As part of this important call from the Ministry of the Environment, the Renewable Energy Innovation Fund (REIF) organized the workshop "Sustainable construction: standards, certifications and best practices", aimed at the financial sector with the objective of integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria in the evaluation of construction projects.

The activity took place on Friday, June 6, in the Carpincho room of Antel Arena and gathered representatives of the financial system, public agencies, companies and organizations linked to sustainable development. During the workshop, concrete tools were addressed to identify ESG risks and impacts, as well as investment opportunities aligned with the current challenges of the construction sector.

The event was attended by Fred Seifert (international ERM expert and member of the REIF Investment Committee), who presented international frameworks such as the IFC Performance Standards, World Bank guidelines and best practices applied in the Social and Environmental Risk Analysis System (SARAS). He also presented on certifications such as LEED, EDGE and BREEAM, and on emerging trends in green financial products.

During this event, a technical panel was held with the presence of institutional referents, who shared experiences on measurement, certification and promotion of good practices in sustainable construction: Lucía Purgat, from UNIT, presented the UNIT-ISO standards in sustainability for construction; Norberto Cánepa, from LSQA, spoke about the "Más" certification for sustainable works and the importance of its acceptance by the local financial system; Alicia Mimbacas, from the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining (MIEM), shared the progress of the energy efficiency seal for housing; and Luciana López, from the National Development Corporation (CND), discussed how they evaluate the social and environmental impacts of the projects they finance and presented a new sustainability tool for infrastructure.

The closing remarks were made by Virginia Chiesa of the Ministry of the Environment and Rossana Gaudioso of the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining, who stressed the importance of continuing to strengthen public policies that promote sustainable construction in Uruguay.

REIF would like to thank all the speakers for sharing their experience and knowledge, as well as the allied institutions that made this event possible.

We continue working to consolidate the perspective of sustainable finance in Uruguay and contribute to a second energy transition in the country.