At Colliers CRE we recognise the importance of sustainability and place a strong emphasis on its increasing significance within the built environment. We are actively working to reduce our carbon impact both internally, within our own offices, and externally through the projects we pursue, the memberships we hold and the advice we give to our clients. We feel we have a huge environmental responsibility and take our commitments in this field very seriously.
Our Memberships
Colliers is a founding member and on the executive board of the UK Green Building Council, a partnership of leading UK property companies committed to dramatically improving the sustainability of the built environment. The UKGBC has an ambitious agenda and our involvement from the beginning allows us to influence and shape how sustainability will affect property decision-making in the UK.
In September 2007, Colliers CRE signed the 2016 Commitment, a government-led pledge to meet sustainability targets. The commitment supports the government in its bid to ensure that, by 2016, new homes and developments are low and zero carbon.
Our Clients
Assessing the impact of a client's property occupation and management in terms of environmental sustainability is now a common feature of many of our client relationships throughout the UK - and this has lead to a number of important appointments. We are working with BioRegional Quintain Ltd to identify sites in the West Country and London on which to develop large zero-carbon communities, with NGM Developments to create floating and flood resistant schemes across the country and with Lincoln City Council on a sustainable urban extension to the city. For further examples of green schemes, please refer to our case studies.
Our Offices
Within our own offices we continually work to reduce our environmental impact and have a number of initiatives in place that set a high standard for reduction and incentivise change. For example, we have enhanced our recycling facility so that around 75% of all waste and redundant items are now recycled, All photocopies and printed items are now produced on recycled paper and we are negotiating with our electricity supplier to receive 100% green electricity for our head office. We promote the use of our video conferencing facilities to reduce travel and actively encourage staff to cycle to work. 82 members of staff have so far purchased bicycles through our cycle scheme; all of our offices have secure cycle sheds and showers and we provide free neon safety jackets.
In 2006, we established a sustainability focus group with representatives from each department who work to ensure that these various initiatives are co-ordinated and communicated across the business and back to our clients. To help us benchmark and reduce our emissions more effectively we are currently calculating our carbon footprint. We continue to maintain our accreditation to ISO 14001, the leading standard for managing environmental responsibilities. This accreditation, awarded in 2005 and covering all our offices, also extends to the advice given to clients by our building consultancy division. Our environmental policy (PDF 124KB) and environmental strategy (PDF 48KB) sets out the ways in which we are managing the impact of our activities and services on the environment.
Contact
Steven Mitchell Director +44 20 7344 6618
Tia Williams Senior Consultant - Sustainability +44 20 7344 6538