UN High Seas Treaty

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“The ship has reached the shore,” United Nations conference president Rena Lee announced after a marathon final day of talks between negotiators from more than 100 countries.

Ocean ecosystems keep our planet in balance by producing nearly half of the earth’s oxygen and absorbing much of its carbon dioxide but they are under threat from pollution, exploitation and global warming. After 15 years of negotiations, the UN High Seas Treaty which will help to protect vast swathes of the planet’s oceans was agreed in New York on Saturday. The high seas, or the parts of the ocean that are not territorial waters, do not technically belong to anyone and account for 60% of the earths oceans. Only a mere 1% of the high seas are currently protected. The treaty places 30% of the world’s land and sea under protection by the end of 2030, a target known as “30 by 30”.

The next step for the treaty is signing by UN member states and formal adoption after which countries will have to look at practically how these measures would be implemented and managed. This phase may take some time, however, the agreement of the High Seas Treaty is a major milestone as we look towards a greener future.

ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management Systems Certification

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Bannon is delighted to receive ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management Systems certification which will function alongside our existing ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System for all services provided by Bannon.

This certification is validation of Bannon’s commitment to Environmental Sustainability in the delivery of our property consultancy services that span across retail agency, office agency, professional services, investment, consultancy and property management.

Many thanks to all involved, in particular the newly formed Sustainability Subcommittee, who embraced the challenges of designing and implementing the system. All eyes now turn to the future and the implementation of a range of innovative initiatives.

 

EV Charging Infrastructure Strategy 2022-2025.

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Very positive news from the Department of Transport with the publication of Ireland’s first EV Charging Infrastructure Strategy 2022-2025.

We have been swamped with noise around EV charging over the last number of years. Bannon has installed charging units at a number of retail centres across the country, with more in the pipeline. Whilst there is clearly a need nationwide for a charging infrastructure to accompany the push to electrify the national fleet, the planning and installation of this infrastructure needs to be informed by the rational analysis of reliable data.

At Bannon we have access to an enormous database of nationwide data about how people use cars to access shopping destinations and where they come from, with over 100 million customer visits generated by the portfolio annually. This data can be used to establish which retail schemes need more charging points to satisfy their customer requirements, which schemes can be used as charging stop over points for people on longer journeys and which journeys could be redirected to public transport, cycling or walking. Using data to ensure that resources are deployed where they will be of most benefit is at the core of sustainability.

The Department of Transport is inviting input on the draft strategy to be sent to evinfrastructure@transport.gov.ie

Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy 2022-2025 PDF

 

Author:                 Cillian O’Reilly, Surveyor, Sustainability Manager, Bannon

Date:                     7th April 2022

 

Bannon Launches Verified Supplier System

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Bannon is delighted to announce that it has entered into a partnership with Site Passport to establish the Bannon Verified Supplier platform. Site Passport transforms the way companies access, evaluate, monitor and analyse their supply chain. They do this by providing smarter, integrated and automated solutions that deliver increased competitiveness, enhanced reputation and reduced risk.

The Bannon Verified Supplier platform is a bespoke online resource designed in conjunction with Site Passport to ensure that all contractors working on Bannon managed sites meet the highest levels of standards. In order to qualify as a Bannon Verified Supplier, our partners must meet the following minimum criteria:

  • Must be of good financial standing
  • Are tax compliant
  • Have valid insurance cover in line industry levels
  • Have robust Health and Safety policies and procedures
  • Have active environmental and sustainability policies that are in line with Bannon sustainability objectives
  • Meet corporate and professional standard requirements
  • Meet with Bannon ESG and corporate governance objectives
  • Comply with all employer equality legislation

To date we have verified over 80 contractors through the process. The verifying process ensures that only the most proactive and efficient contractors are engaged on Bannon managed sites. We insist that all our contractors are committed to meeting sustainability and environmental goals in line with our company ethos. All contractors must demonstrate that they have a proactive sustainability policy that is being adhered to and actively monitored We also encourage contractors to use the most efficient and environmentally friendly products available to the market.

As market leaders, Bannon manages over 75 commercial assets including Shopping Centres, Retail Parks and Offices with a combined footfall of over 100 million visitors per annum. Therefore, we put a premium on ensuring that all contractors who work on Bannon managed sites are industry leaders who like us, strive to meet the highest of standards. This is imperative to our role as managing agents. Bannon is committed to ensuring that all assets under our management are safe, clean and a welcoming environment for all users. This is achieved by partnering with contractors who share our values and are committed to our best-in-class approach. The Bannon Verified Supplier platform is another tool to help Bannon achieve this.

