Occupier Engagement

One of the greatest challenges in achieving net zero carbon buildings lies in the relationship between owners and occupiers.  

While they often have sustainability aspirations common, a series of institutional, technical & legal barriers have made progress challenging. Our Occupier Engagement workstream aims to tackle the barriers between owners and occupiers, through our Owner & Occupier Forum and our work on green leasing.

Owner & Occupier Forum Chair

Jane Wakiwaka

Jane Wakiwaka

Head of Sustainability at Real Estate Management UK (REM) Limited

Our Owner & Occupier Forum is made up of over 50 organisations representing Owners, Occupiers and Partners.

As a rapidly growing area of work within the BBP programme, it sets out to review and address key challenges that Owners and Occupiers alike face when addressing climate change and broader sustainability issues in relation to the buildings they own or occupy, through knowledge sharing and collaborative working. We are currently working on the development of an industry insight paper which resets the foundation for an expansive and constructive conversation on owner occupier synergies across ESG, focused on net zero. 

Highlights of the year

  • The Forum has collaborated closely with the legal working group and the dedicated GLTK leadership group to strengthen and promote the Green Lease Toolkit.
  • We partnered with The Chancery Lane Project to co-deliver a knowledge share session on green leases, drawing on their expertise in climate contracting.
  • A new relationship was established with the Property Managers Association to gain deeper insights into occupier perspectives through their membership base.
  • We began engaging with Business Improvement Districts to explore opportunities for place-based collaboration, social impact initiatives, and sustainability programmes.
  • Internationally, we have shared our experience in developing the GLTK with organisations in Hong Kong, France and Spain, supporting global best practice in green leasing.

Related Resources:

“To collectively deliver against the BBP’s vision, embedding sustainability across the property lifecycle is vital. BBP’s toolkits and guidance will continue to raise the bar on industry standards and to drive the transformation needed to integrate sustainability as part of core-decision-making by property owners.”

Jane Wakiwaka, Real Estate Management (UK) Ltd.