ATLANTA-An overwhelming 79% of corporate real estate professionals consider sustainability an important issue today or believe it will be within the next one to two years, according to research unveiled during the CoreNet Global Summit here. Called "Sustainability Perceptions and Trends in the Real Estate Industry," it was conducted by CoreNet Global and Jones Lang LaSalle and based on a survey of 414 industry professionals at CoreNet Global Summits in London, Melbourne, Denver and Singapore.

While there are similarities among respondents' views worldwide, interest is highest in Europe where 90% of survey participants there consider sustainability important or very important. Energy utilization is the most important driver of interest, said Ben Breslau, VP and director of occupier research at JLL. That is followed by a corporate responsibility to operate an environmentally friendly business. "The CEO focus and the employee focus are moving up the ladder," he said, adding, "and higher in Europe than in the US."

More than three quarters, 77% of those surveyed are willing to pay a premium for sustainability, "but there is a gap between what it actually costs and what those surveyed believe it costs," Breslau said. He pointed to studies indicating that building to LEED standards costs between 1% and 5% more than conventional construction, and the incremental cost is falling.