Your office as part of your sustainability report

The CSRD, a European directive, is on the doorstep of many companies. Depending on the size of the organization, the reporting requirement applies as early as fiscal year 2024. The reporting required by the directive is based on three pillars: Environment, Social and Governance (ESG for short). The ESG rules will affect many organizations, including those that are not themselves required to report. Indeed, large companies will examine the extent to which their suppliers operate sustainably.

For many companies, reporting on sustainability is new. This may lead to improvement plans. “However, it is also important to include what is already going well”, says Martijn Kock the Asset Manager of World Trade Center Amsterdam. “When preparing your sustainability reports, you can also take a look at the information that is already available about your office building. From energy efficiency to facilities that contribute to the wellbeing of your employees, such as catering facilities with healthy food.”

Sustainability certificates WTC Amsterdam

Kock: “WTC Amsterdam has several sustainability certificates. Companies based in the building can get valuable information from these certificates for their sustainability reports.” For example, all of WTC Amsterdam’s towers have a BREEAM certificate. BREEAM is a well-known method for assessing the sustainability performance of a building. All World Trade Center towers achieved the maximum score in the certification, including in the areas of water management and waste separation. In addition, each tower has an energy label ranging from A+ to A+++. This contributes to reducing the ecological footprint.

Furthermore, WTC Amsterdam has the WELL Gold certificate. Offices with this qualification pay a lot of attention to the well-being of the people who work there. The certificate assesses, among other things, the quality of the air and water in a building, the presence of natural light and acoustic comfort. Facilities that contribute to exercise and healthy eating are also taken into consideration.

Green action plan WTC Amsterdam

Frank Folkers is Technical & Facility Director at WTC Amsterdam. He has been working for the building on Strawinskylaan since 1999 and therefore knows all about the improvements that have been made. “Back in 2007, the WTC drew up a ‘green action plan’ containing fifty measures to achieve energy savings. This included not only quick wins, but also complex multi-year projects.” For example, it succeeded in making all towers gas-free. “The challenge for the future is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to come up with even more sustainable improvements, because we have already done so much. But we definitely still have ideas that we can make improvements with.”

For companies getting started with (reporting on) sustainability, Kock has one last tip: “Don’t just choose a sustainable office building, but also invest in creating awareness among your staff. WTC Amsterdam facilitates a healthy, green working environment in many ways. However, the behavior of the users of all offices also plays a key role. From properly separating waste to traveling by public transportation, which is possible thanks to the strategic location of the WTC. Every green choice contributes to reducing your carbon footprint.”