Sandton, Johannesburg, 10 September 2021: JSE-listed diversified real estate investment trust (REIT) Redefine Properties returned to the podium, winning top honours in the latest EY Excellence in Integrated Reporting Awards. Adjudged the overall winner for 2021, Redefine’s Integrated Report has consistently featured in the top three for the past five years.
A top 10 honouree since 2015, the first place in this year’s ranking is a strong endorsement of the company’s application of integrated thinking on a wide range of issues such as corporate governance, initiatives to protect the environment, and the way it serves its communities.
The purpose of the awards is to encourage and benchmark standards of excellence in the quality of integrated reporting to investors and stakeholders in SA’s listed sector. The awards are based on how well companies explain to stakeholders how they create value over time and how the board considered material matters to ensure the strategic objectives are met.
Our integrated report communicates our efforts to improve the built environment for people and communities by creating, managing, and investing in spaces in a manner that changes lives.
The report is a vital communication tool conveying to our stakeholders our financial aspects as well as environmental, social and governance strategy, impact and goals. That our report with its transparent and simple content was found to be the best, serves as a benchmark and makes us extremely proud.
We believe the property sector with who all South Africans interact and engage with daily when they go to work, shop and even play should be a visible contributor to practices that preserve the environment and promote social cohesion. Recently Redefine raised R1 billion on the JSE through the issuance of its first sustainability-linked bond. This is the largest amount raised by a local REIT in the growing sustainability-linked bond space.
The COVID-19 crisis has also been a “sustainability” crisis and one that has challenged us to renew our focus on the environment and society, as well as catalyse new approaches to inclusivity and mainstreaming governance. For us, financial results are not the only measure of success, hence our integrated report encompasses our strategy and performance in the area of ESG as well as future expectations, commitments and goals.
Our consistent recognition is a testament to our commitment to the highest standards of corporate reporting and transparent approaches in our disclosures. It also underscores our approach to integrated thinking and the partnerships we share with our stakeholders by presenting information in an engaging and transparent manner.
The recognition strengthens our resolve to further embed key sustainability issues in our strategy and present information in a manner that enables stakeholders to analyse and assess our ability to create and sustain value in the medium to long-term horizon.
The recognition once again demonstrates our leadership in reporting of our sustainability performance and reflects our readiness to build a resilient future. We are deeply encouraged and will continue to integrate sustainability considerations into everything we do.
