Jan Řežáb

from Issue 01/2022

Daniel Kriso

Socially RESPONSIBLE INVESTING (ESG): one path to a HEALTHY

ENVIRONMENT

Text: Jan Řežáb; Photo: Archive

A new, primarily European trend is the growing investor interest in socially responsible investment – called ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance). Investors are making decisions based on more than risk levels and expected returns, but also on whether or not the company they plan to invest in is behaving responsibly towards the environment and its employees. As a result, the money streams of the fi nancial world are slowly changing: for example those that previously fl owed to companies mining or burning coal and oil are now changing course for green technologies (such as the manufacture of wind turbines, solar panels or the associated production of renewable energy sources). This development, positively infl uenced by the investment boom of the last few years and the fulfi lment of the ambitious plans of the EU Green Deal, is also supported by the Czech JRD GROUP.

Evaluation of more than just economic and fi nancial aspects, namely the environmental, social and ethical factors alongside the appreciation of invested capital is only just beginning in the Czech Republic (compared to the rest of Europe). Investment vehicles in the ESG area are therefore only available to prominent banking groups and large funds, which emphasize in their annual reports the parts of their investment portfolio headed in this direction. However, some Czech fi rms have also begun to adapt to these developments and are moving towards more sustainable production, in order to become more attractive for foreign investors with this type of capital alignment. Among other things, the development of socially responsible investment is an attempt to comply with the relatively strict measures included in the so-called Green Deal, meant to ensure a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions within the European Union. JRD GROUP follows one basic principle: the way to achieve a sustainable future is through the broader use of modern technology, the production of clean energy, ecological approaches and a reduction in the energy demands of construction. “Green investments alongside stricter rules for environmental protection both converge with what we’ve been doing for twenty years and this fi ts in with all the fi elds we’re active in. We’re happy to see fi nancial businesses are now more open to these eff orts. But the question remains: how fast will this new investment strategy be refl ected in the portfolios of individual companies? How quickly can we turn the helm of an entire industry towards environmental issues?” explains Jan Řežáb, the founder of JRD GROUP. JRD Group includes fi ve divisions under its brand umbrella: JRD Development, JRD Energo, JRD Land, JRD Invest and JRD Plazma, represented by the company Millenium Technologies. These deal with more than just green ESG investments, instead covering a broad range of fi elds from residential and land development to power generation from renewable and secondary sources. The dominant position in the group is held by JRD Development, whose current portfolio of six renewable residential projects is supplemented by the administrative building Viadukt Anděl, which has the goal of achieving LEED Gold certifi cation. “Sustainability is very important to us. We’ve always tried to push the limits of the fields we’re active in, in this specific direction. When we started building environmentally-friendly projects 19 years ago, the market was sorely in need of high quality materials and technologies. We had no choice but to begin participating in their development and to enter into collaboration with a number of professional organisations and universities, including the Czech Green Building Council, the Czech Passive House Centre and the University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings at the Czech Technical University in Prague. Next, we focused our attention on other areas, whose broader support may lead to greater protection of the environment and the development of a more sustainable society: the acquisition of land for the construction of future ecological development, photovoltaic power stations and wind farms, or the development of reactors for the plasma gasification of waste and the production of electricity and heat. We trust that ESG investments as well as our other fields of business are moving the market in the right direction, which is why we plan to continue in their further expansion and support,” added Jan Řežáb.