ESR Group achieves outstanding results in 2022 GRESB Assessment in recognition of its exemplary ESG performance

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Oct 17, 2022, 04:09 ET

Suntec REIT emerges as the Global Sector Leader, while Peninsula Investment Partners, Redwood Japan Logistics Fund II LP, RJLF 3 Co-Investment Platform and ESR Kendall Square Development JV II are named as Regional Sector Leaders

HONG KONG, Oct. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ESR Group Limited ("ESR" or the "Company", together with its subsidiaries as the "Group"; SEHK Stock Code: 1821), APAC's largest real asset manager powered by the New Economy, has achieved outstanding results in the 2022 Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark ("GRESB") Assessment. These results are a recognition of the Group's Environmental, Social and Governance ("ESG") leadership and commitment across business units.

Highlights include the following entities recognised as GRESB sector leaders and five Green Stars ratings:

Redwood Japan Logistics Fund II LP, RJLF 3 Co-Investment Platform (Japan) and ESR Kendall Square Development JV II (Korea) emerged as Regional Sector Leaders in the "Asia, Industrial" category under the development benchmark.
E-Shang Star Cayman (China) and ESR India Logistics Fund Pte Ltd. under the development benchmark; Fortune REIT (Hong Kong), Prosperity REIT (Hong Kong) and ESR Kendall Square REIT – Subsidiary REIT No. 1 Co., Ltd. (Korea) under the standing investments benchmark, all received five Green Stars ratings.
Suntec REIT awarded GRESB's highest accolade as the Global Sector Leader in the "Global, Office – Listed" category for a second year under the standing investments benchmark.
Peninsula Investment Partners clinched the Regional Sector Leader in the "Asia, Diversified: Office/Retail – Non-Listed" category under the standing investments benchmark.

Jeffrey Shen and Stuart Gibson, ESR Co-founders and Co-CEOs, said: "ESG is core to our business and a key driver of our next stage of growth. We are proud to have achieved another year of outstanding scores and thank GRESB for the strong recognition of our excellent ESG performance. The consistent recognition by international indices such as GRESB cements our position as an ESG leader in real estate. We will continue to advance our ESG priorities to deliver resilient and sustainable long-term value for our stakeholders."

ESR has actively participated in the GRESB since 2014, which is a world leading ESG benchmark for real assets with more than 1,800 participants globally. GRESB is often used by companies to compare ESG performance against their peers and show improvements. This year, ESR has a total of 37 listed REITs and private funds participated in the GRESB, representing approximately more than a third of the Group's portfolio.

Tang Boon Kang, ESR Group Head, Governance & Sustainability and Emma Larsson, ESR Group ESG Officer, said: "ESR has made great progress on our ESG efforts set out in our ESG 2025 Roadmap. We have continued to integrate ESG into all aspects of our business from financial management to operations and future planning, and sustainability features are increasingly being incorporated in the development of our assets. We will continue to accelerate best-in-class practices to drive ESG initiatives across the entire ESR Group."

ESR has made great strides towards accelerating its ESG efforts across multiple aspects of its business, including sustainable financing, green building certifications, renewable energy, diversity and inclusion, and community engagement. In September 2022, ESR closed its fifth sustainability-linked loan ("SLL"), representing a total of approximately US$3 billion in SLLs across the Group in 12 months, reinforcing the Group's leadership in sustainable financing. The Group also recently became a signatory to the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment ("PRI"), affirming its commitment to adopt and promote responsible investment practices as part of its ongoing ESG efforts.

About ESR

ESR is APAC's largest real asset manager powered by the New Economy and the third largest listed real estate investment manager globally. With over US$140 billion in total assets under management (AUM), our fully integrated development and investment management platform extends across key APAC markets, including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, India, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, representing over 95% of GDP in APAC, and also includes an expanding presence in Europe and the U.S. We provide a diverse range of real asset investment solutions and New Economy real estate development opportunities across our private funds business, which allow capital partners and customers to capitalise on the most significant secular trends in APAC. ESR is the largest sponsor and manager of REITs in APAC with a total AUM of US$45 billion. Our purpose – Space and Investment Solutions for a Sustainable Future – drives us to manage sustainably and impactfully and we consider the environment and the communities in which we operate as key stakeholders of our business. Listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, ESR is a constituent of the FTSE Global Equity Index Series (Large Cap), Hang Seng Composite Index and MSCI Hong Kong Index.