LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kilroy Realty Corporation (NYSE: KRC) announced today that it has been named a Global Listed Office Sector Leader, a leader in the Americas across all asset classes among publicly traded companies as well as a Global Listed Office Development Sector Leader by GRESB in the 2020 Real Estate Assessment. Each year, GRESB assesses and benchmarks the environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance of real assets worldwide. The GRESB Assessments are guided by what investors and the industry consider to be material issues in the sustainability performance of real asset investments and are aligned with international reporting frameworks, goals and emerging regulations. The 2020 GRESB Assessment covers more than US $5.3 trillion assets under management, giving clarity and direction to the real asset investment market as a means to address complex sustainability challenges.
The GRESB Real Estate Assessment Sector Leader Awards Program recognizes real estate and infrastructure companies, funds and assets that have demonstrated outstanding leadership in sustainability. GRESB named KRC a Global Listed Office Sector leader among 55 global participants and Regional Listed Sector Leader across all asset types in the Americas out of 79 participants. Notably, this year GRESB began ranking companies with development activities for the first time. GRESB named KRC the Global Listed Development Office Sector leader out of 27 participants as well as the Americas Listed Development Sector Leader out of 45 participants. KRC also ranked first out of 412 participants in the GRESB Resilience Module, which assesses participants’ capacity to assess, manage and adapt in the face of social and environmental shocks and stressors.
"We are proud to recognize the 2020 Sector Leaders for their clear commitment and meaningful action to improve their ESG performance,” said Sander Paul van Tongeren, Managing Director at GRESB. “Your efforts continue to shape the future of sustainability and play a critical role in accelerating the transition towards sustainable real assets.”
In addition, KRC has been listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for the fourth year in a row. Established in 1999, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) are a group of best-in-class indices for investors who have recognized that sustainable business practices are critical to generating long-term shareholder value and who wish to reflect their sustainability convictions in their investment portfolios. Only seven North American real estate companies were named to the DJSI World Index this year.
“We congratulate KRC for being included in the DJSI World Index. A DJSI distinction is a reflection of being a sustainability leader in your industry. With a record number of companies participating in the 2020 Corporate Sustainability Assessment and more stringent rules for inclusion this year, this sets your company apart and rewards your continued commitment to people and planet,” said Manjit Jus, Global Head of ESG Research and Data, S&P Global.
“Our focus on sustainability has not wavered despite these very difficult times, and this global recognition from both GRESB and DJSI, across both our stabilized and development activities, indicates that sustainability truly is at the foundation of everything we do at KRC,” said John Kilroy, the company’s president and CEO.
About GRESB: GRESB is a mission-driven and investor-led organization providing standardized and validated Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) data to the capital markets. Established in 2009, GRESB has become the leading ESG benchmark for real estate and infrastructure investments across the world. In 2020 alone, more than 1,200 real estate portfolios reported to GRESB covering more than 96,000 assets. Our coverage for infrastructure includes more than 540 infrastructure portfolios and assets. Combined, the reported assets represent US $5.3 trillion AUM. The data is used by more than 100 institutional and financial investors to monitor investments across portfolios and navigate the strategic choices needed for the industry to transition to a more sustainable future.
About S&P Dow Jones Indices: S&P Dow Jones Indices is the largest global resource for essential index-based concepts, data and research, and home to iconic financial market indicators, such as the S&P 500® and the Dow Jones Industrial Average®. More assets are invested in products based on our indices than products based on indices from any other provider in the world. Since Charles Dow invented the first index in 1884, S&P DJI has been innovating and developing indices across the spectrum of asset classes helping to define the way investors measure and trade the markets.
S&P Dow Jones Indices is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), which provides essential intelligence for individuals, companies, and governments to make decisions with confidence. For more information, visit: www.spglobal.com/spdji.
About Kilroy Realty Corporation. Kilroy Realty Corporation (NYSE: KRC, the “company”, “KRC”) is a leading West Coast landlord and developer, with a major presence in San Diego, Greater Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Pacific Northwest. The company has earned global recognition for sustainability, building operations, innovation and design. As pioneers and innovators in the creation of a more sustainable real estate industry, the company’s approach to modern business environments helps drive creativity, productivity and employee retention for some of the world’s leading technology, entertainment, life science and business services companies.
