Elzbieta Rotblum
ESGRE Elżbieta Rotblum
ESG PRODUCT COUNCIL CO-CHAIR
The first ULI Poland ESG Product Council Day took place on the 26 October 2022 and was hosted by Vastint Poland, ULI Poland corporate partner. Thank you!
It was co-chaired by Elzbieta Rotblum, Sustainability Expert, Skanska Property Poland and Board Member of the Polish Green Building Council and Piotr Sawicki, Vice Chair of the Board, SAWAWA Design Studio and Member of the ULI Poland Executive Committee.
Invited guests and ULI real estate market leaders met to not only kick off the ESG Product Council by getting immersed into two mind-stimulating presentations, one by ESG Reporting Partner at Materiality – Piotr Biernacki and second by the director general of the UNEP/GRID-Warszawa – Maria Andrzejewska, but also to decide on the trajectory of further Product Council proceedings.
As there is a common market agreement and no denying the fact that “Business as usual is no longer an option.” Why is sustainability in real estate a must? – which was the main theme of the meeting – the cohosts of the meeting – Elżbieta Rotblum and Piotr Sawicki – saw a need to expose the attendees to presentations that give a true picture of the state in which nature is at the moment and also show the legal framework that will support business, including real estate market, to hold itself to the best standards, so that nature’s needs are encompassed.
Maria Andrzejewska caught the audience’s attention by showing satellite pictures of the Earth in which it was clearly visible how human actions destroy it day by day. She pointed that during the last 50 years population has grown over 2,1 times, economy by about 5,5 times, food demand by over 3 times, water use by about 2 times and fossil fuels by 2,8 times and that these numbers are only growing bigger.
Maria also cited UN Secretary General – Antonio Guterres who said: ‘Climate scientists warn that we are already perilously close to tipping points that could lead to cascading and irreversible climate impacts”, and then presented data that the 1.5 Celsius goal is on the brink of becoming impossible as today we would have to reduce emissions by 7.6% every year, which definitely is not the case.
Given also that we are operating in overshoot (from July 28th) – meaning that we have exhausted nature’s budget for the year and now we are maintaining an ecological deficit by exhausting resource stocks and accumulating carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, Maria left the audience with the feeling that there is no time to waste, and no space for business as usual.
Piotr Biernacki, on the other hand, deep-dived into the nitty-gritty of sustainable finance and presented the panorama of sustainable finance legislation. The core of his speech was focused on taxonomy, CSDDD (Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive), and more precise ESG reporting that will soon be legally bonding – CSRD and ESRS. What is more, and left a sign of relief on the gathered, was Piotr’s list of recommendations on how to get ready before we will face the needed and necessary reporting. In nutshell – get the right ESG team on board, map your value chain, conduct a materiality assessment, create decarbonisation plan, have a solid sustainability strategy, and identify your climate-related risks and opportunities.
Additional remarks were given by Elżbieta Rotblum on the difference between, and principles of CSR and ESG, and also the role the sustainability – as the overarching concept that forced the thinking about the world as three overlapping domains: environment, society, and economy (or the planet, people and profit dimensions).
Moreover, Ela reminded the audience about the responsibility the real estate sector holds among all businesses, being responsible for the highest CO2 emissions when compared to other sectors of the economy. 1/3 of these emissions come from the production and transport of building materials, construction, and demolition, and the remaining 2/3 are generated during the operation of buildings. Adding on top also the matter of energy efficiency and the fact that 650 billion m3 of natural gas could have been saved if buildings were more efficient globally – sheds, in the current circumstances, new light through the S and G lenses of perspective – as “ „this is app. 4 times what EU has imported from Russia in 2021”. – International Energy Agency (IEA).
Piotr Sawicki – has crowned the meeting by citing a part of Czeslaw Milosz poem – A Song on the End of the World – which elegantly and giving all gathered food for deep thought – summarized a situation in which the business decides to continue ‘as usual’ recklessly abusing world’s precious resources …
“ …And those who expected lightning and thunder
Are disappointed.
And those who expected signs and archangels’ trumps
Do not believe it is happening now.
As long as the sun and the moon are above,
As long as the bumblebee visits a rose,
As long as rosy infants are born
No one believes it is happening now.
Only a white-haired old man, who would be a prophet
Yet is not a prophet, for he’s much too busy,
Repeats while he binds his tomatoes:
No other end of the world will there be,
No other end of the world will there be.”
As a follow-up to the meeting, guests were invited to stand face-to-face with the concept of ESG and list what they love and hate about it and what brings them the biggest fears. Next meeting theme will be decided collectively by ESG Product Council’s founding members.
ESGRE Elżbieta Rotblum
ESG PRODUCT COUNCIL CO-CHAIR
Sawawa Sp. z o.o.
ESG PRODUCT COUNCIL CO-CHAIR
RICS board member, RICS
ESG PRODUCT COUNCIL MEMBER
WXCA Sp. z o. o.
ESG PRODUCT COUNCIL MEMBER
ArcelorMittal Commercial Long Polska Sp. z o.o.
ESG PRODUCT COUNCIL MEMBER
Cushman & Wakefield Polska Sp. z o.o.
ESG PRODUCT COUNCIL MEMBER
Wolf Theiss P. Daszkowski sp.k.
ESG PRODUCT COUNCIL MEMBER
ESG PRODUCT COUNCIL MEMBER
Head of Strategic Consulting & ESG Advisory, Cushman & Wakefield Polska Sp. z o.o.
ESG PRODUCT COUNCIL MEMBER
Associate Director | Strategic Advisory | ESG, Colliers Poland sp. z o.o.
ESG PRODUCT COUNCIL MEMBER
Partner, Allen & Overy
ESG PRODUCT COUNCIL MEMBER
Project Developer, Revive World BV
ESG PRODUCT COUNCIL MEMBER
"ESG Services Manager, Licensed Property Valuer ", Cushman & Wakefield Polska Sp. z o.o.
ESG PRODUCT COUNCIL MEMBER
Invesco Real Estate TAM S.A.R.L
ESG PRODUCT COUNCIL MEMBER
Tax advisor, manager in Real Estate Practice in MDDP, MDDP Michalik Dłuska Dziedzic i Partnerzy
ESG PRODUCT COUNCIL MEMBER
Director, Trebbi Polska Sp. z o.o.
ESG PRODUCT COUNCIL MEMBER
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