Peper & Söhne stands for the highest quality, fairness, and tradition. As a family-run business, we recognise our responsibility not only to our employees and customers but also to future generations. In line with our vision "Together we realise the future", we consider the impact of our actions on the environment and society in every development project, in addition to achieving a return on investment.
As an investor and developer, we are aware of our special responsibility to the environment: the life cycle of a property begins with project development. It is important to lay the foundations for a sustainable building at this stage, as the opportunities for influence diminish as the lifecycle progresses.
We consider sustainability in both a strategic and operational sense, demonstrating that we can contribute to climate and resource protection as well as an ESG-compliant economy in the development of commercial real estate.
To implement the high ESG requirements for our projects, we assess them against our sustainability guidelines. This contains more than 100 concrete measures on environmental, economic, and social issues. We decide on a case-by-case basis which of the measures can be implemented in a meaningful way.
ESG at Peper & Söhne
OUR UNDERSTANDING OF ESG
ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. Now well established in the capital markets, ESG refers to the non-financial sub-goals of a company, all of which contribute to the overarching goal of sustainability. Appropriate measures in all areas can contribute to a more sustainable economy. A closer look at the areas of environmental, social, and governance reveals overlaps so that the boundaries are not always clearly defined and sometimes blurred. The term ESG has the advantage of allowing a holistic view of sustainability, rather than reducing it to the environmental component.
HOW WE EMBED ESG
ESG
We believe that environmental value and economic success are not mutually exclusive.
We offer our customers individual design solutions with a high degree of flexibility. This results in high-quality products that are built to last.
To implement a CO2-reduced construction method, we aim to develop buildings to the EG-40 standard for offices and the EG-55 standard for halls, which are independently verified by the sustainability standard of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB).
For all new projects, we analyse the climate risks at the site as standard. Climate risk analyses identify existing and future climate risks and recommend adaptation strategies to reduce the threats posed by climate change.
Together with our expert planners and long-term partners, we develop holistic ecological concepts that combine habitats for plants and insects with commercial development and fossil-free energy supply.
For example, low-emission building materials are used as a project standard, the origin of resources is certified in accordance with ESG, a rainwater retention basin is used to irrigate green areas, and a concrete biodiversity strategy is implemented. For our new construction project, the development of a logistics centre in Langwedel, we are aiming for DGNB Platinum certification in addition to these points.
Digitization provides us with crucial tools that help us take sustainability to a new level in our projects and in our actions.
In a groundbreaking pilot project, we made the transformative impact of digitization tangible in a property. By integrating highly sensitive sensors, a wide range of data was collected that provided us with valuable insights. Not only were devices installed in our logistics property to monitor CO2 and pollutants, but also instruments capable of measuring impact loads, bending forces and bearing loads.
We firmly believe that technological progress and sustainability are inextricably linked.
By using smart metering systems, we are able to record energy consumption in our properties, read it in real time and analyze it comprehensively. This opens up numerous opportunities for us to optimize energy consumption, both operationally and financially.
It is common knowledge that operation is the longest phase in the life cycle of a property and therefore causes the highest CO2 emissions. But by intelligently measuring and optimizing consumption, we can significantly reduce CO2 emissions. We take responsibility for our environment seriously and are strongly committed to a sustainable future.
In addition to fair compensation and participation structures, we believe in the individual development and advancement of each team member. This includes flexible working hours. Peper & Söhne has been certified as "Excellent Family Friendly" for several years in a row and will be certified again in 2022.
We offer our employees ergonomic, modern workplaces with height-adjustable desks and high-quality, durable hardware and software. In addition, there are retreats for concentrated periods of work and inviting break and meeting rooms. We have also created a high-quality outdoor environment for the team.
The "TOP COMPANY" and "OPEN COMPANY" awards, which we have received several times from "Kununu", Europe's leading employer rating platform, make our social claim verifiable.
In addition to high-quality office equipment, we also promote activities outside the company. Peper & Söhne co-finances the EGYM Wellpass for its employees, giving the team access to a network of fitness and sports facilities. Joint team sports events are also part of our offering. With our partner BikeLeasing, we offer our team members discounted access to e-bikes and a comprehensive insurance package.
