Top 3 Takeaways from IMN’s Pre-Conference Course: ESG 101

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Written By Marcos Reynaga

Ahead of IMN's ESG & Decarbonizing Real Estate Forum, IMN invited Fitwel to participate in a virtual pre-conference course called ESG 101: What is Environmental, Social and Governance?

If you weren’t able to join, we invite you to watch the recording below. We’ve also rounded up some of the key takeaways and insights from the panel of experts. 

IMN Pre-Conference Online Course: ESG 101

What is Environmental, Social and Governance?
Thursday, February 2nd 12:00pm – 1:00pm CT

Chaitali Patel, Founder & CEO; Chief Impact Officer, Evergood Impact; 100 Women in Finance (moderator)
Joanna Frank, President & CEO, Fitwel
Kaylee McCall Correa, Managing Director, Capital Markets, Elion
Shubha Maheshwari, Global Director of ESG, PGIM-RE
Lauren Winkler, Senior Director, ESG, The Green Cities Company

1. There is no one-size-fits-all ESG approach. 

From an internal standpoint, a key component of a strong ESG strategy is ensuring it aligns with the overall vision, purpose, and values of the company. Stakeholder needs vary, and all must be taken into consideration—investors, regulatory bodies, employees, and, perhaps most importantly, the people inside the buildings and outside in the broader community. Real estate leaders must understand the impact of their assets from all of these perspectives.

2. ESG is not just about ‘checking the box’ - it affects real value and risk. 

ESG is no longer an afterthought; ESG considerations must be integrated into all stages of decision-making in order to continuously improve value and mitigate risk across portfolios. Today, post-COVID tenants are driving demand for environments that prioritize their health and support their quality of life, and that demand is no longer a reactive market trend. At the same time, investors are requiring ESG policies from their managers and operating partners, reinforcing the notion that implementing ESG strategies, with a particular emphasis on the Social aspect, is now a business imperative. At its core, ESG investing is about creating value, and health is one of the greatest value generators out there.

3. To future-proof portfolios of assets, all aspects of real estate will include data-driven decision-making and a renewed focus on individual as well as societal health.

While the industry has traditionally focused on environmental impact – the E in ESG – today and in the future, it will be about looking at the value and risk of assets through a people-centric lens. Every building has an impact on the people within and the surrounding communities, which in turn impacts the asset’s bottom line. To date, it’s been difficult to quantify the S despite its weight on ESG performance, which is where tech-based tools and frameworks like Fitwel come in. Fitwel supports the ESG principles of real estate companies with a data-driven technology platform, frameworks, and evidence base in order to inform critical ESG decisions.

To learn more about Fitwel’s commitment to quantifying the role of health in the built environment, visit: fitwel.org/esg.


Stay tuned to read about the two in-person panels with Fitwel and the Center for Active Design team members!

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Marcos Reynaga
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