ESG ‘greenwashing’ and the carbon emissions problem dogging real estate

Did you know that, on average, the world’s 20 largest ESG funds hold investments in 17 fossil-fuel producers, and two own stakes in Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest oil producer? Or that one fund holds a stake in a Chinese coal-mining company? It’s called “greenwashing” — the conveying of false or misleading information suggesting a company’s products and activities are environmentally sound. And the practice is rampant. Breana Wheeler, the U.S. director of operations for BREEAM (the Building Research Establishment), joins the program to outline the issues being faced. (06/2021)