Peper & Söhne is committed to social involvement and supports social projects and dedicated associations. A selection of projects and associations can be found on our website.
Transparency with investors, customers, and governments is the foundation of our business. Respectful relationships with our stakeholders are fundamental to our day-to-day business and the basis of our work. We are proud of our business conduct and have received several CrefoZert awards for creditworthiness and transparency.
An important pillar of our good governance is the Advisory Board of Peper & Söhne. The board, some of whose members are external, acts as an advisory and supervisory body, providing strategic support to the company. Thanks to flat hierarchies and direct communication channels, every team member has the opportunity to contribute to decision-making.
Another important part of our ESG-compliant business is data collection. From the start, we have focused on a digital way of working, so we benefit from centralised data collection and a flexible IT infrastructure, both in terms of workflows and reporting. The security of our data is a very important factor in all of this. We only work with secure systems and certified hardware and software partners who are committed to GDPR compliance.
Leases with 'Green Lease' clauses contain requirements to encourage the tenant to use the property sustainably and the landlord to manage the property sustainably. These clauses are discussed in all our lease negotiations. In addition, we have developed a sustainability handbook for our tenants to guide them on how to operate in an environmentally responsible manner. The handbook is an integral part of all new leases.
SPURWERK SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT
We take our environmental responsibility very seriously, not only when it comes to individual properties, but also when it comes to designing entire business parks. For our SPURWERK project, we were the first quarter in Bremen to receive DGNB pre-certification in gold. The core issues assessed by the DGNB include resilience, climate protection, and adaptation. The neighbourhood certificate not only recognises a neighbourhood with low CO2 emissions but also takes into account factors such as the promotion of biodiversity or the development of resource-saving mobility concepts. The aim is to create indoor and outdoor spaces with a high quality of life for people moving around the neighbourhood.
The entire neighbourhood will operate without fossil fuels. To make this possible, photovoltaic systems will be installed on all roofs to supply the SPURWERK in combination with an air-to-water heat pump. Part of the biodiversity strategy at SPURWERK is to provide a self-sufficient supply for the resident flora and fauna. Water for the outdoor plants will be provided in some areas by troughs to collect rainwater and provide natural irrigation.
An area of 850 m² will also be created in Phase A for the development of a reed bed. After partial planting, the area will be left to develop on its own. The same applies to an area of 1,450 m² for the establishment of sandy rough grassland. The landscaping concept for the first phase of construction includes approximately 150 trees, as well as numerous hedges and other plants. The outdoor areas will be complemented by biodiversity features such as insect hotels and bee-friendly plants.
A neighbourhood app will be developed for the neighbourhood organisation. Users will be networked so that mobility and sharing services, delivery services, or safety facilities can be jointly organised. All services in the neighbourhood will be displayed on the app. Thanks to the many sustainable measures implemented in the project, SPURWERK is the first project to qualify for "green financing" from Sparkasse Bremen.
MEMBERSHIPS
The "German Sustainable Building Council" acts in the sense of a sustainable development of the construction and real estate industry.
Using a certification system that covers the entire life cycle of a property, attributes are evaluated in the categories of ecological quality, economic quality, sociocultural and functional quality, technical quality, and process and location quality. The total of 37 criteria provides the reference point for evaluating the sustainability performance of a project. Finally, there are certification levels from bronze to platinum as well as special awards.
The aim of gif (Gesellschaft für Immobilienwirtschaftliche Forschung) is to promote research in the real estate industry. Stakeholders from business and science want to advance the industry, create a network of knowledge and know-how, and set standards. Publications are regularly published and events organized on many different topics from the real estate industry. In this way, market transparency is to be increased and the professionalization of the real estate industry advanced.
Meanwhile, gif has 1,300 members and we are also part of the organization.
-
Digitization and sustainability go hand in hand - at Peper & Söhne, we benefit from our high level of digitalization and can develop our projects in an innovative and future-oriented way.
-
Sustainability is a popular topic at numerous conferences and in position papers. But, words are not always followed by actions. At Peper & Söhne, things are different. We set ourselves ambitious goals in terms of sustainability and then realize them bit by bit.
-
Each project is individual - as a sustainability manager, I am happy to design our projects in an ESG-compliant manner and actively drive the transformation in the real estate industry.
