Following on from Colliers’ recent Asia Pacific ESG Task Force announcement and the introduction of Head of Sustainability Lisa Hinde, Colliers has been appointed to two new major sustainability advisory programs with key industry bodies NABERS and the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA).

As the only major agency assigned to the Green Building Council advisory, Colliers is honoured to contribute to these integral sustainability strategies that will have a far-reaching impact across property management in Australia. The key will be sharing this knowledge in a client advisory capacity, as well as integrating initiatives internally. As previously raised by Lisa Hinde, Colliers’ ESG Task Force Environmental Lead, with 11.4 million sqm of property under management with Colliers alone, the potential to create real environmental change is here.

“In line with our own commitments to track and report on our carbon emissions, these long-term engagements with NABERS and the GBCA not only benefit our own teams in guiding and preparing the direction of our local industry in Australia, but it also sends a strong signal to our clients,” Ms Hinde says. “The fact Colliers is contributing to the development of these new frameworks, will ensure the outcome is representative and relevant to their operations in this emerging carbon constrained economy.”

Originating in Australia, NABERS has established performance benchmarks for various asset classes to support owners and occupiers in assessing their environmental performance against peers for energy, water, waste and indoor environment. NABERS employs a ‘nowhere to hide’ approach to performance where each building or tenancy is supplying the same type of data and documentation as their peers to achieve a consistent rating outcome.

Colliers’ National Director, Industrial Real Estate Management Services, Daniel Shafferman, and Ms Hinde will be working with the NABERS Accelerate program to help guide their approach in defining energy and water benchmarks for this sector.

“The result of our advice will inform the first industrial ratings in Australia and not only upskill our teams to handle requests from our existing and future clients to facilitate these ratings, but also allow us to extend the opportunity to be the first rated under this new benchmark,” Ms Hinde explains. “Alongside this, we will support our Clients to receive a 20% discount from NABERS when they participate in this first cohort.”

As the sole agency appointed to the GBCA’s Early Access Green Star Performance Advisory Panel, Colliers will play an integral role in guiding operational assets to net zero. Launched in 2014 Green Star Performance, the voluntary standard for sustainability in operational buildings, quickly became the main staple for investor clients pursuing their GRESB (the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark Survey) reporting strategy. Unlike NABERS, Green Star Performance applies to most building types and pursues a more qualitative approach to reporting. GRESB recognises the Green Star standard as part of the ‘operational third-party rating’, this means that in an operational sense, property management and facilities management teams are at the frontline of delivering the necessary actions to achieve points in this rating.  

“On this basis, Colliers’ involvement in guiding the application of these standards is instrumental in the success of clients’ ratings and the properties under our management,” Ms Hinde says. “As the Green Star standards had not been updated since 2017, Colliers representative appointment to the GBCA Expert Advisory panel earlier this year to oversee the development of the next iteration of the framework has been pursued to keep it in line with the World Green Building Council net zero objectives for real estate.”

Colliers’ appointment to the Early Access Green Star Performance Advisory Panel will be a long-term strategic engagement. Our clients’ properties will be in a position to receive the first certifications under the new standard coming in 2023. Green Star Performance is also the only pathway for non-NABERS rated assets to pursue certification under the Climate Active standard for carbon neutral / net zero by the Federal government.