Once again, we have published an ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) report. If you haven’t seen it yet, we recommend it!
The year 2022 was full of events that affected the day-to-day functioning of many areas of business. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ongoing consequences of the pandemic, the global economic slowdown and the ongoing climate change have made it necessary to responsibly adapt business to the changes, taking into account the legal framework and market requirements. The ESG report of Grupa Tonsa – the owner of Olivia Centre – is a summary of activities in the field of sustainable development and fulfilment of commitments to the community and the environment in 2022.
Responsible construction
In March 2022, Olivia Centre buildings renewed their WELL Health-Safety Rating certificates with the highest number of points that can be obtained. This is a repeat of the previous year’s achievement, when Olivia achieved such a result as the first investment in the world. WELL HSR certification is a data-driven, independently verified assessment of buildings that focuses on the analysis of operating policies, standards of use and maintenance. In addition, in 2022, Olivia Star received the final BREEAM certificate in the as-built phase, taking into account the arrangement of the lease space (Fully Fitted) with an Excellent grade.
We are aware that our actions have an impact on the environment in which we operate, which is why we take responsibility for them at every stage of the investment. All our buildings are designed and built according to the highest quality and environmental standards, which is confirmed by their high marks in the multi-criteria building certification. However, we set higher standards for ourselves. Through numerous upgrades and responsible operational decisions, we optimize our impact on the environment and people. Last year, we reduced our water consumption by as much as 33% compared to the base year, and the greenhouse gas intensity of Scope 1 and 2 decreased by as much as 21%. In addition, the implementation of the Tork Paper Circle programme has allowed us to reduce our Scope 3 emissions by a relative 3,040 kg of CO
2
.
– says Agata Kwapisiewicz, ESG Officer at Olivia Centre.
Stable business, engaged community
Olivia Centre helps to develop local business and economy, attracting further investments in the region and enabling the creation of new jobs. The Centre also actively supports the activities of the local community associated with the Oliwa district, among others by supporting modernisation works in the district, organising activities for children and seniors and providing support to local schools.
Despite many challenges, 2022 ended for Olivia with record results in terms of office space leasing (92% of leased space at the end of 2022) and we attracted Residents representing new, previously absent industries.
A particular expression of the commitment of the community gathered around the business center were the actions that took place just a few hours after the Russian attack on Ukraine. The residents of Olivia Centre, with the full support and commitment of the centre’s team, were ready to help their neighbours. Olivia also joined the systemic support by providing a ground-floor premises for a “cost-free store” Take&Go, run by the Up Foundation on behalf of the City of Gdańsk. It was one of the city’s three distribution points for donations collected by the local government and its subordinate institutions.
In addition to the official organizational activities, many people had a need to implement additional, personal initiatives in the field of providing help. The details of these activities are also discussed in the ESG report for 2022.
The spontaneous but effective activity of the community associated with Olivia Centre once again made us realize how important it is to build a sense of belonging and agency. – adds Maciej Olszewski, who coordinates Olivia’s community initiatives on a daily basis.
What’s next?
The report prepared by Olivia Centre contains a summary of everything that is most important from the point of view of environmentally and socially responsible investments. It is a compendium of knowledge about the centre’s activities in 2022, as well as a commitment to make further progress in the field of sustainable development.
Our priority for the coming years is to maintain the status of Olivia Centre as a comfortable work space and a centre of business, leisure, culture and social engagement. In particular, this refers to the responsibility for the current implementations and setting higher and higher requirements in the area of planned investments, also by responding to the needs of individual stakeholders and extensive partnerships with scientific institutions at all levels, the local community and business environment institutions – sums up Bogusław Wieczorek, Management Board’s Plenipotentiary for Public Relations.
We are committed to taking action to ensure the health, safety and comfort of people. We also want to stay on track to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Last year, we launched a cyclical analysis of the real estate portfolio using the CRREM (Carbon Risk Real Estate Monitor) tool, which – together with the climate risk analysis carried out in accordance with the TCFD (Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures) guidelines – allowed us to develop an optimal decarbonisation path. Thanks to it, we have set ourselves further climate goals, which we presented in the report. – adds Agata Kwapisiewicz.
Methodology
We have developed our ESG Report despite the fact that we are not obliged to do so. This decision is based primarily on the desire to communicate openly with our stakeholders and to point out important aspects related to caring for the environment, on which we undoubtedly have a huge impact. We are also aware of the fact that legislative changes, including the CSRD Directive, will soon have a significant impact on the expectations of our stakeholders. That is why we are already providing them with the information they will soon need, and the use of the most popular international reporting standards GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) will allow them to easily find the required data and compare it with the market. In addition, due to our membership in the UNGC, the report refers to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). – sums up Agata Kwapisiewicz.
