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TORONTO, Aug. 27, 2020 /CNW/ - Today, the Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC) named BentallGreenOak (BGO) the recipient of its national Green Building Pioneer Award. BGO, with co-sponsorship from the firm's majority-owner Sun Life, was awarded for its innovative approach to delivering climate change resilience strategies for its commercial real estate portfolio.

BGO's globally-recognized ESG program is increasingly focused on climate resiliency as an important factor in driving value for clients, safeguarding the interests of its tenants, and contributing to the vitality of the communities where its managed properties are situated. BGO's Sustainability Innovation Lab serves as the innovation arm of the firm's ESG program, and the Lab worked with engineering consulting firm RWDI to assist in the development of BGO's proprietary climate resilience tool.

"We are grateful to the CaGBC for this tremendous honor and their constant support for the advancement of sustainability in our industry," said Anna Murray, Managing Director, Global Head of ESG for BGO. "Coordinated efforts between our property and investment management teams enable us to explore new avenues for sustainability performance through data-driven insights, standardized methodology and robust stakeholder engagement."

BGO's proprietary climate resilience tool combines industry research, on-the-ground surveying, predictive climate modelling, and adaptive algorithms to deliver tailor-made climate change plans for 413 properties across BGO's North American portfolio, totalling 75 million square feet. Sun Life's portfolio of investment properties in Canada, managed by BGO, were early adopters of the tool, delivering timely insight for asset managers responsible for the long-term performance of the properties.

"Sustainable investing is a core value for Sun Life and an important factor in how we manage the company's investment assets for the long term," said Randy Brown, CIO, Sun Life and Head of Insurance Asset Management, SLC Management. "We know that the actions we take today will lay the foundation for generations to come. The climate resiliency strategies that this tool delivers provide valuable solutions and guidance on how Sun Life's real estate portfolio can better mitigate the social and financial risks associated with climate change." 

The Green Building Pioneer Award recognizes a deserving organization demonstrating an innovative approach to the advancement of green building technology, products, capacity building, policy, design, or operations. 

 "The Green Building Pioneer Award recognizes innovation in advancing green building, so it is no surprise to see BGO, along with RWDI, topping our list," said Thomas Mueller, President and CEO, Canada Green Building Council. "Building on previous achievements, they have pioneered an approach to climate resilience, a critical priority for real estate portfolios as the incidence of extreme weather events is increasing due to rising global temperatures. Their forward-thinking will help lift the entire industry as we collectively work to meet the dual challenges of emissions reductions and enhanced resilience in the critical decade ahead."

BGO's Climate Adaption project was made possible through funding from Sun Life. Sustainable investing is one of three core pillars of Sun Life's sustainability plan, which also prioritizes financial security and healthier lives. Sun Life integrates ESG considerations into its own investment process, with the company's third-party institutional asset manager, SLC Management, managing $176.5 billion of invested assets for Sun Life's General Account as at June 30, 2020.

About BentallGreenOak

BentallGreenOak is a leading, global real estate investment management advisor and a globally-recognized provider of real estate services.  BentallGreenOak serves the interests of more than 750 institutional clients with approximately $49 billion USD of assets under management (as of June 30, 2020) and expertise in the asset management of office, retail, industrial and multi-residential property across the globe. BentallGreenOak has offices in 24 cities across twelve countries with deep, local knowledge, experience, and extensive networks in the regions where we invest in and manage real estate assets on behalf of our clients. BentallGreenOak is a part of SLC Management, which is the institutional alternatives and traditional asset management business of Sun Life.

The assets under management shown above include real estate equity and mortgage investments managed by the BentallGreenOak group of companies and their affiliates.

For more information, please visit www.bentallgreenoak.com

About Sun Life

Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing insurance, wealth and asset management solutions to individual and corporate Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of June 30, 2020, Sun Life had total assets under management of $1,122 billion. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

About the Green Building Pioneer Award

CaGBC awards the Green Building Pioneer Award to an individual or organization demonstrating an innovative approach to the advancement of green building technology, products, capacity building, policy, design, or operations. As a result, their unique passion pushes the industry, their competitors, customers, and employees towards continuous improvement ultimately helping the CaGBC achieve its ultimate goal of every building greener. This award is presented to a company or organization which is a corporate member company of the CaGBC. Nominees will be known for contributing innovative work, considered ahead of its time, which inspires others in the industry.  Evaluations will consider: vision and innovation; success factors; commitment to sustainability; and, impact on industry, employees, competitors, and customers

Media Contacts
Rahim Ladha
Vice President, Corporate Communications
BentallGreenOak
media@bentallgreenoak.com

Hannah Stewart
Associate Director, Corporate Communications
SLC Management
hannah.stewart@slcmanagement.com 

SOURCE Sun Life Financial Inc.