This accomplishment establishes the company as the only publicly reporting REIT in its sector.
Established in 2005 under the umbrella of Akkök Holding, AKİŞ REIT obtained the title of “Real Estate Investment Trust” through an application to the Capital Markets Board on May 18, 2012, and commenced trading on Borsa Istanbul on January 9, 2013.
The company, operating with the principle “Your happiness is at the core of everything we do,” is the only real estate investment trust (REIT) company listed on the Borsa Istanbul Sustainability Index. In its inaugural reporting this year for the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Climate Change Program, Akiş REIT received a ‘B Management Level’ grade, establishing itself as the sole publicly reporting REIT in its sector. “Emphasizing the importance of the social dimension of sustainability as much as its environmental aspect, we are progressing towards the ideal of sustainable development” said Levent Çanakçılı, the General Manager of AKİŞ REIT. He elaborated on their efforts and goals, providing details from their sustainability reports published this year for the 4th time, as follows:
“We create sustainable value”
“We conduct our processes by incorporating ‘sustainability’ into diverse areas, including digitalization, information security, and the battle against climate change. n our report covering the activities of the year 2022, we share our efforts in the main categories of corporate governance, digitalization and innovation, climate change mitigation, work life, customer satisfaction, occupational health and safety, and contribution to social development. We also express our focus on creating sustainable value for the upcoming years, as well as our commitment to developing processes and methods that align with the rapidly advancing technology. As the sole REIT company listed on the Borsa Istanbul Sustainability Index, boasting a high level of corporate sustainability performance, we take pride in achieving a ‘B Management Level’ grade from the Carbon Disclosure Project Climate Change Program, becoming the only REIT in our sector to publicly report on climate change for the first time this year.
Additionally, we increased our Corporate Governance Rating from 9.63 to 9.64, reinforcing our position as the company with the highest ‘Corporate Governance Rating’ among real estate investment trusts and construction companies. As one of the largest players in the Turkish sector, both in terms of assets and market value, we generate extensive social, environmental, and economic impacts through our commercial real estate holdings, creating value for our stakeholders.”
The goal is to achieve a 35% reduction in electricity consumption by 2030
“In 2022, we made significant strides in the field of environmental sustainability. With energy and water efficiency initiatives, we managed to reduce electricity consumption by approximately 8% and water consumption by around 4% in shopping malls between the last 6 months of 2021 and the first 6 months of 2022. As AKİŞ REIT, we are focused on achieving an average of around 35% savings in electricity consumption through enhanced energy efficiency in our shopping malls by the year 2030, as part of our ongoing sustainability initiatives. To achieve this, we plan to increase the share of electric vehicles in our company fleet and promote the use of electric vehicles for business visits to create societal awareness.”
“We do not forget about the NGOs, our customers, and our female employees.”
“Our goals in the social dimension of our business can be summarized as collaborating with a minimum of 5 NGOs every year to both support them and create spaces and opportunities to support them, increasing the number of digital applications that enhance customer experience, and increasing our female employee ratio to over 40 percent. Amidst all our efforts, our primary focus stands out as continuing to publish and diversify our reports in accordance with international norms, ensuring to continue our inclusion in the BIST Sustainability Index, and upholding our pioneering position in the sector.”
“We will eliminate plastic in offices by the end of 2023”
“We are also implementing various measures to reduce the use of plastics. We aim to contribute to the commitments outlined in the “Plastic Commitments Guide”, which is prepared within the scope of the Business World Plastic Initiative (İş Dünyası Plastik Girişimi – İPG), and of which Akkök Holding is a signatory. We plan to achieve a reduction of 0.32 tons by eliminating the use of single-use plastics and plastic bags in our AKİŞ REIT head office, aiming to reach zero by the end of 2023 at the latest. Furthermore, we have become the first company in our sector to receive the “Equal Women at Work” certificate as a result of the steps we have taken to become a preferred employer brand by offering equal social opportunities in the business world, as in every field.”
NB Ekonomi
