Firm sets itself 30 ambitious corporate objectives for 2020. 

JLL UK has achieved a healthy 78 percent of its sustainability targets set out across its Building a Better Tomorrow (BaBT) sustainability agenda in 2016.

JLL UK accomplished 14 (78%) of the 18 corporate sustainability targets set in 2016. Key successes overall included a 26 percent reduction in absolute energy across all corporate offices (since 2012), obtaining 35 environmental industry awards and raising £630,000 for then charity partner, Starlight. 

The firm committed back in late 2011 to embedding sustainability in its corporate strategy, processes and business line services and officially launched its sustainability agenda in 2014, focusing of four key areas: clients, people, workplaces and communities.

Chris Ireland, JLL UK CEO, commented: “Five years into our journey to embed sustainability into everything we do, I am proud of the progress we are making. In the last year, we’ve put a financial value on sustainability, launched our community programme and integrated our HR priorities in to our Building a Better Tomorrow agenda. We also achieved a 38 percent energy reduction per FTE in 2016. We had a long-term target to achieve a 10 percent reduction between 2012 to 2017, but we’ve concluded our target a year early.” 

“But we’ve also learned some lessons along the way. In light of Brexit, we stepped back, for now, from engaging with clients to set a zero energy 2030 target aligned to EU legislation and instead, focused on deploying a natural renewables contract across 330 assets we manage on our clients’ behalf. In the wake of big financial, social and environmental challenges, the world is demanding bolder, more urgent action from business and JLL UK is at the forefront of this charge.”

This year, JLL UK has set itself 30 ambitious corporate sustainability targets up until 2020. These will include achieving 100% renewable electricity across the firm’s corporate estate, working with clients to deliver five sustainable strategies or projects that will help transform real estate, infrastructure, and cities and being ranked a Top 100 employer in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index.

Sophie Walker, Head of UK Sustainability, JLL, added: “I want JLL to continue to play a leadership role in transforming the UK property sector and our aspiring targets for 2020 will certainly focus our efforts on achieving this. By 2020, I want us to have integrated sustainability in to all our advice, supported the UK’s ongoing transition to a low carbon and circular economy and addressed the social issues where we can have the most impact. I also want us to have created a work culture that truly values diversity, rewards talent and develops skills for tomorrow’s challenges.” 

Click here to view JLL UK’s 2016 Building a Better Tomorrow highlights.

This press relese was originally published on the JLL website here.