An Integrated Approach to Sustainability
At ProLogis, we are committed to all three dimensions of sustainability: environmental stewardship, social responsibility and business excellence. Sustainability is integrated into every level at ProLogis. It is part of our corporate culture and exerts influence throughout business decisions and negotiations. Our new governance structure helps to enforce the sustainability culture that has been fostered at ProLogis.
In 2008, we revised the way we govern our sustainability practices internally, adding a Sustainability Committee to our Board of Trustees. Three members preside on this committee and take an active role in considering how the company deploys and reacts to varying opportunities regarding ProLogis’ sustainability program. We also created the position of Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO). At the executive level, the CSO makes decisions related to our day-to-day sustainability programs and manages our in-house sustainability team.
This team is comprised of two dedicated associates whose primary focus is on furthering ProLogis' sustainability efforts. For example, the Director of Renewable Energy serves as the lead for solar, wind and all other renewable energy projects that ProLogis pursues. We also have a Sustainability Analyst who tracks ProLogis’ carbon footprint and creates reduction strategies, oversees our green building metrics and manages our Sustainability Champion program, described below.
In early 2008, ProLogis identified one person in every office in the United States who was willing to help further the company’s sustainability efforts on a local level. Specifically, this includes minimizing each individual field office’s impact on the environment and contributing to the local communities in which we operate. These "Sustainability Champions" create a network with the following objectives:
- Elevate awareness of sustainability within the company.
- Improve sustainability-related communication and data sharing.
- Reduce the impact of our operations on the environment and enhance our communities.
In early 2009, ProLogis rolled out the Sustainability Champion program in Europe and has made plans to engage our teams in Japan and Korea mid-year. By addressing sustainability at all levels of the organization, this approach is helping to integrate a sustainability ethic into all that we do.