some of the most recent awards we have received can be seen under the Our Awards section.