One United Properties appoints ESG Committee to shape the sustainability agenda

“Since our debut on the Bucharest Stock Exchange, we have been attentively listening to our stakeholders to understand their environmental, social, and governance expectations. Encouraged by the positive feedback received from our stakeholders related to the actions taken so far by our company, such as the publishing of an annual sustainability report, joining the UN Global Compact, or working with the ESG rating agency, we decided to take one step further. We are thus thrilled to appoint an ESG Committee to the Board, which will guide the sustainability agenda of One United Properties, the first-ever such undertaking for a Romanian listed company and one of the first ones overall in Romania. We are committed to enhance the value created by One United Properties by focusing on environmental, social and governance issues. Considering the importance that global stakeholders pay to ESG aspects, we are determined to understand better associated risks and opportunities that come from this emerging focus on sustainability. We encourage our shareholders, partners, and clients to also address this topic and join our efforts,” said Claudio Cisullo, Chairman of the Board of Directors at One United Properties.

The ESG Committee will consist of board members and external experts and advisors in the field. The final composition of the Committee will be announced after the election of the new members of the Board of Directors, which will take place during the General Meeting of Shareholders on April 26th. Nonetheless, One United Properties co-founders Andrei Diaconescu and Victor Capitanu will be part of the Committee alongside at least one independent Board member. In addition, from external members, Zuzanna Kurek, One United Properties’ IR manager and founder of Cornerstone Communications, the largest IR firm in Romania that advises issuers listed on BVB on investor relations, capital markets and sustainability aspects, will also be part of the ESG Committee.

The Committee will meet twice a year to recommend the Company’s overall general strategy concerning ESG Matters to the Board. The Committee will report to the Board of Directors on the current, and emerging topics relating to ESG Matters that may affect the business, operations, performance, or public image of the company or are otherwise pertinent to the company and its stakeholders and, if appropriate, detail actions taken in relation. The Committee will monitor actions or initiatives taken to prevent, mitigate and manage risks related to ESG matters which may have a materially adverse impact on the company or are otherwise pertinent to its stakeholders and provide guidance hereon. It will also Advise the Board on stakeholders’ concerns relating to ESG Matters.

Finally, the Committee will oversee the company’s policies, practices, and performance with respect to ESG Matters, as well as coordinate the preparation of the annual sustainability report and oversee the process of obtaining an ESG rating by One United Properties.

The newly created Committee will coordinate with the other Board Committees for specific overlapping ESG Matters, for example, reporting of ESG related risks together with the Risk and Audit Committee or ESG targets in the company’s incentive plans together with the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.

The appointment of the ESG Committee to the Board is part of a larger sustainability strategy that the real estate developer began rolling out at the end of 2021, following the decision to join the UN Global Compact, the world’s largest sustainability initiative. Following the adherence to UN Global Compact, the company pledged to report on its Sustainability progress annually. The first such report, the 2020 Sustainability Report, is available HERE. The 2021 Sustainability Report will be published in the first half of 2022.

In February 2022, One United Properties announced a partnership with Veolia România Soluții Integrate, a company member of Veolia Romania, to implement innovative energy solutions that will further improve the sustainability parameters of ONE residential developments. In the first phase, VRSI will invest in developing and operating a geo-exchange heating and cooling system in two developments – One Lake District and One Peninsula.

ONE UNITED PROPERTIES is the leading green developer of residential, mixed-use and office real estate in Bucharest, Romania. One United Properties is an innovative company dedicated to accelerating the adoption of construction practices for energy-efficient, sustainable, and healthy buildings. All the company’s buildings have superior certifications for sustainability, energy efficiency and wellness, and the developer has been awarded at numerous galas and conferences in the field. One United Properties is the first real estate developer in Romania to be internationally awarded, being the recipient of the “Best Sustainable Residential Development” in the world at International Property Awards 2019-2020. The company is listed on the Main Market of the Bucharest Stock Exchange, with the symbol ONE. ONE shares are included in the FTSE Global All-Cap index, which follows the most liquid shares in the world.