Leading the way on ESG real estate disclosure
Thursday 20 October 2022
UniCredit is proud to announce it has been recognised as the first bank in Europe to obtain the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) scoring on its corporate real estate portfolio. This is another testament of how we are consistently working to achieve our ESG goals.
The portfolio analysed based on GRESB’s sustainability criteria included real estate assets owned by the Group with an approximate total value of 5bn euros, located across Central and Eastern Europe. This marks another significant milestone in UniCredit's sustainability journey, in line with the Group’s ESG Strategy and Net Zero commitment.
The initiative also showcases UniCredit's position as a Leading European in ESG reporting for property management. The GRESB scores will be consolidated over time through continued monitoring of the ESG performance of the Group’s properties and the related management processes, and a constant comparison of these against the highest market standards.
Salvatore Greco, Head of Group Real Estate at UniCredit, commented: "ESG principles are at the core of all our real estate activities, and we continue to strive to evaluate, monitor and consistently improve the ESG performance of our assets and related management processes. In line with the Group’s ESG Strategy, which is a key pillar of the UniCredit Unlocked business plan, the GRESB project represents a tangible example of our sustainability commitments, further reinforcing our leadership in the implementation of innovative ESG initiatives."
Unicredit is consistently working to achieve its ESG goals, playing its part in the transition to a more sustainable society. For example, the Group is progressively reducing its reliance on fossil fuels with 80% of the electricity used across our premises already coming from renewable sources in 2021 (100% in Italy and Germany, 98% in Austria). Moreover, we were among the first movers in the European financial services sector and the first bank in Italy to sign a corporate power purchase agreement (PPA) with a specialist green power producer, CVA, to supply the energy for our core data centres in Italy, strengthening our global Green Energy Procurement strategy.
Our commitments are also echoed in our energy and space efficiency measures to reduce our carbon footprint - a core priority of the Group’s ESG Strategy and Strategic Plan targets. UniCredit has already achieved a 32% reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions in 2021 compared to 2017 and is committed to reaching Net Zero on its own emissions by 2030, and on its financed emissions by 2050.