JLL Releases Sustainability Report

CHICAGO — JLL, a Chicago-based real estate investment management firm, has released its 2013 Sustainability Report, which provides a summary of the company’s performance against its sustainability areas. Those areas include energy and resources and green buildings.

Clients, employees and shareholders are demanding sustainability integration into real estate decisions, according to the report. JLL says its approach is consistent with guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative’s G4 Guidelines, the International Integrated Reporting Council’s (IIRC) Framework and the United Nations Global Compact.

“We are helping our clients and ourselves realize the value of a responsible business,” said Colin Dyer, JLL CEO, in a statement. “We hold ourselves accountable for the social, environmental and economic impacts of our business. Looking to the future, we will continue to work to maintain our reputation as a sustainable enterprise, a company that is trusted and relied upon by all of our stakeholders.”

JLL’s report highlighted sustainability achievements in 2013. They include delivering an estimated energy savings of 377 million kilowatt hours for U.S. clients, equal to $39 million and equivalent to removing roughly 46,300 cars annually from the road. Additionally, the company achieved 76 green building certifications for clients, covering 5.2 million square feet, more than 75 percent of which were LEED certified.

In its own office, JLL decreased greenhouse gas emissions by 7 percent to 1.5 metric tons per employee in 2013. JLL also said it has 125 offices that either have green building fit-out or certifications or are incorporating green building or fit-out principles.

“Our ability to thrive for more than 250 years indicates that we know what it takes to sustain a company over time,” Dyer said. “At its heart, sustainability at JLL is about maintaining and expanding our role as a good corporate citizen. We are proud of our reputation for acting with integrity and for the ways our people contribute to the communities in which they live and work.”

JLL has a total of 1,414 energy and sustainability professionals with almost 1,500 accreditations, making the company a leader in LEED-accredited staff, according to the company’s website. The company also works with a number of organizations and initiatives, including the World Green Building Council, the Carbon Disclosure Project and Greenprint Foundation, that focus on sustainable real estate.

In April, the EPA awarded JLL a 2014 Energy Star Partner of the Year for the climate communications category, in addition to the Energy Star Sustained Excellence.

“By using innovative marketing and communications, JLL is helping to raise the public’s awareness of climate change,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe, in a statement. “An informed public can make smarter choices about the purchases they make and the impact that they have on the environment and our changing climate.”