ESG – Alfons & alfreda

We take responsibility for a bright future

Vision of a good future

We have and take responsibility: as entrepreneurs, project developers – as humans.

To us it's a matter of course to act as sustainably as possible, always with the environment in mind: That's our duty.

New challenges

Our projects are closely monitored, and our standards are constantly questioned across all teams.

We are constantly updating our sustainability and ESG guidelines at all levels and in all teams. The different backgrounds of each of us enable us to challenge ourselves each time again and take a differentiated view of our work.

The regulatory framework

In an environment of increasingly stringent environmental regulations and laws, real estate can only be successful if it not only meets current requirements, but also anticipates and exceeds them. These regulations, together with rising user expectations, have a significant impact on project decisions and capital flows. Developers and investors who proactively set higher ecological standards increase the value of their properties and at the same time make a positive contribution to environmental protection.

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Introduction of the EU ETS

The EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) limits and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by trading emissions certificates.

EU Climate Package 2020

This package set binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% compared to 1990, to increase the share of renewable energies to 20% and to improve energy efficiency by 20% by 2020.

Renewable Energy Directive

This directive set binding national targets for the share of renewable energy in final energy consumption and promoted the use of renewable energy sources in the EU.

Monitoring Mechanism Regulation (MMR)

This regulation required member states to monitor and report on their greenhouse gas emissions and progress towards their climate targets.

Paris Climate Agreement

An international agreement aimed at limiting global warming to well below 2 °C compared to pre-industrial levels.

EU taxonomy

This classification system promotes sustainable investment by setting clear criteria for eco-friendly economic activities.

EU-Green Deal

This strategy aims to promote sustainability in the EU and achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

Building Energy Act (GEG)

The law regulates the energy requirements for new and existing buildings in Germany in order to increase energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions.

Fit for 55 program

This EU program includes measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels and achieve the Green Deal targets.

German Climate Protection Act

This law sets binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and defines measures to achieve these targets.

Building Electromobility Infrastructure Act (GEIG)

This act promotes the expansion of the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in buildings by providing incentives for the installation of charging stations.

Carbon Dioxide Cost Allocation Act (KostAG)

The law regulates the distribution of CO2 costs between landlords and tenants in order to create incentives to reduce emissions.

Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

The CBAM aims to reduce CO2 emissions by taking into account the CO2 costs in imports from third countries to ensure fair competition.

Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)

The CSRD extends the disclosure requirements for sustainability information of large companies in order to improve transparency and comparability.

Our path to Net Zero

We have drawn up our own climate protection roadmap, which is divided into four steps and will help us on the way to our Net Zero goal.

1. Determination of CCFs

Our company has its corporate carbon footprint (CCF) measured annually by TÜV and reports on it transparently. This report covers all Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions as well as some Scope 3 emissions. Based on this data, we initiate targeted reduction measures that are implemented step by step.

One focus of our reduction measures is on Scope 3 emissions, in particular the emissions from our buildings, which account for the largest share. In the next step of our climate protection roadmap, we will measure the emissions from our buildings using a life cycle analysis (LCA). This enables us to assess the overall environmental footprint of our real estate projects and implement targeted measures to reduce emissions.

2. Determination of the LCAs

As early as the planning phase, we determine the global warming potential, acidification potential, primary energy, eutrophication potential and ozone creation potential and compare these values with a reference building. This enables us to identify the biggest emission drivers of our properties at an early stage and initiate appropriate reduction measures. Our focus is on energy-efficient and low-CO₂ construction.

We have also set ourselves high standards for the construction of sustainable buildings, which we implement wherever possible:

Certifications

KfW 40 efficiency house standard
Use of 40% C2C materials (cradle to cradle)
Preparation of a building resource passport with BIM and circularity assessment of our materials
Life cycle cost analysis
Analysis according to CRREM (Carbon Risk Real Estate Monitor)
At least three biodiversity measures
Climate risk analysis
Mobility analysis
Energy concepts

3. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

4. Communicating our climate strategies

Our company attaches great importance emphasizes transparency and continuous improvement on the road to Net Zero. We therefore publish a comprehensive sustainability report every year. This report documents our progress and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in detail and provides insights into our strategies for achieving our climate targets. In this way, we ensure that all stakeholders, including investors, customers and partners, are informed about our environmental efforts at all times.

Buildings are meeting places

Our goal at Alfons & Alfreda is to use our
projects to create significant added value for all
stakeholders. We recognize that the
requirements of the various interest groups in a project are complex and often not transparent. That is why we work hard to ensure that everyone feels comfortable in our properties.

To meet this requirement, we have developed a social scoring system based on the principles of the EU Social Taxonomy and the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Scoring of the Institute for Corporate Governance (ICG). This tool enables us to systematically assess how we can further improve our social performance.

In addition, we plan our buildings according to the WELL Core certificate so that future tenants can demonstrate how much they value the well-being of their employees through the entire WELL certification process.

However, our commitment does not end with the design of our buildings. We are actively involved through various social actions that we organize together as a team. These initiatives not only strengthen our team, but also (hopefully) have a direct impact in our immediate environment.

Good Governance is our culture

For us, good governance means open communication, transparency and, understandably, respecting labor rights for ourselves and our subcontractors. Everyone must therefore have read our Code of Ethics.

Constant communication between all management levels and within the entire team is a matter of course.

With our reporting system, coming as annual Sustainability Report based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), we transparently show all stakeholders Alfons & alfreda's developments in the area of ESG and sustainability.