JEM is a safe haven for passers-by who want to get away from the scorching Singapore heat.

What is unknown is that the mall maintains a consistent temperature of 24 deg Celsius via an energy-saving multi-tier chilled water plant system.

“The system’s layout greatly reduces the amount of work required for the plant to cool the area as compared to the conventional system. This in turn reduces energy consumption,” said Kelvin Chow, chief executive of Lendlease Global Commercial Trust Management and the manager of the real estate investment trust (Reit). 

The property manager proactively monitors and tweaks the plant’s leaving water temperature for greater efficiency. This ensures that the mall is the optimal temperature for shoppers.

“With the chilled water plant system, we can determine the temperature at which shoppers are most comfortable in, which also helps us improve customer satisfaction,” noted Chow.

In fact, one of the top reasons why people visit Jem is to enjoy the air-conditioning, according to a 2022 customer satisfaction survey by Lendlease Reit.

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Chow added: “The multi-tier chilled water plant system is more sustainable than the conventional system with chillers running in parallel, thereby consuming more energy.”

Regional sector leader

The Reit has reduced its energy consumption, water consumption and emission intensity past its targets for both FY2021 and FY2022.

Under the GRESB real estate assessment, Lendlease has consistently been recognised as a regional sector leader in the retail segment for its environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework. 

Another energy-efficient feature of the mall is its lifts, which run on energy recovery systems. The energy of a lift going down is stored and used to power another one going up.

“The lift operates like a seesaw – as one goes down, the force of gravity and the braking system recovers energy, and it is redirected to help another lift go up,” said Chow.

This system is sustainable because it relies on stored energy, instead of depleting energy reserves.

Lendlease Reit currently operates at least 31 energy-saving lifts across Jem.

The mall’s built-upon features such as its chilled water plant and lifts, as well as LED lighting, reduce energy consumption by about 13 gigawatt-hours per year.

This is equivalent to what is generated by around 2,400 public housing flats each year.

Lendlease Reit also seeks to make its other properties sustainable, such as 313@somerset, where solar panels have been installed to maximise on-site renewable energy generation.

Lendlease Reit has also adopted the 27 ESG metrics introduced by the Singapore Exchange’s ESGenome in its reporting. ESGenome is a platform that supports companies in their ESG disclosure process.

The Reit’s sustainable efforts have paid off. Lendlease Reit became the first Singapore-listed Reit (S-Reit) to achieve net-zero carbon status in August this year, ahead of its 2025 target. 

Chow said: “As the first S-Reit to attain net-zero carbon status, we are poised to make strides in our decarbonisation journey to achieve absolute zero carbon by 2040.”

To fulfil this target, the Reit obtained a S$860 million sustainability-linked loan in February this year – the largest among Asia-Pacific Reits at the time.

Beyond buildings, Lendlease Reit also encourages its tenants to be sustainable.

The Reit is the first in Singapore to establish green leases with 100 per cent of its tenants.

The agreement requires tenants to outline minimum obligations on energy, water and waste, in order to be sustainable.

The green lease enables transparency between Lendlease Reit and its tenants, as the two parties work together to develop sustainable measures.

One example is H&M, which operates an outlet at Jem. The clothing company is also committed to net zero, and its target is to reduce emissions across its value chain by 56 per cent by 2030.

Oldouz Mirzaie, regional manager for H&M South Asia and Pacific, said: “Not only is it important for H&M to work with partners and stakeholders that share our vision on sustainability, working with landlords who focus on minimising the carbon footprint is needed to reduce the impact throughout the whole value chain.”

Maintaining momentum

Lendlease Reit plans to continue its sustainability journey by installing an electric-vehicle charger at Jem and improving its waste management system.

A compactor will be implemented to process organic waste – it occupies less space than a typical one and reduces emissions.

Similarly, at 313@somerset, the Reit aims to install a food digester to reduce waste.

Chow said: “Besides adopting energy efficiency measures, we are actively exploring new ways to reduce our energy consumption.” 

Lendlease Reit is looking to use technology to more accurately collect data, so it can further improve its properties’ energy-efficient features. 

For example, the property manager currently monitors Jem’s temperature manually during peak hours and adjusts it accordingly, to suit shoppers’ preferences. However, doing this with technology will improve efficiency.

With the absolute-zero carbon status goal in mind, the Reit hopes to eventually achieve minimal to zero greenhouse gas emissions across its portfolio.

This article highlights sustainability causes, supported by Lendlease Global Commercial Reit.