Sustainable property development by Southeast Asian property companies

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess the sustainability levels in terms of sustainability practices amongst public-listed property companies in Southeast Asia. Design/methodology/approach: The websites and annual reports for each company were assessed to determine the level of sustainability practices amongst property companies in Southeast Asia. Their sustainability strategies were then rigorously assessed by using a scorecard which assesses sustainability levels based on related issues. Findings: The results show that green or sustainable property development in Southeast Asian countries remains at a moderate level. There is still much room for improvement to enhance the level of green attributes in property development. Research limitations/implications: This paper only assesses property development companies in five Southeast Asian countries; namely, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Originality/value: Given the increasingly significant sustainability issues – especially amongst international property development players, this paper attempts to deliver better informed investment and decision-making ideas for sustainable property developments.