Post Real Estate on the way to net zero
Swiss Post aims to be climate-neutral along the entire value chain from 2040. Swiss Post's buildings will have a significant influence on this. What measures is Swiss Post Real Estate implementing and what hurdles await?
By 2040, Swiss Post's entire value chain should be climate-neutral and the company should be net zero. The contribution of Swiss Post Real Estate is important to achieving this ambitious goal. After all, the building and construction sector in Switzerland has a significant impact on CO2-balance sheet.
Swiss Post Real Estate is taking its responsibility seriously and is setting new standards with its sustainability initiative "casa verde" The initiative focuses on various measures such as replacing heating systems, renovating building envelopes, converting to LEDs, adding photovoltaic systems, energy monitoring and recycling management. The aim of the initiative is to implement the right sustainability measures in the real estate sector in a coordinated manner throughout the Group. Several hundred buildings owned by Swiss Post are being examined in stages for their sustainable renovation potential, and ecologically and economically sensible measures are being defined and implemented.
But there are also hurdles that need to be overcome:
Missing data
A solid data basis is crucial for the net zero target. However, the real estate industry often struggles with missing or incorrect data. Obtaining or correcting this data is time-consuming and expensive. Post Real Estate relies on the development of a comprehensive energy management system with data collection and maintenance.
High expenditure of resources
Developing and implementing a sustainability strategy is resource-intensive - financially, materially and in terms of personnel. Especially at the beginning, a high level of management commitment and a common attitude from top management are required. It is important to plan sufficient resources for the initialization and planning process in particular. A shortage of skilled workers and material bottlenecks are also a challenge. Forward-looking resource planning and contractually securing services are crucial.
Ecology vs. economy
The balance between ecological and economic objectives regularly leads to conflicts of interest. Sustainability? Yes! But who bears the additional costs? Approaches such as adjusting billing practices or introducing a CO2-The awarding of the prize can defuse financial conflicts of interest. A common attitude at top management level also helps.
High complexity
With its various interest groups and disciplines, the real estate sector is highly complex: interdependencies and interaction between different disciplines, multiple users with different strategies, listed buildings, lengthy building permit procedures, etc. Complexity can be reduced with pilot projects, rolling planning and clear processes.
Despite all the hurdles, the direction is clear
"As a first step, we are building up knowledge and skills so that we can approach and implement the measures correctly," says Nadia von Veltheim, CEO of Post Real Estate. Together with her employees, she is also actively exchanging ideas with third parties: "After all, everyone in the industry has similar hurdles and we can learn from each other and use synergies."
Swiss Post Real Estate Management & Services AG
Wankdorfallee 4
3030 Berne
