The winners, announced today at the DOE’s Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit, exemplify a growing shift toward sustainability and equity in commercial real estate strategy.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Alexandra Laney, Institute for Market Transformation, (530) 645-2539; alexandra.laney@imt.org
Washington, D.C. (April 12, 2023) – Today, the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Better Buildings Initiative announced the 2023 Green Lease Leaders at the Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit. Launched by IMT and DOE’s Better Buildings Initiative in 2014, Green Lease Leaders sets the industry standard for what constitutes a green lease. Each year, the program recognizes landlords and tenants who modernize their leases to spur collaboration on energy efficiency, decarbonization, cost savings, health, and a range of other environmental and social issues.
This year the program expanded by 31%, including 34 organizations receiving Green Lease Leaders recognition for the first time. Additionally, six companies earned Platinum-level recognition, and there was a 42% increase in Gold-level awardees. The overall program growth reflects a wide acceptance that green leases are a critical tool for improving buildings and meeting corporate environmental and social goals.
This year’s Green Lease Leaders represent portfolios totaling three billion square feet (sq. ft.) and comprise a diverse range of buildings from large and small commercial offices to data centers and industrial and multifamily buildings. The cumulative floor area of all Green Lease Leaders is now more than 6.4 billion sq. ft. of building space.
“Creating a way for landlords and tenants to work together to ensure lasting savings and improved spaces is the hallmark of this year’s Green Lease Leaders”, said Maria T. Vargas, Senior Program Advisor at DOE and Director of the Better Buildings Initiative. “These organizations are leading the way with their commitment to successful strategies and better buildings.”
“In leased buildings, it takes alignment and partnership between landlords and tenants to create high-performing buildings and improve our communities,” said Lotte Schlegel, Executive Director at IMT. “Green leases promote strong relationships between landlords and tenants by creating shared understanding and interests to improve social and environmental outcomes.”
IMT estimates that green leases can help reduce utility bills by up to approximately 50 cents per square foot (22 percent) in U.S. office buildings alone. If all leased office buildings executed green leases, the market could reap over $3 billion in annual cost savings.
The 2023 Green Lease Leaders
Platinum Recognition – Landlord
- Lendlease Americas
- SL Green Realty Corp.
- Dream Industrial REIT
- Dream Office REIT
- Empire State Realty Trust
Platinum Recognition – Tenant
- IBM
Gold Recognition – Landlord
- Agree Realty
- Ares Industrial Management
- ASB Real Estate Investments
- BentallGreenOak
- Bridge Industrial
- Brixmor Property Group
- Clarion Partners
- Cousins Properties
- Crombie REIT
- Eagle Property Capital
- Elme Communities – Multifamily
- Elme Communities – Office Portfolio
- FIBRA MTY F/2157
- First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc.
- GLP Capital Partners Inc.
- Highwoods Properties, Inc.
- Hillwood Investment Properties
- IDI Logistics
- INDUS Realty Trust, Inc.
- Jamestown
- Lendlease Communities
- LXP Industrial Trust
- Principal Asset Management
- Prosper Communities
- Pure Industrial
- Retail Opportunity Investments Corp.
- Rexford Industrial Realty
- Shorenstein Realty Services
- STAG Industrial
- W.P. Carey
Gold Recognition – Tenant
- Ulta Beauty
- Mastercard
Silver Recognition – Landlord
- American Assets Trust, Inc.
- Asana Partners
- Barings
- BlackRock Alternatives
- Canderel
- Choice Properties REIT
- DWS Group
- IDS Real Estate Group
- Macquarie Asset Management
- Medical Properties Trust, Inc.
- MetLife Investment Management
- Metropolis Investment Holdings Inc.
- NETSTREIT
- PGIM Real Estate
- Plymouth Industrial REIT
- Spirit Realty
- TA Realty
- Terrafina
- Tishman Speyer
- TMG Partners
- Urban Edge Properties
Silver Recognition – Tenant
- Ellucian Company L.P.
- HSBC
- Roche Diagnostics
- WSP Canada
Team Transaction Recognition
Gold
- Cushman & Wakefield & Capgemini
- Kilroy Realty & Blue Shield of California
Silver
- Choice Properties REIT & Loblaw Companies Limited
- Cushman & Wakefield & IBM
Learn more about Green Lease Leaders
- Visit GreenLeaseLeaders.com
- Assess your leasing process
- Download the free Green Lease Leaders Reference Guides
- Visit GreenLeaseLibrary.com for a comprehensive collection of green lease resources.
- Read the Green Lease Leaders’ series of case studies
About the Institute for Market Transformation
For more than 25 years, the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) has partnered with government, business, and philanthropy to improve the spaces where we live, work, and play. IMT focuses on creative and practical solutions that catalyze greater investment in high-performing, energy-efficient buildings. IMT offers hands-on technical assistance and market research, alongside expertise in policy and program development and deployment and promotion of best practices and knowledge exchange. Our innovations have helped reduce carbon emissions and energy costs across billions of square feet of real estate in major U.S. cities; empowered landlords and tenants to overcome barriers to mutually-beneficial building improvements; and increased market demand for better buildings. Visit us at www.imt.org and follow us on Twitter @IMT_speaks.