VGP shows steady progress on its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) objectives
April 12 2023 - 1:00AM
VGP shows steady progress on its Environmental, Social and
Governance (ESG) objectives
- VGP today published its annual report including its
integrated Corporate Responsibility Report, focusing on sustainable
development and renewable energy.
- The Group’s ESG performance has been recognized by
Euronext, by including VGP among the 20 Belgian companies leading
on ESG efforts.
- Within the scope of its ESG goals, VGP significantly
accelerated its photovoltaic roll-out with now 204.3 MWp in
pipeline, which will produce annually more electricity than clients
consume in a year.
- VGP sets ambitious goals for its future development and
for its sustainability strategy.
12 April 2023, 07.00 am CET, Antwerp,
Belgium –VGP NV ("VGP" or "the Company"), a European
owner, manager and developer of high-quality logistics and
semi-industrial real estate, today published its annual report
including its Corporate Responsibility report. The report focuses
on the steady achievements and goals with regards to VGP’s ESG
performance.
The past year at VGP was plotted by significant
progress towards a sustainable future. Of the 204.3 MWp of solar on
its rooftops in pipeline, 57 MWp is operational and an additional
75 MWp is under construction which will help to avoid approximately
35,000 tons of CO₂-e per year. Including photovoltaic pipeline
projects, VGP´s portfolio is now GHG compliant with a Paris-aligned
1.5°C pathway until 2040. The company’s targets for full scope 1,
2, and 3 have been confirmed by the Science Based Targets
initiative (SBTi) and the Group obtained external assurance on its
direct carbon emissions disclosure.
In addition to sustainable energy, VGP develops
connectivity and sustainable mobility with new targets for all VGP
parks to be equipped with Electric Vehicle (EV) charging and public
transport access. The company transitioned to 100% certified Green
Power for all VGP offices, introduced steps to reduce embodied
emissions within its developments, and improved the eco-efficiency
of its existing building portfolio through a refurbishment
program.
VGP cares about communities, and philanthropy,
hence it contributed €3 million and 650 community support hours to
local philanthropic causes. VGP also implemented various
biodiversity initiatives within the VGP parks in 2022 and increased
the amount of land designated as biotopes within its parks.
The company upgraded the building standard to
implement water-saving and retention techniques, with a number of
warehouses collecting 105,000 m³ of rainwater on-site. Finally, VGP
focused on carbon improvements within its supply chain as well as
supply chain ethics, having developed a supplier code of conduct
that protects human rights.
Jan Van Geet, CEO of VGP Group,
comments “We are very proud to announce our joint achievements in
our ESG strategy and our team's dedication to our ESG initiatives
and the positive impact we've made on our communities and
environment. Our focus on sustainability has been ingrained in
every aspect of our operations, and I'm pleased with the progress
we've made so far. But we're not stopping here. We're committed to
continuing our efforts and taking on new projects that will make an
even greater impact. As we look to the future, we are exploring the
possibilities to create a more sustainable world. Together, we will
build more than just high-quality logistics and semi-industrial
real estate. We will build a legacy of responsible business
practices and a brighter future for tomorrow."
The company aims to address the wide scope of
indirect carbon emissions resulting from development activities,
tenants' energy consumption, and employees' transport and office
use.
Apart from fighting climate change, VGP's ESG
strategy also addresses environmental and societal challenges, such
as the circular economy and environmentally friendly transport,
critical social responsibilities on diversity and inclusion, and
employee well-being. The company has an efficient ESG governance
structure, covering all countries, and includes ESG-related risks
in its risk management framework.
VGP's ESG strategy rests on five main pillars,
addressing challenges and opportunities related to its activities.
The company has used two complementary approaches, a materiality
analysis, and a risk analysis, to identify and order important ESG
issues for the group from an internal as well as an external
stakeholder perspective. The ESG strategy builds on the conclusions
of the materiality analysis and the analysis of ESG risks. It
addresses the main challenges facing semi-industrial and logistics
real estate, such as moving towards a low-carbon economy and
sustainable mobility, integrating the Group's business activities
within local communities, and empowering teams on sustainability
and diversity.
The VGP Group is operating in seventeen European
countries. In total, the family-owned company based in Antwerp,
Belgium, operates 108 parks in Europe.
In addition to state-of-the-art technology,
sustainability and energy efficiency are central parameters for the
commercial properties developed by VGP. The company is committed to
becoming carbon neutral by 2025 and is also involved in BREEAM/DGNB
certifications and green power generation. As a result, 61.2% of
the portfolio has already been certified and the green power
generation capacity of the VGP Renewable Energy division has been
increased to 131.6 MWp, with a further 72.7 MWp in the pipeline.
The VGP Foundation, established in 2019, has already identified 36
projects that address social concerns, nature conservation and the
protection of cultural assets, and has received €6.6 million in
funding from VGP to date.
For more information on VGP's commitment to
sustainability, see
https://www.vgpparks.eu/en/corporate-responsibility-report/
CONTACT VGP
Investor Relations |
Tel: +32 (0)3 289 1433investor.relations@vgpparks.eu |
Karen HuybrechtsHead of Marketing |
Tel: +32 (0)3 289 1432 |
CONTACT FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES
Anette Nachbar DirectorBrunswick Group |
Tel: +49 152 288 10363anachbar@brunswickgroup.com |
ABOUT VGP
VGP is a pan-European owner, manager and
developer of high-quality logistics and semi-industrial real
estate. VGP operates a fully integrated business model with
capabilities and longstanding expertise across the value chain.
Founded in 1998 as a Belgian family-owned real estate developer in
the Czech Republic, VGP with a staff of circa 383 FTE’s today is
active in 17 European countries directly and through several 50:50
joint ventures. As of December 2022, the Gross Asset Value of VGP,
including the joint ventures at 100%, amounted to € 6.44 billion
and the company had a Net Asset Value (EPRA NTA) of € 2.30 billion.
VGP is listed on Euronext Brussels (ISIN: BE0003878957).
For more information please
visit: http://www.vgpparks.eu/en
- 20230412_VGP Corporate Responsibility Report 2022_EN
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