The International Finance Corporation has recently launched its 'Sustainable Buildings Finance Reference Guide' to support investors and developers in emerging markets seeking to enhance energy efficiency in buildings.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has published its 'Sustainable Buildings: Finance Reference Guide', a handbook that outlines a step-by-step process for financing real-estate investments in emerging markets with a sustainability and energy-efficiency focus. The guide presents five key steps: raising awareness and identifying a pipeline, designing a sustainability approach, deploying a sustainability expert, relying on certification as proof of compliance, and reporting impacts.
In the context of building operations, the guide emphasises that energy-efficient buildings can offer lower operational costs and reduced default risk while accessing green finance. It also points out that certification systems such as EDGE are relevant for reducing energy, water, and embodied-material energy by at least 20 % compared to conventional buildings.
The guide addresses the expanding construction sector in emerging markets and the need to lock in energy performance at the design and operational stages of buildings, so that energy-efficiency gains are not foregone by lax standards.
In summary, the IFC guide offers a structured framework for investors, developers, and building owners in emerging economies to implement energy-efficient building projects, combining certification, financial instruments, and operational monitoring to improve building performance.
