Sustainable Luxe Living

As climate change, becomes embedded in our psyche and synonymous with a sustainable lifestyle choice. Property developers and interior designers are already seeing demand dampen for more the glitzy designer brand partners as discerning investors switch to more sustainable options.

Branded Residences, for example, have been a big hit in the last few years for wealthy investors and this micro-market is changing rapidly. As investors eschew designer brand partners, such as Armani and Aston-Martin and switch to more sustainable options. The Six Senses branded residences, which promote sustainability and wellness worldwide and also pledge to be plastic free by 2020 are a good example, as wealthy buyers are opting for these type of lifestyle homes over more traditional high-end brand associations.

HNWIs have also become more conscious about how furniture is sourced and made than ever before, as there’s been a surge in demand for high-end decor made using regional materials by local craftsman. Buyers are less likely to ship furniture from multinational companies due to the greater carbon footprint and forward thinking developers are making intelligent use of land topography, orientation and renewable building materials alongside energy saving features. As many clients will ask for air quality tests before they purchase a property nowadays.

With climate conscious Millennials and vegan Gen Z’s shaping the new luxury landscape, we’re seeing working patterns and lifestyles change every year. New destinations are popping up all the time. The younger generations’ open-minded choices veer away from traditional destinations, eschewing Ibiza for Marrakesh or the Caribbean for South America. With flexible working now the norm, investors tend to use their secondary properties for all aspects of their life, so we see less and less homes sitting empty for large parts of the year. These buyers are more ‘air mile aware’ and often will not jet around the world for a face to face meeting, preferring a video conference call instead.

It is no surprise that some of the biggest recent stock market successes have been sustainable brands such as Beyond Meat (vegan meat replacement) and Orsted (wind power). HNWIs are engaging with the trend as they look to rebuild environments through sustainable investment. From passive cooling to energy efficiency and electric transport to biodegradable cleaning products and Earth Labs, Climate change is here to stay. The socially responsible revolution rolls on.