Sustainability Consulting Services (ESG)

The Sustainability (ESG) objectives constitute the holistic approach of ZEB’s service delivery to businesses to support them in 3 key areas:

Their funding opportunities,
reducing their cost of capital,
maximizing their competitive advantage by establishing their confidence and credibility vis-à-vis their customers, investors and all stakeholders.

ZEB has the expertise and know-how, to work with the management of companies to structure a comprehensive Action Plan & corresponding timeline for monitoring the performance of the business through a robust & effective system of ESG Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) based on leading international standards.

ZEB will undertake accurate and appropriate analysis of the data & information provided, providing access to innovative ideas and solutions and structuring a revised system of policies and procedures to ensure business sustainability.

ZEB with its sustainable development advisory services is a strategic partner of the enterprises in the sectors:

Analysis & monitoring of the institutional & regulatory framework
Institutional and regulatory framework, legal and regulatory framework, risk management & control framework
ESG (Environmental, Social, Governmental) indicators assessment methodology
EU-SFDR (Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation) disclosure
Climate Risk Reporting (Climate Risk Assessment – TCFD)

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Sustainable development goals

I. Gap Analysis by ESG (general/sectoral), at the strategic & operational level with target setting
II. ESG awareness & training program
III. Development of ESG strategy, policies & procedures
IV. Evaluation of ESG compliance/performance
V. Introduction of ESG compliance/performance based on selected standard & business sector
VI. ESG risk management
VII. Develop ESG reporting as part of management or annual reports
VIII. ESG assessment of investments

The business environment 2022-2050: European sustainability benchmark

In alignment with the European Union (EU) goal of climate neutrality by 2050 & in line with the UN’s Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the benchmarking of companies will include in the balance sheet intangible investments and a full – detailed assessment of the risks they face along with the allocation of their available capital.

The choice of the taxonomy method for classifying both economic activities and sustainability-related investments should be imposed on companies, in order to enable a benchmarking of their performance in the process of transition towards the achievement of the SDGs.

The frame of reference:

Revision of the Corporate Governance Directive – moving to Sustainable Corporate Governance
New EU Directorate-General Competition directive on mandatory due diligence in the value chain, EU Taxonomy on climate, tax and human rights
Sustainable Funding under the new Reporting Directive (SFRD)

Κey capital areas: performance measurement and disclosure

Green Building Certification

Green Building Certification is a process that assesses and confirms the sustainable performance of a building and provides quality assurance.

The Green Building Certification methods and systems tend to form a new environmental culture in the market of real estate and economy:

We support services through certification systems::

LEED Certification
BREEΑM
WELL
EDGE

We also support measurements of carbon dioxide emissions through the Carbon Footprint Method. The services we provide in relation to green building certification are:

Ensure organized and coordinated process for certification
Training and guidance of the parties involved
Coordination of all teams involved
Consultancy for technical, procedural and financial issues for the project duration

The benefits of Green Building Certification

Financial

Increase in the commercial value of the property and business
Increase in customers due to improved internal conditions
Reduction in building operating costs and increase in asset value
Improved employee productivity
Building recognition

Environmental

Reduction of the ecological and energy footprint of a building
Saving of required energy and drinking water consumption
Reduction of waste going to landfills
Reduction of harmful greenhouse gas emissions

Corporate Social Responsibility

Strengthening the local market and economy
Improving the working culture of users
Creating a healthy and safe indoor environment
Strengthening corporate image and environmental policy
Demonstrate corporate commitment to good environmental management

L.E.E.D. Method

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an internationally recognized environmental certification / assessment for buildings and settlements. It was created by the USGBC-US Green Building Council (Green Building Council of the U.S.) and started as a pilot program in 1998.

Mission / Philosophy

L.E.E.D. encourages and accelerates the adoption of practices for sustainable and green buildings and settlements at the international level through the creation and implementation of internationally understood and accepted benchmarks, including existing and new standards, tools and performance criteria

LEED Rating System is:

Voluntary
Market – driven
Consensus based

Superiority of the L.E.E.D. method compared to other evaluation methods

Internationally recognized system
Wide range ofparameters for examining the sustainability of the building
The building must meet certain minimum requirements to be included in the assessment system
Favors sustainable development aturban and regional level

L.E.E.D. Greek Legislation & New Buildings

The Building Regulation Code (Law 4067/2012):

Mentions the LEED method as an internationally recognized environmental assessment methodology
The excellent environmental performance of the buildings is documented by LEED Gold certification.
Inclusion in the privileged status of minimum energy consumption buildings with the benefits of a 10% increase in the Building Coefficient.

