- Rating upgrade from the leading ESG agency ISS
- «Prime» rating with positive impact on SPS’s financing costs
Rating upgrade from the leading ESG agency ISS
On 1 June 2023, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), one of the world's leading agencies for ESG research and rating, awarded Swiss Prime Site with its ISS ESG rating «C» and thus the status «Prime». The rating is based on numerous elements relating to different aspects of environmental, social and corporate governance categories. For many years, Swiss Prime Site has worked strategically and systematically to continuously improve its sustainability performance. René Zahnd, CEO Swiss Prime Site, comments: «This is a testimony that the measures we have taken have led to significant improvements in all three sustainability categories and are now also reflected in the successful upgrade of the ISS ESG rating. Furthermore, I am convinced that through additional identified short- and long-term initiatives, we will achieve further progress.» With the new «C» (Prime) rating, Swiss Prime Site moves into the top quintile of the real estate industry.
«Prime» rating with positive impact on SPS’s financing costs
In 2022, Swiss Prime Site introduced a comprehensive Green Finance Framework and thus completely aligned its operational real estate financing with sustainability aspects. They are partly linked to the official sustainability ratings of relevant agencies and have a direct and noticeable impact on the company's financing costs. Marcel Kucher, CFO Swiss Prime Site, comments: «Our strategic refinancing in 2021 towards more flexibility and the consistent focus on sustainability are proving to be optimal choice in the current environment. With that, all new financing raised on a sustainability-linked basis can be transparently monitored. In addition, the improved ISS ESG rating enables us to reduce our financing costs by around CHF 1 million per year. Both together significantly increase our attractiveness to national and international investors.»