Sustainability
Sustainability at Aker Property Group is about making business decisions that add value to the company, its stakeholders and society, both in the short term and the long term.
APG is committed to operating in a responsible, accountable and sustainable manner, and to contribute to reducing the industry's environmental impact. We focus on four strategic areas in our environmental, social and governance work: People, Environment, Integrity and Society.
People
We are committed to ensuring that employees and others working on our behalf have a safe and good working environment. Safe operations are at the core of our values. We believe all incidents can and should be prevented. Our operations shall always follow ethical guidelines, labor laws and regulations. Our goal is to inflict zero harm to people, assets and the environment.
Environment
The construction industry accounts for about 40 percent of the world's energy consumption, 30 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions and more than 50 percent of the global consumption of natural resources. Real estate therefore plays a significant role in achieving the 2015 Paris Agreement goal of limiting average global temperature rises to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
We at APG prioritize good architecture, durable products and materials, efficient energy consumption, and solutions that satisfy both current and future requirements. We believe that if you double the life of a building, you halve the environmental impacts of its construction. We plan to BREEAM certify all our new buildings. BREEAM stands for Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method. It is the world’s leading sustainability assessment method for masterplanning projects, infrastructure and buildings. It recognizes and reflects the value in higher performing assets across the built environment lifecycle, from new construction to in-use and refurbishment. APG will set relevant and quantifiable environmental goals and monitor the environmental impact of our services and activities.
Integrity
Doing business with integrity is imperative at APG. We are committed to operate according to the highest standards of integrity, everywhere and always. Being a preferred partner means being trusted in every aspect of how we do business. Our Code of Conduct is the framework for managing integrity risks and it describes APG's commitments and requirements regarding business practice and personal conduct.
Society
We are committed to supporting and having a positive impact on our local communities. We share our experience and know-how with others, and together with our tenants, partners, authorities and the local community, we work to achieve energy-efficient buildings and good environments for people to live and work in. To this effect, we are particularly proud of our contribution to the creation of Imprints, the largest ceramic sculpture park in the Nordic region, inaugurated by Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway at Fornebuporten in June 2016.
APG supports the VI Foundation with NOK 10 million over a period of five years (2018-2023) for activities aimed at people with disabilities. A proportionally higher number of people with disabilities suffer from reduced quality of life, poorer health and isolation, compared with non-disabled people.
The VI initiative takes a three-pronged approach: 1) work with Olympiatoppen to support elite-level Paralympic athletes and create role models; 2) collaborate with individual sports federations and clubs to facilitate the participation of people with disabilities in sports at the grass-root level; 3) facilitate partnerships between the foundation VI, private companies/individuals and public offices to ensure that people with disabilities have the same opportunities and rights as able-bodied people.
