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Environment

GRI 2-23

As far as environmental protection is concerned, we put our faith in the precautionary principle. Potential risks or damage to the environment and people’s health must be prevented or reduced as much as possible through proactive measures before they occur.

HomeSustainabilitySustainability report 2022Environment

Our principles for protecting the environment

Within the processes that we can control/influence and with taking cost efficiency into account, we consider the use of sustainable products and sustainable implementation to be a  undamental principle governing all that we do.

We consistently take sustainable approaches and actively promote sustainable building standards.

In developing sustainable products and services, we also include the upstream and down stream supply chain.

In doing so, we do everything necessary to preserve and protect the environment. Reducing environmental emissions and the consumption of resources as well as increasing energy efficiency are paramount here.

We monitor the environmental performance of our portfolio systematically using a tailormade monitoring system. We set ourselves ambitious targets and attach great importance to  efficiency measures.

Our aim is to control all our activities and processes to ensure that unnecessary environmental impacts can be prevented, from the supply chain, creation and product development until the end of our products’ lives.

Our goals:

GRI 302, 305

In accordance with our decarbonisation strategy, we are aiming to achieve net zero emissions from our operations by 2030 for new buildings and by 2050 for existing properties and therefore meet the IPCC’s 1.5-degree target in relation to Switzerland’s building stock.

 

 

Wherever possible, we bank on compact structures and renewable energies for warmth and cold. When purchasing electricity, we consistently rely on renew-able energy sources.

When selecting projects, we focus solely on urban regions and select agglomerations with good connections to public transport (class A and B). Accordingly, users are expected to be able to  entirely rely on slow traffic and public transport.

 

Swiss building stock causes approximately 45% of energy consumption and 30% of CO2 emissions in Switzerland. Given how long a building lasts, today’s decisions about how, where and what we build will have an impact well into the future. We are therefore obliged to think very carefully about these choices.

Our aim is to ensure that our properties consume comparatively little energy through low-carbon systems and building materials, high levels of insulation in the building shell, compact structures, and the purchase of renewable energies (e.g., green electricity) and to reduce this further year by year through optimisation measures to achieve a net zero building.

Energy consumption and CO2 emissions from our portfolio
As soon as our development portfolio becomes operational, we will report our effective annual ener-gy consumption by fuel type and the corresponding CO2 emissions (scope 1, 2 and 3) in our sustainability report. SIA Standard 2040 was used to calculate our development portfolio’s forecast figures for construction (grey energy and grey emissions), operation and mobility across the portfolio as a whole. In each case, we will present the actual operating consumptions on an absolute basis, a revenue-adjusted basis as well as like-for-like (energy intensity) in accordance with the requirements of the GRI.

Energy consumption by our office properties and fleet
The energy consumed through our direct business activities is very modest because of the small number of employees and the nature of our business and is virtually negligible compared to the emissions from our portfolio. Nevertheless, we collect these core values so that we can improve too in future.

 

    Total consumption by the property Employees at the location Ina Invest share
Energy consumption at work Unit 2020 2021 1 2022 2020 2021 2022 2020 2021 2022
Electricity consumption kWh kWh 501,896 303,792 309,408 200 670 677 2,509 453 914
District heating kWh 15,433 NA 615,132 200 670 677 77 NA 1,817
Gas kWh 293,975 NA - 200 670 677 1,470 NA -
Total kWh 811,304 NA 924,540 200 670 677 4,057 NA 2,731
Business travel Unit 2020 2021 2022
Distance travelled km 10,000 10,000 11,000
Diesel consumption L/100km 4.1 4.1 4.1
Total diesel consumption L 410 410 451
CO 2 emissions per kilometre g/km 109 109 109
Total CO 2 emissions kg CO 2 equivalent 1,090 1,090 1,199

1 Due to Ina Invest moving in summer 2021 and the Covid-19 pandemic plus the recommendation associated therewith that staff should work from home, the data for electricity consumption in 2021 is only available as a projection. Heat-related energy consumption will be included at a later date. Generally speaking, the figures from 2021 are not relevant for statistical purposes.

50%

of the development portfolio is invested in wood and hybrid timber structures

Our goals:

For material-induced emissions, we aim to achieve net zero for new buildings in accordance with the decarbonisation strategy by 2040. To achieve this, we rely on systems and building materials with a low proportion of grey energy, and pollutants. In acquisition, planning and development, we focus fully on the separability of materials, flexible use and service life.

10.4 kg

CO2/m²a average greenhouse gas emissions in construction (forecast)

GRI 3-3, 301, 306

The term “grey energy” describes the amount of non-renewable primary energy that must be used to manufacture a product – whether it is a building material, a building component or even an entire building. This includes all the steps taken in extracting raw materials, manufacturing and processing as well as the transportation and tools needed for this process. Consumption of this primary energy generates CO2 emissions in turn (grey emissions).

