How tenants can negotiate with building owners to make sustainability a priority
Find common ground with this 7-step guide – and turn decarbonization plans into action
Whether it’s part of a green lease process or standard communication between owner and tenant, as a corporate occupier, you have the power to drive conversations about reducing the carbon emissions from your office space.
There’s a lot at stake. According to JLL research, 88% of CRE occupiers will make carbon emissions reduction part of their corporate sustainability strategy by 2025. And considering that operational emissions from the daily usage of buildings represent three quarters of real estate’s overall carbon footprint, addressing your office portfolio’s energy usage is not only important. It’s essential.
Of course, cutting carbon requires working with your landlord, who, depending on your lease, likely controls the equipment, systems and energy sources that power your spaces. But what if your building’s owners aren’t as motivated as you are to start cutting carbon? Competing priorities, and false assumptions, can get in the way of real progress.
Chances are you agree on more than you think.
As the diagram here shows, owners and occupiers have unique motivations when it comes to sustainability. But they also share the same fundamental goals.
The first step? Focus on mutual benefits.
Like any negotiation, working with your landlord to move the needle on decarbonization efforts starts with finding common ground. And there are plenty of shared goals to incentivize owners and occupiers to work together and even share costs.
In fact, joint investments in carbon reduction and other green building initiatives can fuel a virtuous circle of value. Corporate tenants, whose employees and customers are demanding action on sustainability promises, benefit from higher talent retention and productivity gains. And happy tenants are more likely to renew their leases, leading to increased occupancy rates and higher profits for building owners and investors.
But first, both sides need to come to the table. To learn more about how to approach your building rep and frame the sustainability conversation around your shared goals, download this convenient 7-step guide.
