SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov. 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Macerich (NYSE: MAC) today announced it has been named 2015 Retail "Leader in the Light" by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT) for the second straight year, underscoring the company's ongoing industry leadership in sustainability.
Macerich also earned a place on CDP's 2015 Climate A List, announced earlier this month, which comprises those companies identified as A grade for their actions to mitigate climate change. Just 113 companies made the list from nearly 2,000 companies that submitted their information. CDP is an international not-for-profit organization formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project.
Both of these high-profile designations reinforce Macerich's #1 ranking in the U.S. Retail Sector in 2015, according to scores published earlier this year by Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB). GRESB is a leading measure of sustainability performance for real estate portfolios around the world.
"Macerich is delivering on sustainability, which benefits the environment as well as our investors and retailers," said Art Coppola, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Macerich. "It is a rare honor to receive NAREIT's 'Leader in the Light' award two years in a row, which reflects the depth and breadth of our socially responsible, operationally sound and financially disciplined approach to sustainability. We are reaching far beyond what is expected to create industry-leading initiatives, such as our investments in renewable energy."
Coppola added, "While we have made great strides in the areas of renewable energy, waste and energy management – and in doing so, reducing our carbon footprint – one of our next major initiatives will be to work in the areas of water utilization and wastewater management, particularly in California. We will be working with TreePeople, an impressive nonprofit dedicated to inspiring and supporting people to come together to plant and care for trees, harvest the rain and renew depleted landscapes, as well as reducing our own water consumption and capturing rainwater onsite for local use."
The industry continues to acknowledge Macerich's environmental stewardship that has earned numerous LEED® Gold certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council, and awards of excellence from various chapters of NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association.
Key results of Macerich's successful and comprehensive focus on sustainability include a 29% decrease in energy use since 2009; $26.6 million in operational cost savings from 2008 through 2014; recycling of more than 12,252 tons of waste per year; and the completion of 13 renewable energy projects by the end of 2015, which will rank Macerich as one of the top U.S. companies in terms of solar capacity.
For more information on Macerich's sustainability efforts and impacts, please view the 2014 Sustainability Report
About Macerich
Macerich, an S&P 500 company, is a fully integrated self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust, which focuses on the acquisition, leasing, management, development and redevelopment of regional malls throughout the United States.
Macerich currently owns 55 million square feet of real estate consisting primarily of interests in 50 regional shopping centers. Macerich specializes in successful retail properties in many of the country's most attractive, densely populated markets with significant presence in the Pacific Rim, Arizona, Chicago and the Metro New York to Washington, D.C. corridor. Additional information about Macerich can be obtained from the Company's website: www.macerich.com
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SOURCE Macerich
Karen Maurer, Macerich, 602-708-6311, Website: http://www.macerich.com