Grey energy plays a key role in any consideration of sustainability. When constructing new buildings, it reaches far higher levels than the amount of operating energy consumed during the entire life of the building. The grey energy in a building can be reduced by up to 30% through specific designs and implementation measures. In many cases, this will also reduce building costs.

Ina Invest therefore focuses specifically on harnessing the existing potential to reduce grey energy. This starts with strategic planning, in which a compact building with the outer shell being as small as possible will generally perform better in terms of material input. The extent of foundations, excavation support and underground structures also has an impact. Grey energy can be further reduced by the choice of the load-bearing system (solid construction or lightweight construction), its design or the extent and type of building technology.

In accordance with our preferred decarbonisation strategy, we therefore set ourselves the target of using cubatures, structures and building materials with low levels of grey energy and grey emissions for each project. We also expect our partners that implement the projects to prioritise the criteria of regional procurement (short delivery routes), proportion of recycled materials and renewable materials in their choice of materials, and we expect them to be able to provide evidence of this.

Forecasts of the proportion of grey energy in our projects can be found in the portfolio analysis chapter

 

 

GRI 3-3, 301

To be able to offer users of our buildings an entirely environmentally friendly and healthy living and working environment, we attach a great deal of importance to the choice of building materials and building products. For example, only products containing low levels of VOCs and formaldehyde are used in accordance with the requirements of Minergie-ECO.

To ensure this principle is incorporated in the development and execution, the “Requirements for the Building Design and Execution” document (see Ina Invest website) constitutes a contractual basis when commissioning our partners. They must guarantee that control mechanisms are implemented when ordering and while on the construction site. Air quality measurements once the building is approved provide providence of whether the work was carried out correctly.

GRI 3-3, 303, 306

There is no acute lack of drinking water in Switzerland. Nevertheless, it is important that we use this resource sparingly in the long-term, not least to reduce the energy consumed in treating water and heating hot water. By law, each building in Switzerland is connected to the public water supply system. This means that contamination of the soil and groundwater through wastewater can largely be prevented..

Water consumption by our portfolio
To reduce the water consumed by users, we rely on two levers wherever possible: the use of rainwater to flush toilets, and optimising the flow rates for all water dispensers thanks to innovative, efficient, sanitary facilities. With the aim of raising awareness for this issue, tenants are kept informed of their actual water consumption through real time monitoring.

Since all projects are still in the development or execution phase during the reporting period, we will not publish effective consumption data for the individual properties in our sustainability report until the 2023 reporting period.

GRI 3-3, 306

With 716 kg of waste per capita, Switzerland has one of the highest amounts of municipal waste in the world. At the same time, Switzerland performs very well compared to other European countries with a recycling rate of just over 50% for its municipal waste. The remaining 50% is sent for thermal recycling in incinerators.

To reduce the amount of waste and increase the recycling rate in our properties, Ina Invest will provide users with a waste separation system for rubbish, PET, cardboard, and green waste. Depending on the conditions at the various locations and local service providers, it will look at whether plastics can be collected separately.  The quantities of waste will also be measured and published in this report when the first property is commissioned.

Around half of the entire European waste generated is attributable to the construction industry. Here, Ina Invest has an additional indirect lever. We therefore ask our partners to introduce a multi-trough system in the execution phase to allow the separation of building waste according to type with the aim of achieving recycling rates of at least 85%.

 

Our goal:

We demand that our partners develop and implement an environmental concept aimed at minimising emissions in the supply chain as well as on construction sites.

GRI 3-3

Ina Invest understands environmental protection as the preservation and protection of our vitally important natural resources. The containment and reduction of environmental impacts through the sparing and efficient use of natural resources are paramount here.

The greatest environmental emissions in the form of contamination of air, water, and soil as well as noise, vibrations, and waste typically occur in the execution and dismantling phase. It is therefore essential that possible environmental impacts are considered well in advance of building work, and that they are included in an environmental concept with appropriate planning and execution measures. Once building starts, the same concept must be included in the processes, the measures must be implemented correctly and purposefully and their effectiveness must be checked and documented in an environmental report. It is the responsibility of the commissioned joint venturer or the project manager entrusted with the project to determine the project specific environmental impacts. In each case, we request the environmental concepts and reports from the respective joint venturer before execution starts, and again during execution and once construction is completed. Environmental incidents are reported.

GRI 3-3, 304

Biodiversity, namely the diversity of habitats, species, and genes, is perhaps the most important natural asset of all. It is the strategic pillar allowing ecological systems to function and to maintain food chains. In a Switzerland of 10 million inhabitants, the protection of biodiversity and the preservation of natural habitats is vitally important.

Our location strategy therefore banks solely on urban regions and selected agglomerations. None of our current projects borders protected areas or poses a risk to protected species. This will also be checked and taken into account when acquiring future projects. We also rely on compact structures and high-density living. While restoring the areas surrounding the buildings as well as withroof and façade greening, we consciously focus on indigenous plant species and diversity and, by doing so, create new habitats for various animal species. We also expect our partners to do the same.

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