Certifications Levels

The scale consists of 4 assessment levels

Certified Building	Certified: 40-49 points
Silver	Silver: 50-59 points
Gold	Gold: 60-79 points
Platinum	Platinum: 80-100 points

Main credit categories

The main categories/factors for evaluating the functions and features on which the LEED method is based in a project are:

1. Sustainable sites credits:

Encourage strategies that minimize the impact on ecosystems and water resources.

2. Water efficiency credits:

Promote smarter use of water, inside and out, to reduce potable water consumption

3. Energy & atmosphere credits:

Promote better building energy performance through innovative strategies.

4. Materials & resources credits:

Encourage using sustainable building materials and reducing waste.

5. Indoor environmental quality credits:

Promote better indoor air quality and access to daylight and views.

Certification Process

Phase I: Launch

Determination of needs / requirements of project and project owner
Coordination of Partners
Sign up project on LEED Online
Organization and training of the project team
Sart procedures

Phase II: Design

Completion of design
Collection of required documents
Verification of design by GBCI

Phase III: Construction

Completion of construction
Collection of required documents
Verification of construction by GBCI

Phase IV: Certification

Secure LEED certification plaque
Conduct users research
Inspect / Investigate for LEED for Existing Buildings: Operation & Maintenance
Ensure organized and coordinated process for certification
Training and guidance the parties involved
Coordination of all involved teams
Consultancy for technical, procedural and financial issues throughout the project duration
Services Offered
Training and guidance of stakeholders
Coordination of all involved teams
Consulting on technical, procedural and financial issues throughout the project

Edge Certification

EDGE CERTIFICATION

The EDGE Certification is a ‘Green Building’ Certification of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the financial branch of the World Bank (World Bank Group).
EDGE is applied to new and existing buildings around the world. It examines energy and water consumption as well as the embodied energy footprint of the building’s construction materials.

A. For all buildings (new or existing) there are two (2) levels of Certification:

EDGE Certification
- 20% savings in energy consumption
- 20% savings in water consumption
- 20% reduction in embodied energy

EDGE Advanced certification
- 40% savings in energy consumption
- 20% saving in water consumption
- 20% reduction in embodied energy

B. Especially for buildings in operation there is one (1) level of Certification:

EDGE Zero Carbon Certification
- 1st step: EDGE Advanced Certification
- 2nd step: Normal use of building for at least one (1) year and recording of energy consumption of one (1) year
- 3rd step: Purchase of ‘Carbon Offsets’, i.e., carbon offsets so that the building operates as a building with a zero equivalent carbon balance.

The EDGE Certification provides an easy-to-use software (EDGE App) that gives the user the ability to determine the optimal interventions for each building, in order to achieve the savings required to obtain the Certification. The direct comparability of interventions is a great advantage of EDGE, compared with the other ‘Green Building’ Certifications. This same software is additionally used to download the Certificate.

Based on IFC’s experience, the additional cost to obtain EDGE Certification is typically estimated to be less than 3% and is generally compensated within two to three years.

In addition to the Certification, the Zero Carbon Pledge program is available (https://edgebuildings.com/zero-carbon-pledge/), and can join developers who commit to convert part or all of their portfolio to 100% Zero Carbon by some specific date between 2030 and 2050.

EDGE is recognized by the leading financial standards carriers (ICMA, GRESB and Climate Bonds Initiative) and is aligned with the European Taxonomy (EU Taxonomy).
The European Taxonomy assesses buildings based on energy consumption in kWh/m²/year, which also represents how EDGE works. For banks and corporate issuers of green bonds, EDGE provides a simple way to identify the alignment of investments with the requirements of the EU taxonomy and contributes to low-cost impact reporting on these parameters (carbon, energy, and water).