Increasing regulatory pressure with regard to the issue of sustainability is leading to a fundamental change in the property sector. “The EU taxonomy, with all its documentation requirements, represents a major challenge for the industry as whole,” explains Joachim Birnthaler, Head of TÜV SÜD’s Real Estate and Infrastructure Division. Large companies will have to disclose their sustainability activities from 2025 onwards. Given the complexity of prevailing requirements and the large number of criteria involved, companies should deal intensively with the specifications incumbent on them, advises Birnthaler: “Our interdisciplinary teams of experts possess the necessary skills and experience to support the companies concerned in implementing the regulatory requirements and fulfilling the ESG criteria.”

TÜV SÜD supports market participants with comprehensive services spanning the entire life cycle of properties, for example, with ESG due diligence proceedings and audits, or assessments based on leading national and international certification standards – such as BREEAM, DGNB, BNB or LEED. As a BRE Global licensee and national system representative, TÜV SÜD bears responsibility for adapting BREEAM systems, training BREEAM experts and issuing BREEAM certificates in the DACH region and – through the acquisition of the US Sustainable Investment Group (SIG) and Green Building Education Systems (GBES) in May 2024 – the company has also assumed a leading position in certification and training according to the LEED standard.

Determining the ESG status, defining measures, monitoring their implementation

TÜV SÜD supports companies in determining their ESG status and defining de-carbonisation measures. To this end, the building’s fabric and technical equipment of the property in question are recorded and assessed as part of an on-site inspection. The data obtained in this process is used for simulations and calculations that enable detailed assessments. Subsequently, TÜV SÜD’s experts recommend suitable measures to improve ESG scoring and the property’s CO2 footprint and, if required, also support the development of energy-related concepts, climate protection roadmaps and implementation plans to facilitate de-carbonisation and concrete implementation on site. This means that the property’s value remains stable in the long term – proof of the attractiveness of sustainable investments.

TÜV SÜD has developed “Lime”, a practical dashboard to help investors and portfolio holders keep a close eye on the ESG status of their properties and assets at all times. The dashboard forms part of our commissioned consultancy service and enables quick benchmark analyses, comparisons and updates at asset, portfolio and company level. The ESG dashboard can be easily integrated into existing (or future) system landscapes using appropriate interfaces.

Ensuring quality, monitoring operation, reducing consumption

However, optimal concepts and plans are worthless if there are shortcomings in their implementation. With Building Information Modelling (BIM), sustainability goals can be integrated into the planning of new buildings or complex modernisation efforts at an early stage, and then implemented during the construction phase. With the aid of appropriate standardisation and planning, BIM data can also form the basis for end-to-end data management from the planning and construction phase through to the operational phase. TÜV SÜD supports the application and implementation of such digital planning methods.

TÜV SÜD’s experts remain focussed on the quality of construction work and the correct operation of the building’s technical equipment, all thanks to construction-related quality controlling and technical monitoring. With technical monitoring before commissioning or during the operational phase, possible malfunctions and sources of optimisation potential regarding technical supply systems and components can be uncovered – with potential savings of up to 30 per cent for individual systems.

Further information on TÜV SÜD’s services is available at the ExpoReal (Hall C2, Stand 323) and online via tuvsud.com/real-estate.