April 5, 2019. O1 Properties took part in a meeting, “Green Office 2019: New Challenges, New Opportunities”, which was organised by the Moscow City Department of Environmental Management and Environmental Protection ahead of the annual Green Office competition.

Experts of O1 Properties spoke of the Company’s experience certifying office buildings to BREEAM standards and carrying out environmental initiatives at business centres. To date, four of the Company’s operating business centers and one project at the development stage are certified to BREEAM standards. The Company intends to certify the whole of its property portfolio by the end of 2019 and to launch separate waste sorting at buildings where the practice has not yet been introduced.

O1 Properties is keen to expand environmental initiatives at its business centres, since 75% of tenants are large international companies, which have their own environmental policies. Green office practices are increasingly important to companies seeking office space, so relevant support and initiatives by the building owner can be an important competitive advantage for  attracting new tenants. For example, it is not always possible for individual tenants to organize separate waste collection unless the practice is in place for the building as a whole.

The experience of O1 Properties shows that environmental initiatives are positively perceived by tenants, since they can elaborate their own environmental programs based on those already offered by the building owner. Also, many companies are competing for the young talents of generations y and z, who are more environmentally aware than older generations. So an office in a “green” building with a comfortable working environment enables companies to attract the best staff.

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