Today, approximately 56% of the world’s population – 4.4 billion inhabitants – live in cities. This trend is expected to continue, with the urban population more than doubling its current size by 2050, at which point nearly 7 out of 10 people will live in cities. In the face of this rapid pace of urbanisation, sustainability plays a pivotal role in the construction and built industry, serving as a guiding principle for responsible and ethical development. It encompasses an integrated approach that takes into account environmental, social, and economic factors.

The construction and built industry has a significant impact on the environment, accounting for a large share of energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and resource depletion. It is one of the major contributors to global carbon emissions, producing nearly 39% of all carbon emissions in the world with operational emissions accounting for 28%. The remaining 11% comes from embodied carbon emissions (materials used in the development process).

Change is needed

As such, decarbonising this sector is vital to achieve the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target and the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With growing awareness of climate change and the need to reduce carbon emissions, there is a rising demand for sustainable construction practices. By embracing sustainable practices, the industry can significantly reduce its ecological footprint, conserve resources, and mitigate climate change.

International real estate group, Lendlease, has become one of the world’s first property companies to commit to eliminating carbon emissions from its operations – on both a net and absolute basis – by 2025 and 2040 respectively. Known as Mission Zero, the campaign is in place across a range of assets and channels in the four regions in which the group operates - Australia, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

“Given what’s at stake, our industry has a unique responsibility and opportunity to act and deliver tangible and measurable outcomes. A big part of our focus is on reducing energy costs and carbon footprint while using energy-intensive heavy equipment at our construction sites,” said Dr. Yasmin Rasyid, Sustainability Director at Lendlease Malaysia.

Dr. Yasmin Rasyid, Sustainability Director at Lendlease Malaysia.

As part of their Mission Zero strategy, Lendlease works closely and co-operatively with partners in their supply chain to reduce embodied carbon in the materials used. The emphasis is on the importance of how materials are sourced, ensuring labour standards and fair humanitarian practices are in place with all subcontractors and suppliers.

Closer to home, The Exchange TRX, Lendlease’s largest integrated development in Asia, demonstrates the organisation’s urban regeneration and placemaking leadership in creating thriving and sustainable spaces. Strategically located within Malaysia’s International Financial District, The Exchange TRX is a 17-acre experience-led lifestyle destination comprising retail, residential, commercial and hospitality.

“Our Global Sustainability Framework helps us define our three areas of focus such as contributing to local economic prosperity, enhancing nature and reducing pollution, and creating vibrant and resilient communities. We then apply that using a local lens. This framework helped set the foundation for us to create a long-term strategy for The Exchange TRX that considers sustainability in every process, from start to finish,” explained Yasmin.

Environmental sustainability initiatives at the Exchange TRX include:

Conducting a Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience study that helps inform them on how to design sustainably from materials used, to activation programmes.
The Exchange TRX’s green building certifications target GBI Gold for all assets and LEED Gold for the retail and office assets.
Implementation of the Green Lease initiative with its retail partners for long term energy savings.
Operating assets and equipment in an energy-efficient manner. The Exchange TRX aims to be a Zero Waste to Landfill development by 2030, reducing the usage of potable water by 50% and ensuring tap to recycled wastewater for toilet flushing, irrigation, and cooling tower needs.
Showcasing Malaysia’s unique biodiversity through the 10-acre rooftop TRX City Park that will be home to more than 150,000 plantings from close to 150 native plants species.

TRX City Park is an internationally benchmarked park showcasing Malaysia’s rich biodiversity.

Helping communities thrive

As part of its Sustainability Framework, Lendlease has also set a target to create AUD250 million of social value by 2025. The group’s global campaign #ALittleHelpToThrive shows the ways they’re creating value around the world through their shared value partnerships and Community Grants programme.

“Our social value target reflects our ambition to make a positive impact on people’s lives by improving their quality of life, supporting their health and wellbeing, providing economic opportunities, improving the local environment, and building resilient and thriving communities,” added Yasmin.

Focused on making a difference in the communities they operate in, Lendlease Malaysia launched ‘Projek Komuniti Kita’ in 2019 - a community partnership project which aims to support local community growth and development through infrastructure enhancements and upgrades, arts and culture, and sports activities in the city centre’s low cost housing developments.

‘Projek Komuniti Kita’ is a multi-stakeholder partnership focusing on supporting the growth and development of the local community through arts & culture awareness, physical space refurbishments, and women empowerment programmes.

“Another signature initiative is the annual Lendlease Community Day where our employees volunteer their time and skills to make a difference in their community. The spirit of serving the community is very much imbued throughout the organisation and in 2022, over 120 employees helped in the restoration and enhancement of the Yellow House Community Centre and participated in a river restoration project right here in Kuala Lumpur, along the Bunus River,” said Yasmin.

Lendlease’s annual Community Day is an opportunity for employees to make positive contributions to local communities.

For social sustainability efforts, the Lendlease Foundation Community Grant Project was launched in 2021 to help broaden support for social enterprises and community organisations. Over the past two years, a total of nine grants amounting to RM130,000 have been awarded in Malaysia covering areas such as Community Inclusion; Mental Health for All People; Skilling, Training, Jobs & Employment; Housing & Homelessness; and Climate Change & Action. Our partners include Yellow House, IDEAS, the National Cancer Society, Reef Check Malaysia, Engineers Without Borders, Native Discovery, Thrive Well, Green Science & Technology Association Malaysia and Hara Makers.

The National Cancer Society was one of the grant recipients under the Lendlease Foundation Community Grant Asia.

What more can we do for the environment?

“Industry collaboration is critical for our sector to meaningfully reduce its carbon footprint. We need to engage with government agencies, regulatory authorities, industry peers, environmental organisations, and local communities to promote sustainable development practices and share best practices. By prioritising sustainability, we can contribute to the creation of resilient, low carbon communities while fostering economic growth and improving the quality of life for present and future generations,” advised Yasmin.

For more information on Lendlease's sustainability efforts, you can visit their website at www.lendlease.com