Sustainable Practices within the Real Estate sector : An analysis investigating the impact of sustainability practices within Real Estate companies in Sweden

Sammanfattning: The awareness of ESG (environmental, governance, social) has risen significantly during the last decade. The construction and real estate industry represents 21 % of the negative climate emissions in Sweden, highlighting the crucial role of property owners in achieving a climate-neutral society. Social sustainability and governance has also been emphasized as key factors for companies, driven by the transparency that arises with the EU-taxonomy. This master thesis investigates the relationship between ESG and property values, examining the impact of environmental certifications on property premiums and identifying the incentives driving sustainable measures in the Swedish real estate market. To investigate the key questions of the study we performed a literature review, data collection, 23 semi-structured interviews with real estate companies, industry associations, real estate advisors and banks. The data analysis includes property values as the dependent variable and investigating the relationship between six variables connected to ESG including environmental certifications, energy consumption, walk score, criminal rate, executive compensation and women on the board. The results of this study reveal the complexity and challenges in establishing a clear correlation between commercial property values and ESG factors. Although energy performance is believed to have a significant impact on property values due to lower property operating costs, which becomes further evident with higher energy prices, the direct link between ESG factors and property values remains elusive. Environmental certifications can offer various benefits, including improved financing opportunities, reduced energy expenses, and higher rental rates. However, the uniqueness of each property complicates direct comparisons and the consistent determination of whether environmental certifications consistently command a premium. Sustainable measures in the real estate market are primarily driven by risk reduction including proactive enhancements to meet regulatory demands, leading to lower yield requirements.