The second ESG Report presents the progress made by Urbanity in the field of environmental and social responsibility for the year 2023. All the data and key indicators mapping our mission in the development of next-generation production campuses have been collected in cooperation with Frank Bold Advisory’s expert team.

We started with ESG reporting back in 2021, which made us the first real estate company to be ranked in the ESG Rating 2023 announced by the Association of Social Responsibility. We thus rated among the top 10 companies in the category of small and medium-sized enterprises and we are continuing in this trend. We have recently expanded the energy self-sufficiency of our production campus in Tachov and have been preparing to build another one in Bruntál.

“Our strategy is to build new generation production campuses that meet the strictest standards while creating value for society. We want our activities to have a real positive impact on the local communities and on the employees who work in our campuses. We strive for the real mitigation of the negative impacts on the environment and, where possible, even a positive impact,” said Roland Hofman, the CEO of Urbanity.

Urbanity's key milestones in the ESG Report for 2023:

• Urbanity Campus Tachov achieved BREEAM Communities certification on the Excellent level, making it the first urban district with this award in the Czech Republic and also the very first such certified project in the world with a focus on production. This facility uses green energy from solar panels, which last year covered 40% of the complex's energy needs.
• ​Significant investments in renewable energy sources in Tachov include the expansion of the rooftop solar power plant by 5 MWp and the installation of a 1.4 MWh battery storage facility, ensuring greater energy independence.
• ​We also focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In 2023, the energy consumption in existing Tachov campus facilities was reduced by more than 80% thanks to the reconstruction of the buildings, including the installation of LED lighting and new insulation materials.
• ​We started the preparation for the construction of another complex: Urbanity Campus Bruntál will bring more than 55,000 m² of new production and logistics space, thus promoting local employment and development.
   

“The year 2023 has been a confirmation for us that the path we have chosen is not only the right one in terms of the high sustainability and architectural demands we have at our industrial sites, but is also appreciated in practice by our clients, local residents and the professional community. With the Urbanity Campus Tachov project, we scored in the prestigious 2023 Estate Awards, where we won the category of Sustainability and Ecology and also won the Best Industrial Project award. As part of this year’s prestigious “Best of Realty – Nejlepší z realit” awards, now in its 25th year, it also won in the Industrial and Logistics Complex category,” Hofman added.

But 2023 was not the end of it. In April 2024, Urbanity Campus Tachov ranked among the best sustainable projects in the Czech Republic. It scored in the competition at the Czech & Slovak Sustainability Summit. In September of the same year, the GAMA building in Urbanity Campus Tachov was recognised, with the project taking home the prestigious Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic Award, presented as part of the Plzeň Region’s Building of the Year competition. Here the jury appreciated the modern technical solution and praised the concept for the surrounding area with plenty of greenery and relaxation zones.

The new ESG report also includes a strategic outlook. In Urbanity, we want to continue focusing on new construction in brownfields and renovations of existing complexes, while the use of renewable energy sources is important for us. This year we are working on further investments in sustainable technologies, including the expansion of the photovoltaic power plants and the introduction of new environmental standards in all our projects. “The year 2024 is not only marked by the further growth of our project in Tachov, but we are also opening a new chapter in our vision of brownfield transformations. We are starting the long-planned construction of Urbanity Campus Bruntál, with which we have big and equally ambitious plans,” Hofman said.