Sustainability Consulting
Our industry-leading Sustainability Consultancy team works with clients to incorporate a breadth of environmentally sustainable efforts into their core operations, moving from commitment to action. We cover all three primary aspects of the sustainability spectrum - Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG).
Our holistic, client-first approach to solve and create sustainability solutions, supports business growth and compliance. We have a deep understanding of the importance of ESG practices throughout a property’s entire life cycle. Close collaboration with all stakeholders allows us to provide a range of technical, professional and transactional services to support sustainable action.
We work to set sustainability goals and develop and implement sustainability improvement strategies through measurement. This may include monitoring current energy or water performance, or the satisfaction levels of a building’s occupants, investigating supply-chain arrangements or auditing the status of a client’s environmental governance policies and processes. We ensure compliance with legislation, including health and safety legislation, as a key priority.
At Knight Frank we are passionate about improving sustainability performance for our clients and ourselves, and proud of our best-in-class People, Plant and Community Commitment being rolled out within our own organisation, across our 22 Australian offices to enhance both our client’s and our own long-term business growth.
Our Approach:
The key sustainability commitments central to our Asset Management Service include:
- Legislative Compliance
- Managing Utility Consumption
- Tenant Engagement
- Training
- Monitoring and Reporting
- Sustainable Supply Chain and Procurement
Our Focus:
Principal areas of our Sustainability procedures focus on:
- Water Conservation
- Waste / Landfill Reduction and Recycling
- Operational Efficiencies
- Environmental Risk Management
- Energy Management
- Indoor Air Quality
- WHS and Liability Management
We assist with strategic advice and environmental planning on items including:
- Funding opportunities
- Building audits and development of Environmental Management Plans
- Property and Portfolio Environmental Strategies
- Capital works improvement plans
- Green Star Performance planning
- WELL Ratings / GREBS Advice
Our Services - Organisational Level
Sustainability gap analysis
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) gap analysis, based on the categories of the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) Survey.
Sustainability Strategy & Action Plans
Assistance to develop sustainability strategy and action plans based on organisational requirements and/or results of an ESG gap analysis.
Sustainability Finance
Knight Frank assists clients to arrange funding and rebates for sustainability upgrades via the following scehemes and products:
- NSW and Victorian energy saving schemes
- City of Sydney Grants and Sponsorship Program
- Renewable Energy Target (RET) Scheme
- Sustainable Australia Fund
- NSW Bin Trim Program
Our Services - Asset Level
Environmental Ratings & Certification
- NABERS energy, water, waste and indoor environment ratings
- Building Energy Efficiency Certificates (BEECs)
- Green Star Performance
- Carbon Neutral certification
- GRESB surveys
Knight Frank also offers a 'NABERS Optimisation' service which involves a NABERS-specific audit of a building to identify opportunities to improve NABERS inputs and thus optimise NABERS results.
Sustainability Audits & Risk Assessment
- Energy, water, waste and indoor environment audits
- Environmental and climate risk assessments
A sustainability audit can also form part of a due diligence assessment for clients considering purchasing a building.
Building Operations Optimisations
- Monthly sustainability reporting
- Energy Management/Energy Optimisation*
- Water Management/Water Optimisation*
- Waste Management/Waste Optimisation*
- Indoor Environment Management/Indoor Environment Optmisation
Sustainability Upgrades
- HVAC and BMS system upgrades
- Lighting upgrades
- Water fixture upgrades and cooling tower water management
- Waste system upgrades
- Solar photovoltaic systems
Green Lease Management
Knight Frank manages green leases on behalf of building owners. This includes representing owners on building management committees and for new buildilngs, managing building tuning and defect liability processes.
Green Lease Management
- NABERS energy tenancy ratings
- Tenancy waste audits
- Tenant engagement activities for energy and waste improvement