Sustainability

Creating sustainable impacts, bringing positive change.

What Sustainability Means to Us

As a leading real estate advisor, we are focused on:

  • Evolving our sustainability platform to meet the demand for smarter, climate-resilient, more sustainable and healthier buildings for our tenants and residents
  • Actively engaging our suppliers to encourage the use of sustainable products and services in the operation and development of our assets under management
  • Reducing the energy and carbon footprint of our clients’ portfolios to support the transition towards a low-carbon economy

Driving Performance, Managing Risk

While our properties continued to face challenging COVID-related operating conditions throughout much of 2021, our property and asset management teams maintained a sharp focus on delivering operational performance and ensuring healthy and safe environments for our tenants and residents.

Our office portfolio also continued its participation in GWLRA’s Sustainability Benchmarking and Conservation Program (SBCP), where teams set and drive toward five-year (2019–2023) reduction targets for energy, water, waste and GHG emissions. Teams are currently on track to meet or exceed the overall five-year reduction target and will look to evolve their emission targets to be in line with GWLRA’s net-zero commitment by the end of the SBCP next year.

Learn more about what we’re doing to Minimize our environmental footprint.

2022 Performance Highlights

33%

decrease in GHG emissions intensity (2013–2022)

32%

decrease in water use intensity (2013–2022)

86%

green building certification coverage (by floor area for eligible buildings, as at year-end 2022)

20%

decrease in energy use intensity (2013–2022)

10%

decrease in waste to landfill (2013–2022)

$110K

in training funding awarded to employees (2022)

Sustainable Development Goals

Aligning our business with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is an important part of our commitment to being a responsible, values-based business that creates positive impacts in society. Three SDGs were identified during our most recent materiality assessment as areas where we can make the greatest contribution:

SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

We continue to develop our clients’ buildings in a way that supports safe, inclusive and sustainable communities, while respecting their cultural and natural heritage.

SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

We play an important role in encouraging the use of sustainable materials through our procurement processes with third parties.

SDG 13 - Climate Action

SDG 13: Climate Action

We are reducing the carbon impact of our clients’ properties and working to ensure their assets are resilient and adaptive to climate-related risks and natural hazards.

Strategic Sustainability Priorities

Our collective focus on four priorities related to our environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance positions us to deliver strong, long-term returns for our clients and contribute to local and global goals for a better and more sustainable future. Cross-cutting all these priorities is our recent commitment to move towards net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 for our managed assets.

Minimize our environmental footprint

Contribute to stronger, more livable communities

Attract and retain top talent

Operate with integrity and trust

Minimize our environmental footprint

Responsible investing—which integrates the consideration of ESG issues into the investment process, alongside traditional financial analysis—is an important practice at GWLRA.

Learn more

Materiality Assessment

We asked individuals from key functions within our organization to help us define high-priority sustainability issues that could have a significant impact on our business and are of greatest interest to our stakeholders.

Insights are derived from ongoing stakeholder engagement as well as reviews of peer sustainability reports, our own business performance and general and sector-specific sustainability standards. GWLRA Annual Review references the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Universal and Topic Standards (2021), the GRI-G4 Construction and Real Estate Sector Supplement (CRESS), and the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB).

Priority topics inform our strategic business objectives and are discussed in our public performance reporting.

Materiality Matrix

GWLRA’s Strategic Business Objectives

All

Achieve Operational Excellence

Deliver Strong, Long-Term Returns

Attract and Retain Top Talent

Minimize Our Environmental Footprint

Contribute to Stronger, More Livable Communities

Operate with Integrity and Trust

Stakeholder Interest
Low Medium High
Low Medium High
Impact on GWLRA’s Business
  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • Green Buildings
  • Ethics and Integrity
  • Compliance and Risk Management
  • Responsible Investments
  • Tenant Satisfaction
  • Community Development
  • Environmental Management
  • Corporate Governance
  • Safety and Security
  • Talent Diversity and Development

Case Studies

Canada Life Head Office +
50 Prince Arthur +
Reducing e-waste in the GTA +
Urban Gardens +
840 Howe – Getting Ready for Net Zero +
Vancouver Centre (Vancouver) +
The Livmore (Toronto) +
CLHO (London) +