To successfully embed environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations at the heart of Generation’s investment strategy, an ESG Policy has been established to ensure that sound management and ethical principles are incorporated throughout all business activities
Environmental
Understanding and improving our environmental performance is a key focus area. As an owner and operator of real estate, Generation understands the impacts of our built environment and the importance of addressing these sustainably.
We remain committed to identifying opportunities to improve the ESG performance of our assets and how we operate to further improve their environmental performance and carbon impact.
Europa Generation Student Fund participated in the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), the global real estate industry’s benchmark for sustainability performance, for the fourth consecutive year in 2022 and achieved an improvement in the score compared to the previous year, receiving a total score of 94/100, maintaining the highest 5-star rating, as well as achieving first place in the peer group of UK non-listed residential student housing funds.
Social
Generation recognises and understands the importance of stakeholder engagement, particularly with communities created within the assets themselves and interaction with the wider community in which each asset is located. We have therefore aligned our ESG strategy to enhance social value. This obligation has continued to be particularly pertinent throughout 2022 as we emerge from the COVID pandemic and settle back into ‘normal’ life.
Generation assets exist not only to supply accommodation, but to also provide a rich environment of inclusiveness, generosity of spirit, respect and excellence in which students are enabled and supported to achieve their potential. As such, we seek to ensure that our property managers have adequate resources and policies in place to encourage an excellent residential experience for students through support of social measures and pastoral care.
Governance
Generation has developed a stringent Corporate Governance framework. All investment decisions are reviewed at the highest level through the Investment Committee to ensure robust ethical, risk and governance focused business practices are embedded into the decision-making process.
The Corporate Governance Framework is designed to manage investment and operational risks. Investors specific ESG views are accounted for, so an exclusion list can be built to accurately reflect fund stakeholder standpoints. A range of metrics are used to determine whether assets are investable or not, our ESG due diligence process ensures ESG and climate risks and opportunities are identified and understood to inform investment decision making. Investment solutions can be aligned with ESG views, providing potential downside risk mitigation without sacrificing performance potential.
