Healthy and sustainable building verification marks help add value for building owners and commercial real estate professionals, with increasing demand driven by environmental, social and governance requirements and stakeholder expectations.
NORTHBROOK, Ill., June 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- UL Solutions, a global leader in applied safety science, today announced it had verified over 250 million square feet of indoor environments through the UL Verified Healthy Building program. The program helps the building owners, operators and businesses demonstrate health and wellness in the built environment, assessing key factors impacting building occupants, such as indoor air and water quality, hygiene, lighting and acoustics.
"Achieving 250 million square feet verified through the UL Verified Healthy Building program is a testament to UL Solutions' far-reaching impact on the health and wellness of people who utilize, work and live in these spaces," said Sean McCrady, vice president and general manager of Enterprise Sustainability at UL Solutions. "A range of stakeholders, from government agencies to investors, are increasingly focused on the environmental, social and governance performance of organizations. The UL Verified Healthy Building program offers an independent source of science-driven verification from indoor environmental quality experts — helping building owners and operators and commercial real estate professionals demonstrate their commitment to occupant health and wellness."
This milestone represents a wide range of properties and industries. UL Solutions has assessed the indoor environments of well-known and prominent locations, such as:
- 200 Park Avenue in New York City, New York
- City National 2CAL in Los Angeles, California
- Flipkart Internet Private Limited in Bengaluru, India
- Medpharma- Bausch Health, Industrial Area 13 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- The Music Center in Los Angeles, California
- NBC Tower in Chicago, Illinois
- Seagram Building 375 Park Avenue, New York City, New York
- Vancouver International Airport (YVR) in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
As investors increasingly consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) as a significant factor in decision-making, demonstrating indoor environmental health and wellness can add value for building owners and commercial real estate companies. According to the International WELL Building Institute's 2022 report, "Investing in Health Pays Back," spaces with health-focused attributes yield longer lease terms; more than a year longer (88.3 months compared to 75.3 months) than spaces without them. The report also stated that certified healthy buildings saw a 4.4% to 7.7% increase in rents compared to nearby non-certified buildings.
The UL Verified Healthy Building program is designed to work in tandem with third-party certification programs for sustainable buildings, including the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM), ENERGY STAR®, Fitwel, Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the WELL Building Standard and more.
About UL Solutions
A global leader in applied safety science, UL Solutions transforms safety, security and sustainability challenges into opportunities for customers in more than 100 countries. UL Solutions delivers testing, inspection and certification services, together with software products and advisory offerings, that support our customers' product innovation and business growth. The UL Certification Marks serve as a recognized symbol of trust in our customers' products and reflect an unwavering commitment to advancing our safety mission. We help our customers innovate, launch new products and services, navigate global markets and complex supply chains, and grow sustainably and responsibly into the future. Our science is your advantage.
Press Contacts:
Tyler Khan
UL Solutions
ULNews@UL.com
T: +1 (847) 664.2139
Steven Brewster
UL Solutions
ULNews@UL.com
T: +1 (847) 664.8425
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