Runway East CEO's ESG Discussion with Workthere

Natasha Guerra, CEO of Runway East, spoke to flex-office broker Workthere about how ESG matters are being addressed in the co-working sector and across Runway East's sites. Natasha was asked about how important sustainability is in running the business, which pillars of ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) are being given priority, and the company's net-zero targets.

When asked if the consideration of sustainability is affecting Runway East's long-term strategic planning, Natasha said: "Absolutely. Our goal is to ensure that we occupy buildings that are both only energy-efficient but also align with high BREEAM certification standards where possible. Moreover, we prioritise sites where space is being repurposed or reused, rather than occupying buildings that require demolishing others to create space, as we’re conscious of the impact of embodied carbon during the construction process."

She goes on to discuss the promotion of circular practices and ensuring that materials used in fit-outs are built for the long-term to eliminate as much waste as possible.

To the question of whether sustainability has been fully embraced by the flexible office sector, Natasha shared: "Sustainability has certainly made significant strides within the flexible office sector, with many providers, including us at Runway East, embracing B Corp certification. However, there are still barriers to overcome, similar to those faced by the construction industry as a whole. The nature of the industry often leads to wasteful practices, with an estimated 11% of UK construction spending going towards fit-outs and buildings going through 30-40 different fit-outs during their lifecycle."

She concludes: "Sustainability is not something anyone can “complete”, and there will always be more to do. We are publishing an Impact Report for the first time this year, which will be an annual document demonstrating the positive impact that we have made over the past 12 months as well as setting targets for the future so that we can hold ourselves accountable."

You can read the full Q&A with Natasha here on the Workthere website.