19th April 2021 – Today Sintali and SGS announce their partnership with CDC Group (CDC), the UK’s development finance institution and impact investor, to accelerate the investment of green finance and support the transition to a greener, more sustainable future using EDGE. The partnership will standardise how CDC uses EDGE as part of the assessment criteria that ensures energy and water efficiency, as well as other environmentally friendly measures, are present in investments into the green building sector.
An innovation of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), EDGE is a green building standard that focuses on the quantification of resource-efficiency. Supported by free software, the standard paves a path to reduce energy and water consumption, as well as the energy used to make building materials, by at least 20 percent.
“The EDGE standards serve as practical tools tailored to emerging markets; many of CDC’s investees have already adopted these with many more planning to commit in the near future. Our partnership with Sintali and SGS demonstrates CDC’s commitment to lead by example in promoting further growth and maintenance of green EDGE certified buildings across the markets in which we invest.” said Mark Eckstein, Director, ESG Impact at CDC.
“EDGE is increasingly being used by investors globally to facilitate investment in the green building sector,” said Harry Fernau, Global Head of Real Estate Solutions at SGS. “As a global and quantifiable green building standard, EDGE is helping investors make informed decisions on where to channel green finance and reduce the carbon impact of the built environment.”
“CDC’s adoption of EDGE sends an important message to the market: impact must be measurable and comparable,” said Thomas Saunders, Managing Director at Sintali. “As we move to a net zero future, it’s more important than ever to make sure we can measure the actions we are taking and drive forward sustainable solutions.”
About CDC
CDC Group is the world’s first impact investor with over 70 years of experience of successfully supporting the sustainable, long-term growth of businesses in Africa and South Asia. CDC is a UK champion of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals – the global blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for us all. The company has investments in over 1,200 businesses in emerging economies and a total portfolio value of $6.2bn. This year CDC aims invest up to $1.75bn in companies in Africa and Asia with a focus on fighting climate change, empowering women and creating new jobs and opportunities for millions of people. CDC is funded by the UK government and all proceeds from its investments are reinvested to improve the lives of millions of people in Africa and South Asia. For more information, visit https://www.cdcgroup.com/en/
About Sintali
Sintali is an independent company that quantifies and verifies the environmental impact of decisions, and helps organisations map out the road to net zero. With deep expertise in the development of green building standards and corporate sustainability, Sintali brings transparency and rigor to the sustainability realm. For more information, visit www.sintali.com
About SGS
As the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, SGS is recognised as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 89,000 employees, SGS operates a network of more than 2,600 offices and laboratories around the world. SGS’s reputation for independence, excellence and innovation has established the company as the market leader in providing services that improve efficiency, reduce risk and deliver competitive advantages for customers. For more information, visit www.sgs.com
About EDGE
An innovation of IFC, EDGE helps property developers to build and brand green in a fast, easy and affordable way. EDGE is supported by free software that encourages solutions to reduce energy, water and the energy used to make building materials by at least 20 percent, which is the standard for EDGE certification. The program has been generously supported by the following donors: Austria, Canada, Denmark, ESMAP, EU, Finland, GEF, Hungary, Japan and Switzerland. For more information, visit www.edgebuildings.com.
