Weingarten Realty (NYSE:WRI) has released our inaugural Corporate Sustainability Report (CSR). The report details our responsibilities to patrons, retailers, shareholders and the community, and demonstrates our leadership in environmental sustainability in the commercial real estate industry. The CSR also presents an in-depth look at our sustainability program, GreenForward, and includes case studies, educational efforts, program objectives, and cost savings.
For Weingarten Realty, sustainability is about actively embracing an array of initiatives to manage more environmentally-friendly retail centers. We constantly seek new ideas and innovations that can further improve the environmental performance of our national portfolio because we recognize the environmental, social and economic implications of our work.
We are very proud of the progress we have made as a company to operate environmentally-conscious properties throughout our portfolio, especially in the areas of property certifications, associate and tenant education, and substantial cost savings.
Among several significant achievements and progresses, the CSR highlights that Weingarten Realty:
- Was named a 2015 Green Lease Leader at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Summit
- Developed a Green Box Scope to deliver sustainable “vanilla shell” retail spaces that are ready to lease
- Improved the GRESB survey score 17%
- Earned the IREM Certified Sustainable Property Certification
- Maintained 100% core property participation in at least one sustainable initiative
“Weingarten Realty associates live, work and shop in the communities we serve, and therefore it is imperative that we provide safe, attractive and sustainable shopping centers,” said Drew Alexander, CEO. “We hope this Corporate Sustainability Report not only showcases our ongoing efforts, but acts as a springboard for future efforts as well—both inside and outside our company.”
The full CSR is available to read on our GreenForward webpage.