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Major initiatives
Hammerson runs a number of major initiatives covering both its investment portfolio and its development programmes. These initiatives, some of which have been running for a number of years, are supported by annual targets:
Reducing energy in the managed portfolio
Hammerson has set itself longer-term targets to reduce carbon emissions associated with landlord energy use in the managed portfolio by 2010 against a 2006 baseline. It is targeting a 19% reduction for UK properties and an 11% reduction for assets in the French portfolio.
Hammerson's drive to reduce its carbon emissions on a like-for-like basis is made up of a series of smaller initiatives, ranging from installing energy-efficient lightbulbs and LEDs in place of traditional bulbs and lamps to monitoring electricity use on an half hourly basis to balance overall use and reduce peak demand. This drive, which resulted in a 10% decrease in normalised carbon emissions in the UK and France shopping centres in 2008, has the potential to significantly reduce service charge cost increases for our occupiers, despite rising energy prices. In addition, all energy in our UK managed portfolio is purchased from green sources such as Scottish Hydro.
Tenant engagement
As a property owner, our direct usage of resources in our buildings represents a relatively small proportion of the total, with occupiers accounting for the majority of energy and water consumption and waste. By focusing efforts on occupier engagement programmes, we can help our customers substantially reduce their impact on the environment.
We take a three pronged approach:
- the Green Lease: a formal legal structure for increasing environmental accountability, and creating a shared commitment from both property owner and occupier towards greater energy, water and waste efficiency
- the Tenants' Sustainability Guide, which supports retail occupiers in developing sustainable fitouts
- partnership with customers to create and achieve exemplar projects.
Pre-employment training for retail jobs
Hammerson has been running pre-employment training programmes to complement the development of its UK city centre retail schemes since 1999, when we developed The Oracle in Reading. Since then, we have run training schemes to fill more than 20,000 jobs created across five developments. The programmes, put in place by Hammerson, are run in partnership with government organisations including Job Centre Plus and Skillsmart Retail, the Sector Skills council for the retail industry; local government, local universities, our partners and regeneration bodies. They are principally funded through government grants applied for and administered by Hammerson. Success is measured by the proportion of retail jobs filled by people who had previously been unemployed: in the case of Highcross, Leicester, this figure was 72% and at Cabot Circus, Bristol, it was 50%. Our focus in 2009 is on running training and education programmes to support the opening of Union Square, a shopping centre in Aberdeen. For further details on this scheme, please see the 2008 CR report.
Raising the awareness of Hammerson employees
Hammerson runs an active internal CR communications programme, including:
- presentations in the UK and France on CR results and strategy
- internal newsletter on CR successes across the portfolio, including a forum for sharing ideas
- intranet articles published on CR initiatives and tips for conserving natural resources
- "Hammerson social and environmental awareness day" run in the group's London office
- community day in the UK
Sustainability Implementation Plans for existing and future developments
Sustainability planning at all stages of our portfolio lifecycle is one of our key priorities. Hammerson has developed a Sustainability Management Framework, which is designed to ensure a consistent approach to the management of a range of environmental, social and economic issues throughout the development process. The outcome of this is the Sustainability Implementation Plan (SIP), an evolving document which establishes a series of actions for each scheme, ranging from a specified target for recycled content in construction materials, to energy sourcing and management and creation of local jobs.