The FINANCIAL — IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, signed a partnership Memorandum of Understanding with CDC the development finance institutions of France, UK, and the Netherlands, to encourage emerging markets to mainstream resource-efficient building construction with the EDGE (“Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies”) certification system.
An innovation of IFC, EDGE shows property developers how fast and affordable it is to construct resource-efficient buildings, enabling them to pass value directly to building owners and tenants. The complimentary EDGE software can be used to determine the viability of a project at the design stage, leading to a set of solutions that reduce energy, water, and the materials used to make building by at least 20 percent, according to IFC.
“The ambition of EDGE is to create momentum for resource-efficient building growth by proving that everyone wins financially by building green,” said Christian Grossmann, Director of IFC’s Climate Business Department. “IFC is eager to partner with other financial institutions, as together we can empower sustainable building at an unprecedented level.”
As part of the new partnership CDC will use the EDGE software to measure the resource efficiency of the building projects it finances. IFC will conduct training to support CDC’s staff in creating awareness of EDGE through their clients and networks.
“EDGE helps our clients understand the commercial value of green, sustainable buildings,” said Ritu Kumar, the Director of Environmental and Social Responsibility at CDC. “Add up the impact if all major financial institutions were to adopt EDGE, and you have an extraordinary answer to combatting climate change.”
IFC has a current investment portfolio of $800 million in green buildings, complementing its investment work with advice to governments on building regulations in such countries as Colombia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. By working in partnership with financial institutions and other stakeholders, IFC aims to penetrate 20 percent of the construction market in 22 countries within a seven-year timeframe. On the residential side alone, the projected result is 1.3 million resource-efficient homes, with annual power savings equivalent to 3,300 acres of solar farms and water savings of 38 million cubic meters.
Discussion about this post