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These were results obtained by M.Sc. (Tech.) Eeva Määttänen in her doctoral dissertation. The case studies involved over forty Finnish office and store properties, and both tenants and property owners.

- Green property services reduce harmful impacts on the environment and people's health. They also meet property users' needs, as well as maintain the property's condition and circumstances, Määttänen says.

With green property services, property owners can save energy costs. There are also image benefits. Green property services can also improve tenant satisfaction.

In cleaning, for example, environmentally friendly agents and environmentally certified equipment can be used, and the amount of water used minimised.

Waste management is an environmental service in itself, but the environmental efficiency related to it can also often be improved. Customers can be instructed in recycling matters, for example, and facilities for versatile and efficient recycling be arranged.

Increase in environmental awareness

According to Määttänen, the demand for green property services is on the increase as the environmental awareness of owners and tenants increases.

For example, developers are more and more prone to apply for LEED and BREEAM environmental certificates for new properties, and the environmental certification of existing buildings is also on the rise. The certificates necessitate that several environmental criteria are met both during construction and use.

According to Määttänen, it would be easiest for property owners and tenants to assume environmental responsibility if they were offered a ready-made green property service package. Indicators for monitoring the realisation of the environmental goals could be connected to these services.

At present, there are some green property service products of this kind available on the market. They are usually tailored property-specifically to suit the owner's wishes and goals.

M.Sc. (Tech.)Eeva Määttänen defended her dissertation at the Department of Real Estate, Planning and Geoinformatics of Aalto University's School of Engineering on 22 August 2014. The title of the dissertation is Green Property Services, Driving Environmental Performance and Customer Value in Commercial Buildings (Ympäristösuorituskyvyn ja asiakasarvon parantaminen liikerakennuksissa vihreiden kiinteistöpalveluiden avulla).

Web address for the dissertation:

Contact information: Eeva Määttänen, tel. +358 50 566 9440, eeva.maattanen@aalto.fi