Moda Group announces Fitwel Champion status and social value milestones in new ESG report

Leading investor, developer and operator of rental communities has achieved Fitwel Champion status by continuing to lead the change across its growing portfolio
New ESG report reveals £11.3m invested back into local communities

Leading investor, developer and operator of rental communities Moda Group has announced its Fitwel Champion status. This prestigious grading has been given to Moda as it continues to lead change by committing to use Fitwel for its vast and growing portfolio, applying exceptionally high standards from the world’s leading certification system for healthy buildings and communities. Fitwel has already awarded the highest accreditation of 3-star to four of Moda’s neighbourhoods, making Moda a world leader in certifications.

The Fitwel Champion news comes as Moda releases its new ESG report looking back on 2023 as part of its Next Generation Futures strategy, first announced in 2022, and looks ahead to initiatives planned for 2024.

Moda is the first developer and operator to have all its operational neighbourhoods achieve some of the highest sustainability targets in the sector, working to industry standards set by LETI, the Royal Institute of British Architects and the UK Green Building Council, as well as achieving:

100% BREEAM Excellent on PBSA and co-living communities
100% Home Quality Mark Level 4
EPC Ratings of B or Higher across all projects.
3-star Fitwel accreditation

Moda has also worked closely with councils across the UK to add social value through employment and skills, culture and placemaking with a number of landmark ESG projects.

In the West Midlands, Moda worked with contractor John Sisk & Sons and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to launch the second WMCA-funded on-site Skills Hub at Moda’s Great Charles Street site in Birmingham. The hub offers free training and employment opportunities for local people with a guaranteed job interview. It continues the work carried out by the group at Moda, The Mercian, which exceeded all its targets and supported 140 new employment opportunities at the site during construction, including seven apprenticeships. The new hub at Great Charles Street is targeting a further 240,000 work hours specifically for local people.

In Brighton & Hove, Moda worked closely with the city council and a dedicated Community Liaison Group (CLG) to plan a £10m investment in public realm in its forthcoming Moda, Hove Central neighbourhood. The CLG, made up of community representatives and local MP Peter Kyle, developed an ambitious £450,000 public art strategy which has already resulted in on-site murals painted by local artists and the funding of the Flight of the Langoustine sculpture of Hove Plinth on the city’s seafront. Following a national call, several artists have been selected to co-produce a range of sculptures and installations across the site’s public realm. Moda has also been a major sponsor of the Brighton Festival for two years running, which welcomed 53,000 attendees in 2023.

In Leeds, Moda worked in collaboration with creative agency New Citizens and Leeds City Council to create the biggest outdoor event space in Leeds with Canvas Yard, based in an area which Moda is in the process of developing. Canvas Yard welcomed 14,000 attendees to its range of music, sports, cultural and arts events in 2023 with a series of events lined up again for summer 2024.

Other key highlights from the new ESG report include:

75 apprenticeships across Moda’s construction sites
A new set of ESG Design Standards which are now fully incorporated into the business
£37,000 raised for charities including Yorkshire Children’s Charity and MND Association
ISO9001 accreditation in Operations in acknowledgement of our quality management system and effective operations
On track to reaching Operational Carbon industry 2030 targets ahead of time
Numerous ESG related awards including Harrison Street ESG Leadership award

Tarry Depledge, ESG Manager, Moda Group, said: “Our ‘Next Generation Futures’ ESG strategy set out a bold and ambitious roadmap for Moda, and this report is a summary of everything we have been doing to create positive change to our environment, our communities, and our business governance for the last financial year. There has been a large focus on reducing our embodied and operational carbon levels, doing the right thing for our communities, hiring locally and offering skills and training while promoting physical, mental and social wellbeing for both our residents and our team.

“Apart from continuing to roll out innovative ESG initiatives, we remain focussed on keeping our culture, purpose and resident vision aligned with our ESG Strategy while achieving our 2025 targets.

“There is however still a long way to go, and being welcomed as a Fitwel Champion is just one way we can commit ourselves to making sure that we have a positive impact on the communities we operate in for generations to come.”

The Fitwel Standard translates the global public health evidence base into practical, implementable design and operational strategies and guidelines to be used at the building level, community level, and at scale.

Joanna Frank, President & CEO of the Center for Active Design, the sole operator of Fitwel, said: “We’re thrilled that Moda has committed to becoming a Fitwel Champion. It is commendable to see Moda commit to Fitwel as part of their ‘Next Generation Futures’ ESG strategy to create positive change by focusing on developing healthier spaces and communities. In today’s real estate landscape, prioritizing the health of our planet and people is no longer a trend; it’s a business imperative, representing both risk and opportunity. By embracing an evidence-based health-focused approach, Moda is not only responding to stakeholder demand but also leading the way in shaping a healthier future in the UK. We applaud their trailblazing efforts and welcome them as Champions in the healthy building movement.”

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Beyond reshaping the Birmingham skyline, Moda, The Mercian – thanks to its on-site Skills Hub – created training and employment opportunities for hundreds of local people. The West Midlands Combined Authority proudly played its part in funding that important initiative.

“It’s good news that Moda and Sisk are continuing this work at their Great Charles Street site in the Jewellery Quarter, so familiar to Brummies as ‘The Bomb Site’. This is testament to the power of partnership – where we see what can happen when people right across our region work together.

“I look forward to Moda continuing to make a positive impact – as set out in their new ESG report – in the months and years ahead.”

Peter Kyle MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, said: “It has been a pleasure to work in partnership with Moda on the delivery of their Hove Central neighbourhood and on a range of social value initiatives including the public art strategy for Hove. Their new ESG report demonstrates the boldness and ambition of Moda’s commitment to being a long-term custodian of the communities they operate in and the importance of a genuine public private partnership. Together we have already been able to make a substantial contribution to the local area and I look forward to much more activity to come.”