Measuring social sustainability, the S in ESG is a challenging demand for businesses. Access4you’s certified accessibility score provides a unique solution to this challenge. The Access4you Score allows businesses to include credible, third-party S data in their ESG reports which helps them understand and set KPIs about their venues’ accessibility while providing a real social impact by helping the 15% of the population. Clients like Futureal Group and Adventum Group have already incorporated this new measurement into their operations.
ESG reporting has become a part of everyday business life. Investors, EU regulations, and society itself are placing increasing demands on companies to report on their sustainability and social sustainability performance beyond traditional financial indicators. This new demand presents organizations with many new challenges. Businesses tend to focus primarily on the environmental (E) and governance (G) areas, as these data are more likely available in-house and can be produced quickly using well-established, known methodologies. However, S reporting is still a less tangible and time- and resource-demanding challenge. It is not easy to find data about the social aspect that is not self-reported, quickly available, and meets the expectations of both the public and the shareholders.
What is the one area that has an impact on a company’s overall operations, represents a measurable solution to a global societal challenge and for which data can be quickly and credibly available from a 3rd party source?
The answer is: accessibility
15% of the population, or around 1 in 6 people, have a disability. The largest minority on Earth is the intersection of ESG investment and social responsibility, as it basically covers all „S” aspects. By supporting them, a company can make a real difference that is truly felt by many.
“The first step to the (re)integration of people with disabilities, for both the people concerned and the companies, is accessibility and reliable and detailed information about accessibility. Without it, none of the efforts to promote inclusion can be achieved. Moreover, accessibility is not only important for people with disabilities: it also makes life easier for the elderly, people with reduced mobility, people with pushchairs and people who are temporarily disabled due to an accident or illness,” – said Balázs Berecz, Founder and CEO of Access4you, who has been a wheelchair user himself for 15 years.
Access4you Score fills a gaping hole in the measurement of S, provided by an internationally recognized social impact company and its accredited partners that certifies accessibility of the built environment. They assess, certify and qualify the accessibility of the built environment based on a self-developed audit software according to the usability aspects of 8 stakeholder groups, including people living with mobility, vision, hearing and cognitive disabilities.
“ESG plays an important role in the everyday operations of Adventum across all three pillars. However, measuring the Social pillar is particularly challenging. When we encountered the opportunity for Access4you’s S score certification, we knew it was a very good option to quantify our efforts in the Social pillar. Let’s assess our starting point and identify areas for improvement to ensure that our portfolio includes not only environmentally conscious and well-operated assets, but also that we can serve all individuals with special needs. That’s why we embarked on the S score certification” – said Marcell Mihályfi, MRICS – Partner and Head of Office Asset Management at Adventum Group, a company prioritizing inclusion and one of the firsts who have Access4you Score.
Through the certification process, a comprehensive accessibility score is calculated based on detailed data evaluated from the perspectives of wheelchair users, people with pushchairs, the elderly, people with mobility, hearing, visually and cognitively impaired. It can be transferred into the ESG report immediately after the process, which is, on average, not longer than 1 month. This means businesses gain quickly available data with minimal time investment needed from their side. The Access4you Score can be integrated into a number of areas, such as diversity and inclusion, support for local communities, human rights, decent work, or equal treatment, in line with the reporting standards.
The precise qualification method supports the development and project management of making venues more inclusive
Based on the in-depth information available from the audit, Access4you provides suggestions for improvement and a fact sheet detailing the areas for upgrading, which helps to monitor these processes.
“The principle of accessibility should be fundamental when designing a new building development or renovating an existing building. The Access4you Score is a great help in understanding and implementing this approach and serves as a guide for the entire design team. Today, our Access4you Gold certification marks show our outstanding attention to this topic, but I hope that by communicating it, we can play a role in making it a mandatory minimum for everyone,” – said Gábor Radványi Chief Architect of Futureal Group, a company pioneering accessibility and one of the first Access4you Score owners.
Accessibility and the information gained from it support business objectives in other ways. It increases the property’s value and makes it accessible to more customers, buyers, tenants, and potential employees.
About Access4you International
Access4you International is a social impact company that assesses, certifies and qualifies the accessibility of the built environment based on a self-developed audit software according to the usability aspects of 9 stakeholder groups. Their international certification mark, access4you® guarantees that detailed and reliable accessibility information is available about a location for people living with mobility, vision, hearing and cognitive disabilities for free in the Access4you online database. The certification mark does not only help people living with disabilities but also benefits property owners and companies: in addition to achieving their business and ESG goals, they also get an idea of how barrier-free their locations are and how their accessibility can be improved for each stakeholder group.
Accessibility and the lack of detailed and reliable information about it is a global challenge. This is why Access4you International already works in the Czech Republic, Romania, Poland and India with the help of an accredited partner network, including Colliers, CBRE, Bureau Veritas and TÜV. There are around 1000 Access4you assessed locations in 23 countries by clients from 16 real estate sectors like Globalworth, CPI, Skanska, Erste Bank, Tesco, LEGO, Prologis, UniCredit Bank etc. The company is internationally acknowledged, it was awarded with Social Innovation Award 2023 by EASPD (European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities) and became RICS Tech Partner in 2023.
The company’s founder and CEO, Balázs Berecz, has been using a wheelchair for 15 years.
