Our Environmental Responsibility

Environmental

CF has a long standing history of leadership when it comes to sustainability, starting with the launch of the Green at Work® program (GAW) in 2008, and most recently being ranked #1 in the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) survey amongst our peer group (North America Diversified - Office/Retail/Core) for the second, consecutive, year. While we take tremendous pride in these accomplishments, our commitment to sustainability doesn't stop here. As an organization we will continue to develop innovative solutions to take action against climate change by establishing bold targets related to emissions, energy, climate resilience, sustainable transport, water and waste.

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Our Commitment

With the accelerating effects of climate change, our commitment to climate action and resource protection has never been a clearer priority. CF's aspires to:
  • Enable low carbon community transformation

    Mitigating climate change through emissions and energy reduction, and building resilience to the impacts of a changing climate

  • Ensure a resource filled & sustainable tomorrow

    Driving environmental protection through efficient & responsible use of resources

Green at Work

CF became the first Canadian real estate organization to establish a sustainability operations program when we launched Green at Work (GAW) in 2008. We recognized early on that sustainability principles not only provided environmental benefits, but also delivered clear business value to our clients, shoppers and building occupants. Over the course of its lifetime, the program has led the industry, achieved annual industry awards and recognitions, and driven the results shared in the Targets & Results section above. CF properties are required to meet annual performance targets for energy, water, waste, and implement operational best practices. An industry-leading web-based platform allows CF to centralize the GAW program and optimize sustainability reporting and data at the property and portfolio level.

Our Targets & Results

Innovative initiatives and programs like on-site composters in our Western Portfolio properties, connecting our downtown Toronto properties to the Enwave deep lake cooling system, and launching a first-of its-kind energy smart analytics program and training for our Operations teams on efficient building operations, have demonstrated leadership and achieved tangible business results. Our future annual, mid-term and long-term targets align with the global imperative to take action on climate change and meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement. In order to ensure alignment with the latest scientific information, our targets will be re-evaluated on an annual basis. Please read on to view our results and ongoing targets.

Green at Work

Emissions

Performance

  1. 21%

    reduction vs 2017

  2. 2.09 kgCO₂e per sq.ft.

    intensity

  3. 18,316 tCO₂e

    saved vs. 2017, equivalent to 3,980 cars taken off the road

  4. $260K

    donated to local employee selected charities

Targets

  1. 35%

    reduction by 2030 vs 2017 for operated portfolio (Scope 1 & 2)

  2. Net 0 emissions

    before 2050 for operated portfolio (Scope 1 & 2)

Absolute Emissions

CF purchases a small amount of Green-e certified carbon offset for the purpose of Zero Carbon Certification. CF does not use carbon offsets to achieve our corporate emission goals, and all reported emissions reductions are calculated without the use of carbon offsets.

Absolute Scope 1 & 2 Emissions: Bar - Vertical Stacked Chart.

Dataset 1: Category: 2017, Value: 85714. Category: 2021, Value: 68776. Category: 2022, Value: 65850. Category: 2023, Value: 60958

Dataset 2: Category: 2017, Value: 0. Category: 2021, Value: 0. Category: 2022, Value: 4877. Category: 2023, Value: 6441

Dataset 3: Category: 2030, Value: 62000 and is a projection value

Carbon Emissions Intensity

[ESG] Scope 1 & 2 Emissions Intensity Chart image

GHG Emissions Breakdown

[ESG][Environmental] Categorized Data Feature - Emissions - Row 3 - Col 2

Awards, Recognition & Certification

Case Studies

Read our 2024 ESG Report

CF is committed to delivering clear performance analyses, baseline comparisons, and progress toward our established Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) targets. Our CF’s 2024 ESG Report reflects our collective efforts to operationalize ESG across our portfolio.