Author:                 William Lambe, Divisional Director, Bannon

Date:                     1st April 2022

Sustainability Blog

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Urban Transportation Hubs. A snazzy name for a car park or a way of rethinking how we move about our cities and towns?

There is an opportunity to reimagine the role of car parks. Giving over space within the facilities to accommodate secure bike parking, charging stations for electric bikes and scooters, dedicated spaces for car share schemes and a range of EV charging options for those that need rapid charging, to the owner who just needs a slow charge overnight can turn these buildings into true transport hubs.

They can form a central part of a transport interchange where customers pivot from one form of transport to another pre-booking their required option on a dedicated app. Arrive on your bike, park it securely for the day and take out pre-booked EV charge appropriately to make a trip to Galway. Arrive on a shared scooter and rent out an electric bike.

Reusing and refocussing existing infrastructure intelligently is ultimately the key to sustainability, why not start with car parks?

Blog post written by Cillian O’Reilly, our Sustainability Manager. You can contact Cillian by email on coreilly@bannon.ie

Sustainability Blog

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Achieving progress in the move to greater sustainability in any organisation requires fundamental changes in how we manage and direct our businesses. This requires the buy in of all the stakeholders, the internal team, our clients and our suppliers. Our experience with change management is that it is only truly successful if you change culture.

That’s why, when Bannon started on its sustainability journey a number of years ago, we stopped using plastic bottled water and switched to chilled tap water, provided keep cups for the team’s caffeine obsession and started using electric scooters, thankfully now legal, and Dublin City Council bikes to get to local meetings.

Simple changes like this accompanied the more significant changes such as moving our entire Property Management portfolio to renewable energy sources. Making the big moves required for a sustainable future is easier to achieve when the simple changes are clear and evident.

Blog post written by Cillian O’Reilly, our Sustainability Manager. You can contact Cillian by email on coreilly@bannon.ie

Cracking the Sustainability Code needs more action and less Greenwashing!

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The function of all forms of real estate and the specific requirements of its users continues to change at pace. The most significant factors driving this evolution are non-financial – Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) requirements.

At Bannon, we are seeing a profound shift from clients towards more sustainable practices. With environmental issues coming to the fore globally and a particular focus of the impact on the real estate sector, Bannon has been proactive in applying innovative and market leading initiatives across assets within our portfolio.

In simple terms sustainability means meeting our own current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This encompasses the economy, society and the environment and is often referred to as profits, planet and people.

We know that ESG and sustainability related innovations need to be adopted into every aspect of the management of real estate. Given the scale and variety of assets under our management we are acutely aware of the positive impact changes we implement will have on, the environment and the users of our clients’ buildings.

In partnership with our clients, we have implemented over 40 specific sustainability initiatives in the last 5 years. These initiatives will remove a cumulative 500,000 kg of carbon dioxide annually.

A small sample of the sustainability innovations implemented across our portfolio include:

  • Procurement of electricity from 100% renewable sources through our partnership with Electric Ireland. Bannon procures approximately 17 million kWh of electricity per annum from 100% renewable sources. This is the equivalent of removing 5,456 cars off the road per annum.
  • We have recently secured the option of procuring 100% green gas from sources that utilise agricultural waste for production.
  • We have an ongoing policy of replacing traditional fluorescent/incandescent lights with energy efficient LED lights across our assets.
  • Installation of Electrical Vehicle (EV) charging points in several shopping centres, retail parks and office developments.
  • Rainwater harvesting on shopping centre and office block roofs.
  • Installation of PV panels on assets roofs to generate renewal electricity. The technology in PV panels and renewable energy is improving constantly. Bannon have recognised that green energy is the future and is looking at how this technology can be utilised across our portfolio.
  • Installation of Beehives. Bees play a vital role in creating a healthy environment. Bee keeping projects help to support the pollination of the local green spaces and add enhanced ecology to the locality. In addition, they provide healthy nutritious honey!

The focus on sustainability has numerous benefits to all stakeholders and wider society. This ranges from lowering carbon emissions into the atmosphere to a reduction in costs for users of assets. Simultaneously sustainability initiatives provide added value to the assets for investors.

It is very easy to pay lip service to the latest trends in the industry and not take action to back these up. In order to achieve meaningful change, sustainability has to now be at the fore of real estate management. Bannon has recognised this and will continue to work in partnership with all stakeholders to make sure we continue the progress already made.

William Lambe is a Divisional Director with the Property Management team at Bannon.

The Property Management team in Bannon oversees a portfolio of 75 assets for a range of institutional, private equity and private clients.

Society of Chartered Surveyors - SCSI Ireland

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