Empire State Realty Trust Releases Inaugural Sustainability Report: Major Achievements, Net Zero Goals, Healthy Buildings, Indoor Environmental Quality, and DE&I Metrics

NEW YORK, April 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESRT) today shared its 2020 Sustainability Report that details the current state of its ESG, Healthy Buildings, and Indoor Environmental Quality accomplishments and recognition.  The report sets forth ESRT's quantified goals and commitments to lead the industry towards a net zero future; and transparent metrics and disclosure around diversity with measurable goals for continued improvement which include:

• Net-zero carbon emissions across its entire real estate portfolio by 2035
• Net-zero carbon emissions for the Empire State Building by 2030
• 20 percent reduction of energy use intensity by 2024, in alignment with the U.S. Department of Energy Better Buildings Challenge
• Five percent annual reduction in waste generation
• Two percent annual reduction in water usage

"Over the past decade, we have made groundbreaking achievements at ESRT across our entire portfolio. Everyone is aware of our groundbreaking work at the Empire State Building that reduced the building's energy use by 40 percent and showed the industry what is possible to achieve in existing buildings," said Anthony E. Malkin, chairman, president and CEO. "Now is the first time we have issued a sustainability report that covers the breadth and depth of our work and our new targets."

"Our inaugural Sustainability Report represents our first effort to tell our full story and the steps we have taken, and will take, to achieve a carbon neutral future," said Dana Robbins Schneider, ESRT's senior vice president, director of energy, sustainability & ESG. "Our expertise and leadership across all of our buildings gives brokers, tenants, investors, and lenders the chance to see our path towards a net-zero future."

Empire State Realty Trust is already not just a leader in reduction of carbon and waste and a creator of healthy buildings with leadership in Indoor Environmental Quality, it is also the nation's largest 100% user of green power in real estate, with its entire portfolio powered by renewable wind electricity. The report discloses our current certifications and awards which include:

• First commercial real estate portfolio in the Americas to achieve the WELL Health-Safety Rating for health and safety
• Fitwel Champion for healthy, high-performance buildings, with 83% of the NYC portfolio certified
• Highest possible GRESB 5 Star Rating and Green Star recognition for sustainability performance in real estate
• 2020 Green Lease Gold Leader 
• 76% of portfolio ENERGY STAR certified

ESRT's 2020 Sustainability Report also transparently discloses key diversity metrics at all levels, with a commitment to measure, report, take action and continuously improve DE&I engagement and performance.

"Full transparency with the larger industry on our key metrics, learned best practices and successful implementation of sustainability strategies is vital to maintain our position as a responsible leader in the ESG space," said Mr. Malkin. "As we chart course towards our own company's net zero future, we simultaneously collaborate with government, policymakers and even competitors in real estate because so much of our ultimate success relies on collective action."

For more information about ESRT and its sustainability efforts, visit https://www.empirestaterealtytrust.com/about-us/sustainability/. Want to stay up to date on ESRT news? Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for all of the latest announcements.

About Empire State Realty Trust  
Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESRT) owns, manages, operates, acquires and repositions office and retail properties in Manhattan and the greater New York metropolitan area, including the Empire State Building, the "World's Most Famous Building." The company's office and retail portfolio covers 10.1 million rentable square feet, as of Dec. 31, 2020, which consists of 9.4 million rentable square feet across 14 office properties, including nine in Manhattan, three in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and two in Westchester County, New York; as well as approximately 700,000 rentable square feet in the retail portfolio.  

Empire State Realty Trust is a leader in energy efficiency in the built environment and sustainability space, with 76 percent of the eligible portfolio ENERGY STAR certified and 100 percent fully powered by renewable wind electricity. As the first commercial real estate portfolio in the Americas to achieve the evidence-based, third-party verified WELL Health-Safety Rating for health and safety, ESRT additionally earned the highest possible GRESB 5 Star Rating and Green Star recognition for sustainability performance in real estate and was named a Fitwel Champion for healthy, high-performance buildings. To learn more about Empire State Realty Trust, visit empirestaterealtytrust.com and follow ESRT on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. 

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "should," "seeks," "approximately," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "contemplates," "aims," "continues," "would" or "anticipates" or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those set forth or contemplated in the forward-looking statements: (i) the accuracy of our methodologies and estimates regarding ESG metrics, goals and targets, (ii) tenant willingness and ability to collaborate towards reporting ESG metrics and meeting ESG goals and targets, and (iii) the impact of governmental regulation on our ESG efforts. For a further discussion of these and other factors that could impact the Company's future results, performance or transactions, see the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and other risks described in documents subsequently filed by the Company from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

While forward-looking statements reflect the Company's good faith beliefs, they are not guarantees of future performance. The Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statement to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, new information, data or methods, future events, or other changes after the date of this press release, except as required by applicable law. Prospective investors should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are based only on information currently available to the Company (or to third parties making the forward-looking statements).

CATEGORY: ESG

SOURCE Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

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