Fastighetsbyrån is the leading Swedish estate agency in Portugal and Spain with 25 offices. The majority of buyers are from Sweden and therefore the company is now developing their sustainable goals, which includes climate compensation for flights “The real estate sector is lagging behind on these issues and we must begin to assume greater responsibility”, said Daniel Nilsson, CEO.
He told the Alliance of international Property Owners (AIPO): “Working for a more sustainable world is an important issue for us at Fastighetsbyrån. The long-term objective is that our operations have such a positive impact on the environment and society as possible. To achieve this, all our stores in Spain and Portugal will carry out various activities that will lead to reduced environmental impact and more positive social development.”
The estate agency’s environmental work focuses on the reduction of energy, water, plastic, paper and automobile fuel. And as of this year they will also compensate all customers for flights to and from the Iberian Peninsula in relation to home purchases.
The compensation is in the form of grants, mainly for tree planting projects certified by the Spanish state on the Iberian Peninsula. The climate calculations have been prepared in collaboration with ZeroMission.
Some of the goals at the Lagos and Albufeira-Vilamoura offices in the Algarve include changing the company cars within two years to electric or hybrids while other recent activities include the installation of LED lighting for the offices, timers for lighting, a reduction in paper consumption and an increase in recycling of paper, while also supporting one or more local initiatives for equality.
Ensuring more people have access to a safe home is another part of the work Fastighetsbyrån is involved in for a more sustainable future through their collaboration with SOS Children’s Villages. For each house they sell they will contribute €10 to SOS Children’s Villages. With operations in Sweden, Spain and Portugal, this means approximately €450,000 annually.
“We are already working to contribute to several of the 17 global sustainability goals of the Paris Agreement, and this work will be intensified, expanded, made visible and communicated”, concluded Daniel Nilsson.