KRC is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (“REIT”) and member of the S&P MidCap 400 Index with more than seven decades of experience developing, acquiring and managing office and mixed-use projects.
As of September 30, 2020, KRC’s stabilized portfolio totaled approximately 14.3 million square feet of primarily office and life science space that was 92.2% occupied and 95.5% leased. The company also had 808 residential units in Hollywood and San Diego, which had a quarterly average occupancy of 85.0% and 37.5%, respectively. In addition, KRC had seven in-process development projects with an estimated total investment of $1.9 billion, totaling approximately 2.3 million square feet of office and life science space. The office and life science space was 90% leased.
A Leader in Sustainability and Commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility
KRC is listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and has been recognized by industry organizations around the world. KRC’s stabilized portfolio was 68% LEED-certified and 40% Fitwel-certified as of September 30, 2020.
The company has been recognized by GRESB, the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark, as the sustainability leader in the Americas for seven consecutive years. Other honors have included the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trust’s (NAREIT) Leader in the Light award for six consecutive years and ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for seven years as well as ENERGY STAR’s highest honor of Sustained Excellence, for the past five years.
A big part of the company’s foundation is its commitment to enhancing employee growth, satisfaction and wellness while maintaining a diverse and thriving culture. The company was recently named to Bloomberg’s 2020 Gender Equality Index—recognizing companies committed to supporting gender equality through policy development, representation, and transparency.
More information is available at http://www.kilroyrealty.com.
Forward-Looking Statements. This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, beliefs and assumptions, and are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to uncertainties, risks, changes in circumstances, trends and factors that are difficult to predict, many of which are outside of our control. Accordingly, actual performance, results and events may vary materially from those indicated or implied in the forward-looking statements, and you should not rely on the forward-looking statements as predictions of future performance, results or events. Numerous factors could cause actual future performance, results and events to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements, including, among others: global market and general economic conditions and their effect on our liquidity and financial conditions and those of our tenants; adverse economic or real estate conditions generally, and specifically, in the States of California and Washington; risks associated with our investment in real estate assets, which are illiquid, and with trends in the real estate industry; defaults on or non-renewal of leases by tenants; any significant downturn in tenants’ businesses; our ability to re-lease property at or above current market rates; costs to comply with government regulations, including environmental remediation; the availability of cash for distribution and debt service and exposure to risk of default under debt obligations; increases in interest rates and our ability to manage interest rate exposure; the availability of financing on attractive terms or at all, which may adversely impact our future interest expense and our ability to pursue development, redevelopment and acquisition opportunities and refinance existing debt; a decline in real estate asset valuations, which may limit our ability to dispose of assets at attractive prices or obtain or maintain debt financing, and which may result in write-offs or impairment charges; significant competition, which may decrease the occupancy and rental rates of properties; potential losses that may not be covered by insurance; the ability to successfully complete acquisitions and dispositions on announced terms; the ability to successfully operate acquired, developed and redeveloped properties; the ability to successfully complete development and redevelopment projects on schedule and within budgeted amounts; delays or refusals in obtaining all necessary zoning, land use and other required entitlements, governmental permits and authorizations for our development and redevelopment properties; increases in anticipated capital expenditures, tenant improvement and/or leasing costs; defaults on leases for land on which some of our properties are located; adverse changes to, or enactment or implementations of, tax laws or other applicable laws, regulations or legislation, as well as business and consumer reactions to such changes; risks associated with joint venture investments, including our lack of sole decision-making authority, our reliance on co-venturers’ financial condition and disputes between us and our co-venturers; environmental uncertainties and risks related to natural disasters; our ability to maintain our status as a REIT; and uncertainties regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and restrictions intended to prevent its spread, on our business and the economy generally. These factors are not exhaustive and additional factors could adversely affect our business and financial performance. For a discussion of additional factors that could materially adversely affect our business and financial performance, see the factors included under the caption “Risk Factors” in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ending September 30, 2020 and in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements are based on currently available information and speak only as of the dates on which they are made. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statement made in this press release that becomes untrue because of subsequent events, new information or otherwise, except to the extent we are required to do so in connection with our ongoing requirements under federal securities laws.