Allee is the best-performing sustainable retail facility in the Eastern European region

GRESB (Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark) is one of the world’s most recognized ESG benchmarking systems in the real estate sector. It evaluates the performance of more than 2,000 real estate funds and facilities annually based on environmental, social and governance criteria, enabling industry comparison and transparency. The assessment examines more than 100 indicators, ranging from corporate governance structure and sustainability strategy to energy and water use, emission reduction and innovative operational solutions. The five-star rating is the highest possible rating, awarded to the top 20 percent of companies in their category. Allee ranked first in its Eastern European retail peer group, while it ranked fifth in the European non-listed retail field, out of nearly a hundred units tested.

“This result is not only a prestigious qualification, but also feedback that our investments and continuous improvements in the field of sustainability are measurably increasing the performance of the building. One of the peculiarities of the GRESB system is that it only takes into account previous developments for three years. Thus, continuous innovation is needed to maintain or even increase the previously achieved level,” highlighted Dávid Tuska, Technical Director of Allee.

Allee’s GRESB score has been continuously increasing in recent years, currently standing at 94 points, which is among the highest in its category. The progress was particularly outstanding in the field of energy efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, achieving an improvement of 4–5 percent compared to the previous year. Significant progress was also made in water management, where an almost ten percent improvement was registered, among other things thanks to the launch of the greywater utilization concept.

One ​​of the special features of Allee is the climate-tracking building automation system, which regulates the building’s energy consumption based on meteorological forecasts and external data measured in real time. The system is able to respond dynamically to weather changes, so the building is always operated with the most efficient use of energy, which contributes to the optimization of energy consumption. This solution is rare in Hungary and clearly demonstrates Allee’s commitment to technological developments.

The shopping center’s electricity supply comes from 100% renewable sources. Allee also has its own solar panel system, and this year it has also signed a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) contract with a domestic solar power plant, through which it purchases part of its electricity directly from a dedicated source, which is a much more transparent energy source.   With this, Allee was among the first to implement direct green energy procurement in the domestic commercial real estate market.

The facility is continuously improving its energy efficiency solutions: from modernizing lighting systems to using more efficient electric motors to developing automated systems. Although these investments are now more of fine-tuning, overall they have a significant impact on the environmental footprint of the operation.

Allee’s goal is to set an example in responsible operation in the long term, continue to represent best practices in environmentally conscious building management, and provide customers with an increasingly conscious, environmentally friendly environment. The five-star GRESB rating is both professional recognition and motivation. It is proof that the building is not only future-proof in terms of customer experience, but also in terms of sustainable operation.