An investigation of corporate responsibility & sustainability goals in the Canadian commercial real estate and construction sector

This thesis investigates the potential integration of leading Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CR&S) goals across selected Commercial Real Estate (CRE) firms, key anchor tenants, and construction companies within the Canadian market as they relate to office building assets. Current literature provides limited observations and analysis on CR&S within the CRE sector, particularly for the Canadian market. In order to address this gap and advance the principles of CR&S across the Canadian CRE sector, the research provides a comprehensive qualitative content analysis of publically available CR&S reports, along with interviews conducted with subject matter experts in the sector. Reduction of energy, water and waste consumption, along with associated GHG emissions have been identified as leading elements driving environmental resource management, which in turn is identified as the founding base for integrating CR&S goals across the Canadian CRE market. In addition to uncovering leading CR&S goals, the study identified market differentiators and regulatory compliance as key CR&S motivators, along with leading tracking and implementation measures for CR&S goals, and their associated internal and external barriers to integrating CR&S goals. Ultimately, the study provides an academic contribution in identifying environmental resource management as a base for CR&S integration across the Canadian CRE sector.