Covivio uses various certification schemes and labels to guarantee the best standards by adapting to the specific features of its assets and the markets in which it operates.
The importance of certification lies in its ability to assess and validate the social, societal and environmental performance of buildings.
These environmental certifications are essential to support the development of sustainable property and seek to identify for each asset :
certified buildings consume less energy and generate fewer greenhouse gas emissions, thereby helping to combat climate change.
environmental standards promote a healthy indoor environment, improving the comfort and health of occupants.
environmental certification ensures compliance with increasingly stringent sustainable development regulations and is recognised internationally.
Environmental certification covers the various themes related to sustainable development. It can be obtained for existing buildings with specific aspects related to the responsible management of the asset, or during construction or refurbishment projects, for example to incorporate project management practices aimed at limiting disturbance during construction.
The main environmental certification applied by Covivio is as follows:
| HQE Sustainable building | BREEAM | LEED | DGNB | |
| Meaning | High Environmental Quality | Building Research Establishment Assessment Method | Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design | Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen (German Sustainable Building Council) |
| Country of origin / Creation date | France / 1996 | UK / 1990 | USA / 1998 | Germany / 2007 |
| Certification body | Certivéa – Cerqual | BRE | US Green Building Council | DGNB |
| Rating scale | Good – Very good – Excellent – Exceptional | Acceptable – Pass -Good – Very Good – Exceptional – Outstanding | Certified – Silver – Gold – Platinum | Bronze – Silver – Gold – Platinum |
| Use by Covivio | Construction Refurbishment France & Germany Tertiary Operation & Residential | Construction Refurbishment Tertiary Operation Europe | Construction Refurbishment Germany & Italy Offices | Construction Refurbishment Germany Offices |
| Covivio certified surface area at 2022 year-end* *Some assets or projects may hold dual building/operation certification. | Building: 455,000 m² + the entire German residential portfolio Operation: 70,000 m² | Building: 500,000 m² Operation: 1.1 million m² | Building: 300,000 m² | Building: 60,000 m² |
Energy/Carbon Labels
These labels applied during the development phase guarantee achievement of the highest standards in terms of energy and carbon emission efficiency. The main labels obtained for the Covivio portfolio are effinergie (linked to HQE), BRaVE (in Italy), BBCA (low-carbon building) in France, Low Carbon Building Initiative (LCBI) in Europe, and E+C-.
Covivio has committed to obtaining BBCA certification for 75% of new projects in France and 50% in Germany and Italy. Covivio is a founding member of the Low Carbon Building Initiative, which has created a pan-European low-carbon label now available in eight countries. Covivio has also initiated an ISO 50001 certification process for its multi-tenant office buildings in France.
of new office projects awarded the well-being label
In keeping with its purpose, Covivio has committed to obtaining accreditation for all new office projects.
Well-being labels
Environmental well-being labels involve measuring and improving the consideration given to human factors during construction (WELL, OsmoZ) and management (Fitwel) of a building in order to optimise quality of life at work for occupants.
Connectivity labels
As connectivity is a major issue for buildings, connectivity labels – R2S, Wiredscore – tackle the various aspects related to digital technology in buildings: infrastructure, on-site wireless connectivity and digital security.
At 2023 year-end, 87% of the office pipeline was seeking such accreditation.
At 2023 year-end, 155,000 m² of tertiary surface area owned by Covivio held or was seeking to obtain a biodiversity label.
Biodiversity labels
Biodiversity labels – BiodiverCity®, Ecojardin – aim to ensure that biodiversity is taken into account at all stages of a project, including during operation. They are particularly relevant to projects involving extensive green spaces.
Hotel operators also seek to obtain specific labels tailored to their business. Hotel environmental labels focus on both asset performance and hotel operation, aiming to ensure that the assets achieve a high degree of social and environmental performance.
The main hotel environmental labels are:
At the end of 2024, 97.5% of hotels owned by Covivio held environmental accreditation. Covivio has also begun the process of obtaining the Green Key label for its entire portfolio of hotel operating properties. Finally, and without this being taken into account in the calculation of the certification rate of Covivio’s assets, it should be noted that 26% of the hotels owned hold Green Leader status on TripAdvisor.
To ensure maximum transparency towards stakeholders, Covivio reports in line with regulatory requirements, in particular the European Non-Financial Reporting Directive, as well as referring to recognised international guidelines.
Covivio commissions an independent third-party body to express a limited assurance conclusion on the compliance of the consolidated statement of non-financial performance.
Covivio complies with the EPRA sBPR, reaching Gold level since 2014.
As a benchmark player in terms of climate reporting, Covivio has been an official supporter of the TCFD since 2021 and publishes its Climate Report in accordance with these recommendations.
Covivio has followed SASB guidelines for the Real Estate sector since 2020.
Discover
At the end of 2024, Covivio published its 1st Nature Report.
This report combines climate and biodiversity, and marks a new stage in Covivio’s CSR strategy.
Covivio’s sustainable development strategy covers all its activities in Europe and all levels of the company. Built on the experience of analysing its material issues and CSR risks, this strategy sets out an action plan that echoes Covivio’s purpose. The complete action plan is included in the Universal Registration Document 2023.
One of the main objectives of the green taxonomy is to provide a uniform definition of what constitutes a sustainable economic activity.
Covivio’s contribution to the UN sustainable development goals
A signatory to the Global Compact since 2011 and achieving GC Advanced level in 2018, Covivio has applied the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since 2016. Covivio’s long-term CSR goals are consistent with the UN 2030 goals they contribute to, the 10 principles of the Global Compact, and the 2°C trajectory of the December 2015 Paris Agreement.
