In conjunction with Earth Day, the World Green Building Council’s report Doing Right by Planet and People: The Business Case for Health and Wellbeing in Green Building urges companies to make green improvements
LONDON, UK – 24 April 2018 – Today, the World Green Building Council launched a new report highlighting tangible economic benefits of green building and showcasing improved occupant satisfaction when companies implement new health, wellbeing and productivity features in existing green structures.
Doing Right by Planet and People: The Business Case for Health and Wellbeing in Green Building examines case studies of 11 facilities around the globe that have one or more green certifications including LEED, Green Star and BREEAM. The report evaluates health and wellbeing features that were integrated into the facilities, such as: enhanced fresh air ventilation, acoustic privacy, increase of daylight penetration and use of biophilic design elements such as green walls and extensive indoor plants.
After adding health and wellbeing features into green-certified buildings, companies found that:
Terri Wills, CEO of the World Green Building Council, said:
“This report should send a clear signal to companies with employees as well as building owners and managers to make green building investments a priority. It’s obvious that making energy efficiency improvements will reduce operating costs, but arguably an even greater impact of green improvements are those felt by the people who spend their working lives in these spaces. Greener workspaces are healthier, more enjoyable places to work, and this has a tangible impact on productivity, employee health and the business bottom line.”
This report should send a clear signal to companies with employees as well as building owners and managers providing spaces for these companies.
Key case study results include:
The report was sponsored by the global filtration specialists, Mann+Hummel, design and manufacturing group, Saint-Gobain, real estate investment trust company, Landsec, and real estate developers, Delta Development Group.
Pascal Eveillard, Deputy VP, Sustainable Development, Saint-Gobain, said:
“Sustainable office buildings deliver along the triple bottom line: they are not only better for the natural environment, they also improve employees’ wellbeing and bring economic benefits. The world-class projects explored in this impressive report help to further build the business case. We are delighted to be supporting this project and look forward to working on more green building initiatives.”
Ed Dixon, Sustainability Insights Director, Landsec said:
“It’s clear from the quality of the case studies that there is a growing amount of evidence in the bid to build green. We’re delighted to see that green buildings have a wider impact on employee satisfaction and result in happier, healthier workplaces.”
The report found that employees prefer and work best in spaces with good air quality, ample natural light, and access to greenery and amenities.
Coert Zachariasse, CEO, Delta Development Group said:
“Here at Delta we have first-hand experience of reaping the benefits of making green buildings. By integrating health, wellbeing and smarter working we noticed a shift in the productivity and performance of our employees while simultaneously delivering a good return on investment. Building green simply makes business sense – socially, economically and environmentally.”
Jason Tang, Vice President of ‘OurAir’ Intelligent Air Solutions, Mann+Hummel said:
“I’m very impressed with the highlights of the report and recognise that good air quality in the workspace can really affect productivity and contribute to employee satisfaction. With the improvement of people’s living standards, indoor air quality is attracting more and more attention. Making the workplace more comfortable and healthy for people has, in these case studies, been proven to hold many benefits.”
DOWNLOAD REPORT: Doing Right by Planet and People: The Business Case for Health and Wellbeing in Green Building
Editor Notes
Doing Right by Planet and People: The Business Case for Health and Wellbeing in Green Building Report is part of the Better Places for People campaign and is sponsored by Mann+Hummel, Saint-Gobain, Landsec and Delta Development Group. This report is a follow-up to the 2016 report Building the Business Case: Health, Wellbeing and Productivity in Green Offices, released through the Better Places for People campaign. For further information on Better Places for People, visit the campaign page.
About the World Green Building Council
The World Green Building Council is a global network of Green Building Councils that is transforming the places where we live, work, play, heal and learn. The goal is to help reduce the building and construction sector’s CO2 emissions by 84 gigatonnes and ensure all buildings have net zero emissions by 2050.We believe green buildings can and must be at the centre of our lives. Our changing climate means we must reshape the way we grow and build, enabling people to thrive both today and tomorrow. We take action – championing local and global leadership and empowering our community to drive change. Together, we are greater than the sum of our parts, and commit to green buildings for everyone, everywhere.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Angela Howarth, Director, Marketing and Communications, World Green Building Council
