Social hållbarhet i fastighetsbranschen - vad innebär det och var ligger lönsamheten?

Sammanfattning: Social Sustainability is frequently used in different contexts within the real estate industry, although there sometimes are uncertainties about the definition of the term. The purpose of this study is to concretize the term social sustainability in the perspective of the real estate sector and to identify how companies can profit from working with it. A qualitative study is done by interviewing representatives of thirteen different companies with mixed types of real estate stocks and ownerships. The study includes both public and private companies within the sector. A case study is conducted where a tool for measuring the effects of social sustainability is evaluated. Furthermore, interviews with experts within the field are conducted to test the conclusions obtained when analyzing the results from the initial interviews. The study concludes that different definitions of social sustainability is used at different companies, a common definition of the term is neither possible nor necessary. Instead, six different approaches are illustrated by the industry; physical changes in the real estate, financial support for associations and other organizations, dealing with internal HR-related issues, offering employment and internships to adolescents and unemployed people, communicative and collaborative processes, procurement of suppliers and materials. Companies work with social sustainability issues to get satisfied customers, increase property value and attractiveness of their stocks, strengthen the brand of the company and meet demands from customers, municipalities and state, as well as lenders and investors. They also want to prevent risks of damage to the brand, decreasing values of real estates and loss of future business. The greatest profit lies where public welfare and business profits is in harmony. In order to ensure long-term sustainability, work should coincide with the company's business plan and affect its stakeholders. Working with social sustainability provides a financial value for the company by increased value of the stocks and positive effects on the brand of the company. In order to ensure long-term profitability, efforts should be made not only for the purpose of strengthening the brand. Otherwise this may lead to the wrong type of efforts being made, as they risk becoming temporary. In order to measure the effects of social efforts, the measurement methods are required to be adjusted to the approach being used. Qualitative measurements can be obtained but a certain level of subjectivity is difficult to exclude. One way of quality assurance is through an increased number of assessors with a greater variety of skills. When measuring the value of investments, a longer time horizon is essential compared to the traditional way of working in real estate and property development, where an immediate return is required.