Earning the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Five Office Buildings in the United States

Sumitomo Corporation of Americas has earned the WELL Health-Safety Rating for five of the office buildings that the company owns or operates in the United States.

The WELL Health-Safety Rating is a certification system operated and managed by the International WELL Building Institute in the United States. Under this certification system for buildings, the Institute awards a rating in line with guidance on COVID-19 and other respiratory infections provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other major academic and research institutes. The certification system is rapidly gaining popularity, with some 35,000 applications being currently filed for the rating in 109 countries across the world.

In order to offer healthy, safe, and comfortable environments for tenants and visitors, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas has been implementing measures in cooperation with the property managers of the buildings that the Company operates. It is expected that the achievement of the rating will encourage tenants to allow more of their employees work again at the offices, which will lead to the revitalization of communication within the buildings.

The five office buildings for which the company has earned the WELL Health-Safety Rating were also awarded the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Developed and managed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED has been adopted in more than 180 countries across the world as an environmental performance rating system for architecture and cities. Under LEED, buildings are rated and certified for items such as the use of sustainable building materials, the reduction of waste, and promotion of efficient energy use. The certification level (Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Certified, from the highest level) is determined based on the number of points the building earns.

Sumitomo Corporation has been engaged in the real estate business since 1919, when its predecessor, port developer The Osaka North Harbour Company Limited, was founded. In the United States, the company has been trading, owning and leasing office buildings since the beginning of the 1980s. Going forward, our office property business will focus on providing safe, secure, comfortable office environments designed with environmental, social and governance (ESG)-related issues in mind, thereby making further contributions to local communities.