Sustainability in logistics real estate is often reduced to a label, a score or a one-off certification milestone. At WDP, we deliberately take a different view. Certification is not an endpoint, but an instrument to improve asset performance, guide investment decisions and support long-term portfolio transformation.

By the end of 2025, 72% of WDP’s total portfolio is green certified, representing approximately 5.7 billion euros in fair value or 5.9 million m² of logistics real estate across Europe. This is a significant increase compared to 29% in 2022 when we launched our Climate Action Plan. This milestone reflects years of structured effort across countries, asset types and teams, using internationally recognised frameworks such as BREEAM and EDGE. Yet the percentage doesn’t capture the full story. What matters is how these frameworks are applied in practice, how they complement each other, and how they help us continuously improve the way our logistics buildings perform throughout their lifecycle.

This article outlines the rationale behind our approach, the progress achieved so far, the operational realities of applying certification frameworks at scale, and how operational insights are translated into better, more resilient logistics real estate for clients, investors and (financing) partners.

Reaching 72% green certification across a European logistics portfolio requires more than ambition. It requires structure, governance and disciplined execution.

Over recent years, WDP has systematically expanded the application of BREEAM In-Use and EDGE across its warehouses and distribution centres. In several countries, including the Netherlands, assets are reassessed more frequently than required. This enables faster implementation of improvement actions, closer monitoring of progress and a steady increase in the share of green-eligible certifications.

EDGE certification supports this effort by providing a clear performance benchmark for new developments and repeatable building typologies. This ensures that efficiency targets are not only defined, but also consistently delivered at scale.

The result is a portfolio that is not only increasingly certified, but also better understood from an ESG performance perspective. Energy and water profiles, safety considerations, resilience risks and operational improvement potential become transparent and actionable, strengthening decision-making at asset, country and group level.

Applying BREEAM In-Use across a large logistics portfolio brings valuable insight, but also reveals some structural constraints specific to the asset class.

Certain assessment criteria were historically developed with office environments in mind, while logistics buildings are predominantly operational and storage spaces. In addition, location-based transport and accessibility can also disadvantage assets outside urban centers, despite their operational relevance.

A further complexity relates to operational control. As a property owner, WDP often depends on tenant-managed processes and data for energy use, waste management or fit-out decisions. This reality requires close collaboration and a pragmatic allocation to responsibilities.

Rather than treating certification outcomes as static results, WDP uses them as a source of portfolio-wide learning.

Recurring findings from BREEAM In-Use and EDGE assessments are systematically shared between Property Management, Development and Sustainability teams. This ensures that operational experience directly informs design choices, technical specifications and investment decisions for new projects.

By focusing on measures with high ESG impact, strong feasibility and cost efficiency when integrated early, WDP continuously strengthens its standard specifications and improves the performance, resilience and usability of its logistics buildings.

Achieving sustainability performance at portfolio scale is inherently a collaborative effort. Within WDP, close coordination between Property Management, Development, ESG and asset teams ensures that strategy, certification outcomes and operational realities are consistently aligned. This internal collaboration is complemented by the practical expertise and constructive challenge provided by our external assessors. Working closely with Bopro in Belgium, C2N in the Netherlands and Build-Green in Romania supports robust assessments, realistic improvement plans and continuous learning across countries. This combination of strong internal alignment and trusted external partners is an important enabler of the results achieved so far.

Rather than treating certification outcomes as static results, WDP continuously refines its standard technical tender specifications based on recurring findings across the portfolio. Priority is given to measures that combine operational relevance, measurable ESG impact and cost efficiency when integrated at design stage.

Key focus areas include metering and data readiness, PV-ready and PV-by-default design, high-efficiency lighting strategies, water efficiency measures and EV-ready infrastructure. These elements support both operational performance and long-term adaptability, while avoiding costly retrofits later in the asset lifecycle.

Sustainability in logistics real estate goes beyond technical systems. People, safety and resilience are integral to long-term asset performance.

WDP increasingly integrates people-focused ESG measures into its standard specifications, including thermal comfort and indoor climate strategies in occupied areas, dedicated welfare facilities and, where feasible, green outdoor spaces.

Safety by design remains a core priority, with systematic separation of vulnerable road users and heavy vehicle traffic through protected walkways, safe crossings, appropriate lighting, signage and speed management measures.

In parallel, resilience and circularity considerations are embedded where relevant, including flood and storm risk mitigation, protection of critical installations, improved drainage, waste sorting facilities and robust documentation of as-built sustainability data.

WDP strongly supports the evolution of sustainability frameworks towards continuous performance improvement and portfolio transformation rather than static certification tresholds.

BREEAM In-Use provides depth and operational insight. EDGE delivers scalability, clarity and comparability. Together, they enable WDP to move beyond certification as an endpoint and towards sustainability as a long-term value driver.

By combining operational learning, design feedback loops and scalable certification strategies, WDP continues to build a logistics portfolio that performs better, adapts faster and remains relevant for customers, investors and society.

Not as a label exercise, but as a continuous journey of improvement.