Recently, the press conference for the 2022 Guangdong Real Estate Enterprise Social Responsibility Report was held in Guangzhou, with multiple leading real estate enterprises and industry experts attending the meeting to conduct in-depth discussions on the issue of real estate enterprises assuming social responsibility. In addition, the conference organizer also invited Schneider Electric to share with real estate companies based on the third-party perspective and practical experience of industry transformation leaders. As a digital transformation expert in the field of global energy management and automation, Schneider Electric proposes that with the development of the times, corporate social responsibility is no longer an additional item outside of business, but gradually becomes a manifestation of social responsibility integrated into production and operation.
Affected by macro environment and policy changes, the real estate industry is in a period of deep transformation, and finding suitable development paths is currently a challenge for real estate enterprises. In the past, enterprises prioritized “survival and development” before social responsibility, but entering a new stage of development, social responsibility is a necessary path for enterprises to advance and break through.
Currently, the challenge posed by climate change to the world is becoming increasingly urgent. As one of the pillars of the “three high” construction industry with high energy consumption, high emissions, and high pollution, real estate enterprises are duty-bound in environmental issues. The accelerated promotion of the dual carbon goal has also prompted real estate enterprises to incorporate carbon reduction into their current and future development considerations. In Schneider Electric’s view, “sustainable development” is the overall goal for companies to fulfill their social responsibilities. Environmental issues are not a hindrance to the development of real estate enterprises. Real estate enterprises should prioritize environmental management and use sustainability as the entry point to improve development quality. For example, in enterprise production and operation, energy management should be emphasized to bring high-quality products and services to customers while also bringing green benefits to society.
Sustainable connotation will be included in the construction standards of “good houses”
Based on the current attention of the whole society to sustainable development and the sustainable operation requirements of real estate enterprises, the standards for real estate enterprise products will also change in the future. In the past, the good products and services provided by real estate companies were often associated with keywords such as high-end and luxury; The current “good houses” have added considerations of whether they meet sustainable development, and “safe, livable, green, and smart” as the standards for building “good houses” by real estate enterprises has become an industry consensus.
“Safety” and “livability” are the basic standards for real estate products, and now there are new definitions: “safety” not only refers to the safety of the building structure and the use of water, electricity, and gas, but also develops towards ensuring the physical and mental state of residents; “Livable” refers to the complete supporting facilities of residential buildings, promoting future community construction that meets the service needs of the entire community life chain.
In addition, the new era has also given rise to the standards of “green” and “smart” for “good houses”, which require houses to have a healthy ecological environment and focus on achieving energy conservation and environmental protection through intelligent and digital technologies. Wisdom “is not only the standard for a good house, but also a necessary means to build a good house. Through digital solutions, real estate developers can save building energy consumption and create a multi scenario future community life, serving residents’ smart lives with smart communities.
Consolidate sustainable influence to help fully achieve low-carbon goals
Real estate enterprises have never been “alone” on the path of sustainable development, finding reliable industrial partners can achieve twice the result with half the effort.
On the issue of sustainable development, Schneider Electric has always adhered to the five standards of “balancing economic and social benefits”, “balancing shareholder and ecological partner interests”, “integrating sustainable development into all aspects of the business”, “being both practitioners and empowerers”, and “carrying out deep level management culture changes to build sustainable influence”, Established a comprehensive sustainable development system to cultivate relevant talents and standardize business processes; Through experience sharing and leading digital technology, we continue to empower customers, suppliers, and the general public to jointly reduce carbon emissions.
Since 2018, Schneider Electric has helped global users reduce carbon emissions by a total of 481 million tons, and is expected to reach 800 million tons by 2025. Based in the Chinese market, Schneider Electric also helps its upstream and downstream partners in various industries improve energy efficiency through projects such as the “Carbon Reduction Master” program and the supplier’s “Zero Carbon Plan”. This year, the focus on green development and ESG performance improvement in the real estate industry has received much attention. As a specially invited enterprise expert, Schneider Electric has also participated in the “Green Real Estate Tour” research activity jointly organized by China Real Estate News and China Urban and Regional Governance Research Institute. Through on-site inspection, Schneider Electric discussed the current status and implementation process of low-carbon transformation and sustainable development with real estate enterprises, and provided carbon reduction ideas and solutions that can be used for reference.
On the road to achieving the dual carbon goal, Schneider Electric will continue to actively assist real estate enterprises with sustainable development concepts, technological practices, and ecological models, and work together to seek low-carbon transformation and development, creating a sustainable future.