Switzerland-based construction and real estate company ‘Implenia’ has received an “AAA” ESG rating from the prominent global rating agency MSCI, confirming its industry leading position across the sector. In 2021, the company emerged at the top position in the MSCI Construction and Engineering Index making it the first company in the industry to receive the highest rating possible. At the end of 2020 the company set five-year sustainability goals for the first time that they aim to achieve by 2025. Some of these are: sustainable development and construction, sustainable supply chain, eco-construction site, CO2 reduction, circular economy, environmental protection, sustainable finance, engaged employees and ethical governance. A full listing of Implenia’s goals is available here.

Making sustainability a priority, competitor Skanska has reduced 46% of its emission reductions in its current projects and is vigorously aiming to cut down carbon emissions by 70% by 2030, moving towards net zero in its overall operations and supply chain by 2045. The company has gained international recognition for achieving its carbon targets and has been included in the “Europe Climate Leaders 2022” list  published by the Financial Times and Statista, a data insights firm.  The company has received an “AA” ESG rating from MSCI. Another competitor Eiffage has also received an “AA” ESG rating from MSCI along with fellow competitor Bouygues.  However, companies like Vinci, ACS and Ferrovial that  received an “A” ESG rating despite notable success in ESG implementation, goes to show that companies still need to strive towards their sustainability goals and that ESG competitiveness is ramping up across the sector.

The CEO of Implenia, André Wyss, talked about the major achievement and the continued good performance of the company on its ESG scores “Winning MSCI’s AAA rating for ESG again is further vindication of all our different sustainability efforts. As a leading construction and real estate services company, our goal is to help shape our industry’s approach to sustainability. With our twelve ambitious sustainability targets for 2025, we have set our own clear guidelines for implementation.”  

The demand for sustainable building construction and infrastructure has seen a massive rise in recent years. According to a report by Weforum, companies across various industries are pledging to reduce their building-related emissions by 50% by 2030 and to deliver net-zero carbon real estate portfolios by 2050. For example, Skanska is taking considerable action towards sustainable development as before starting any of their projects, selecting only climate-smart building materials, and installing environment-friendly switches for users that help tenants, customers and owners to build awareness of energy use through improved occupant control.

 Along with such simple sustainability approaches, real estate companies also have to adhere to sustainable construction standards in the industry. For this purpose, different standards are established by labels like LEED, DGNB, SNBS, and Minergie, which help deliver a competitive advantage across the construction and real estate sector.  

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