With a new ESG label from the Logix Initiative, developers and owners can have certified that their new buildings comply with the Logix ESG Guideline. The Logistics Real Estate Initiative (Logix) is awarding this label for the first time, which confirms the fulfillment of the criteria, the organization announced in a press release on 30 September. The criteria for this come from the publication “ESG in Logistics Real Estate – Guideline and Recommendation,” which the initiative developed and published in 2024 with industry experts. With the help of the label, builders can in the future, according to Logix, transparently demonstrate to investors, tenants and the public that their projects meet central ESG requirements. The examination and assessment of the properties is carried out by the consulting firm Drees & Sommer and sustainability advisor List Eco.
As the first project, the “Grimma Industrial Park”
of project developer Hines will receive the ESG label. Hines had proposed an audit and confirmation of the ESG-guideline-conform construction of its property to the Logix Initiative, thereby initiating the award of the label. The property comprises three halls with a total usable floor area of approximately 114,600 square meters on a site of around 284,100 square meters; its completion is planned for this autumn. A specialized team from Drees & Sommer supported Hines in the sustainable construction of the park, which was designed, among other things, based on the Logix ESG Guideline.
According to the current planning status, the project achieves an overall fulfillment rate of 90 percent for the ESG Label criteria. The handover of the label will take place at the EXPO REAL 2025 real estate trade fair in Munich.
The ESG Guideline distinguishes between measures with low, medium and
high impact, which has been transferred into the criteria catalog. For the award of the label to a property, it must meet at least 80 percent of all criteria and at least 50 percent of the high-impact criteria. The process, according to Logix, is technically secured by a double check: First, an “ESG Label Collector” conducts the substantive recording and evaluation; subsequently, an “ESG Label Approver” independently checks and confirms the results. The checks are carried out in alternating roles by Drees & Sommer and List Eco.
To verify the requirements of the ESG Guideline and the degree of fulfillment, Drees & Sommer and List Eco created an evaluation matrix for logistics new builds. This includes criteria from the fields “Environment” (E), “Social” (S) and “Governance” (G), in particular:
Environment
- Consideration of the entire life cycle of buildings
- Use of energy-efficient technologies and
- renewable energy
- Sustainable water management and reduction of water use
- Promotion of biodiversity through green roofs and facades
Social
- Creation of a healthy and safe working environment
- Involvement of the local community and promotion of acceptance
- Architectural design of attractive and functional buildings
Governance
- Adherence to ethical standards and corporate values
“Since its founding, Logix has stood for networking the logistics real estate sector, promoting it and defining standards,” said Francisco Bähr, founding and board member of the Logix Initiative and ESG project lead. “With the ESG Guideline, we have already created a unified industry vocabulary for sustainability measures. The new ESG label is now the logical next step: It gives developers the opportunity to transparently demonstrate their sustainability performance, provides users and investors with clear orientation, and at the same time strengthens the entire industry by making its sustainable orientation visible outward.”
