David Pierotti: Silverburn sets the gold standard for sustainability

Whether it’s the ‘Attenborough effect’, the Extinction Rebellion protests, or the war on plastic, it’s fair to say that climate change and sustainability are dominating the news agenda like never before. Consumers now expect businesses to not only be acting responsibly, but to be taking action for the long-term. That’s as true for the retail sector as it is for any other part of society.

We have known for some time and strongly believe that this is no longer a ‘nice to do’ – it’s an essential part of everyday business. But more than that, for us, it is not just morally right, it also makes good strategic sense.

The companies that succeed for the long-term will be the ones that make the most of renewable technologies, manage their energy use effectively, and contribute to the communities where they operate.

At Hammerson, the owner and manager of Silverburn in Glasgow and Union Square in Aberdeen, we have been leading the way on sustainability with our Net Positive strategy.

In 2017, we became the first real estate company in the world to launch a comprehensive strategy covering both environmental and socio-economic impacts.

We are delivering this strategy through our Positive Places sustainability platform, which has set targets. Our aim is to have a net positive impact across four key pillars – carbon, resource use, water use, and socio-economic impacts –in our European portfolio by 2030.