Metrovacesa signs collaboration agreement with GBCe to integrate sustainability into its projects

• The company continues its commitment to collaboration with the leading sustainable building organisation in Spain with the aim of further strengthening its commitment to sustainable urban planning and building.

• This agreement allows the organisation’s VERDE certification to be applied to Metrovacesa’s housing stock, as well as to participate in the European working groups on ESG criteria and the Taxonomy, and to reinforce the training of the work team.

• The agreement also contemplates collaboration between the two firms for the certification of Blockchain processes based on Metrovacesa’s protocols and projects in this field.

Madrid, 15 December 2021. Metrovacesa, Spain’s leading real estate developer with more than one hundred years of history, has signed a collaboration agreement with Green Building Council España (GBCe), the leading sustainable building organisation in Spain. The agreement presents, among other initiatives, the possibility of certifying Metrovacesa’s stock of developments with the organisation’s VERDE certification.

With the aim of transferring sustainability to construction, the agreement formalises various initiatives that seek to balance ESG criteria in business activity. On the one hand, Metrovacesa will increase the number of developments with VERDE certification, developed by GBCe, which accredits the sustainable building bases of its homes. In addition, the agreement includes participation in European projects to assess compliance with EU Taxonomy criteria, allowing the developer to contribute its experience and results to improve the criteria coming from Europe. The team will also receive technical training from GBCe to further professionalise its sustainability efforts.

With a presence in more than 70 countries and 36,000 members, GBCe is part of the international network of World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and promotes the transformation of the building sector towards a sustainable model, facilitating the relationship between its members and all the agents involved. The collaboration agreement stems from Metrovacesa’s adhesion as a member of GBCe and expands on paper what they have already been working on in recent months.

Another fundamental part of this agreement is based on streamlining certification processes through Blockchain processes. GBCe will study the possibilities of adapting its verification processes while Metrovacesa will make available its protocols, pilot projects and Blockchain platforms.

David Sierra Lluch, Director of Projects and Sustainability at Metrovacesa, said: “After several months working with GBCe, it has been demonstrated that we have synergies to develop in terms of sustainability and innovation. For this reason, we wanted to go a step further by signing a framework agreement in which both parties contribute value and move towards a common goal: sustainable construction, one of the great challenges facing the sector in the coming years and an aspect to which Metrovacesa has an enormous commitment”.

Bruno Sauer, CEO of GBCe, said: “Since Metrovacesa joined the more than 350 members of GBCe a few months ago, we have been working to develop ways of collaboration to further accelerate the transformation of the building sector. The signing of this agreement is an important step in demonstrating that sustainable building is the way forward”.

Another step forward in its commitment to sustainability

Metrovacesa remains committed to a roadmap framed in its Sustainability Plan 2020-2022. In this regard, the signing of this agreement is in addition to Metrovacesa’s latest milestone, the launch of the Domum label, a rating system that allows Metrovacesa’s developments to be categorised according to their levels of sustainability. Domum takes into account the carbon footprint of the homes, waste management, the wellbeing of the homes, lighting, air quality, water footprint and transport options in the residential complexes.

The initiatives are carried out by Metrovacesa’s Projects and Sustainability unit, which has a large in-house team of architects, engineers, Energy Certification specialists and a specialist in sustainability and environmental seals. This team is prepared to implement the necessary measures to achieve social and sustainable building in its active developments and future projects that make up its land portfolio, equivalent to more than 33,000 homes to be developed. In addition, Metrovacesa works on a recurring basis with the best architectural and engineering firms, aligned with its philosophy of creating sustainable architecture.