This case study was published in the 2023 REIT Industry ESG Report, which details the REIT and publicly traded real estate industry's environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance and features 20 case studies showcasing REIT leadership and ESG innovation from a variety of sectors. The report serves as a practical tool for shareholders and stakeholders to assess the scale and impact of the REIT industry's ESG commitments and initiatives. Applicable footnotes and/or citations for this case study are available in the full report.
Customer centricity is core to how Prologis operates. This includes driving decarbonization, an area of increasing focus for its customers in 2023. The company’s goal to achieve net zero emissions across its operations and value chain, including emissions from customer energy use, means that collaboration in this area is imperative.
Through the Prologis Essentials platform, the company provides a suite of customer solutions designed to help its customers with some of their biggest pain points. This platform includes offerings in energy and sustainability, mobility, and energy efficient operations.
Prologis began installing solar on the roofs of its buildings in 2007. At year-end 2022, it had more than 400 MW of solar capacity across its portfolio. In many cases, solar plus energy storage can meet 100% of its warehouse customer’s on-site energy needs. Prologis deploys solar through several programs:
- SolarSmart and StorageSmart — Prologis builds, operates, and maintains rooftop solar systems and energy storage to generate and store energy for customers in markets where “behind the meter” solar is allowed.
- SolarX and StorageX — Solar installed on Prologis facilities provide clean energy to local communities. As the company continues to implement these community solar solutions, it may achieve the scale to support grid reliability by selling renewable energy back to the local utility provider while improving local air quality.
Many of Prologis’ customers are transitioning their fleets to zero-emission vehicles. Prologis’ Mobility Essentials program is a turn-key solution that helps to support its tenants in powering their EV fleets. This program reduces transportation and logistics sector emissions, minimizes route deviations, and makes better use of dwell time – supporting cost and resource efficiency.
Prologis is also actively cutting operational emissions by focusing on how it operates its buildings. This includes adding LED lighting and installing cool roofs to reduce energy use. Additionally, Prologis launched an innovative pilot program in Chicago to use battery-powered robotic lawn mowers to assist with landscaping, addressing a labor challenge while also reducing emissions.
Given Prologis’ scale and global footprint, the company believes it can drive significant progress and industry innovation as it works to help its customers reduce their emissions, their costs, and their impacts.
Prologis, Inc. is the global leader in logistics real estate with a focus on high-barrier, high-growth markets. Prologis leases modern distribution facilities to a diverse base of approximately 6,600 customers across two major categories: business-to-business and retail/online fulfillment.