Part of our conscious and structured work with sustainability issues is the sustainability certification of our properties to reduce environmental and health risks. We are constantly on our toes to maintain a high level of certification of our properties. It benefits both us, our lenders and other stakeholders. In addition, the long-term sustainability work has positive effects on the people, the place, the city and the management of the global climate challenges.

We are working constantly to satisfy requirements and expectations from customers and other stakeholders. Demand for sustainable and certified buildings has grown over the course of several years. Environmental certification of our properties is an area we have been focusing on for a long time where we have a high level of ambition. We environmentally certify all investment properties according to BREEAM In-Use with the ambition of achieving Very Good, and new construction projects according to BREEAM-SE with the goal of achieving Excellent.

BREEAM is an international system where the certification is done by an external party. BREEAM also takes into account conditions outside the building, which we see as an advantage. We always take a greater responsibility than the property boundary, and then we want to know that even these efforts are done in a climate-smart way.

A security for our tenants

With today's focus on reducing the warming of our planet and the desire to contribute to UN's climate goals, more and more customers believe that an environmentally certified workplace is a hygiene factor. Being an environmentally conscious and proactive employer is becoming increasingly important for employer branding purposes and we welcome that development.

A healthy and sustainable work environment is not just about the physical environment, including lighting, noise levels, ventilation and furnishings. Psychosocial factors are equally important for the wellbeing and performance of employees, and in particular for them to want to return to the office. Our contribution is primarily about making it easy for our customers to do the right thing. This could involve placing attractive stairwells centrally to encourage people to take the stairs instead of the lift, but also offering ancillary services, opportunities for fitness activities and culture in or around our properties. Another example is our work with customers to develop health-certified workplaces; a strategic initiative that aims to prepare properties for customer requirements for health certification. We use the Fitwel certification. SEB’s office in Arenastaden, along with our own head office in Solna, are two examples of Fitwel-certified properties.

Our environmental certifications for quality assurance