At UŠĆE Shopping Center, BEO Shopping Center and Mercator Center Belgrade, sustainability is being embedded in daily operations. All three assets have achieved LEED EBOM Gold certification, reflecting a focus on energy-efficient operations, occupant comfort, waste management and sustainable building maintenance. Rather than treating certification as an endpoint, the emphasis is on how buildings continue to perform in live, high-footfall environments.

That makes the progress especially significant. UŠĆE Shopping Center was the first existing asset in Serbia to be certified, originally under LEED EBOM in 2014, and was successfully recertified in 2024. BEO Shopping Center achieved LEED EBOM Gold, followed by Mercator Center Belgrade. Importantly, both certification and recertification were carried out during regular asset operations and with the active participation of tenants.

The operational changes behind these certifications are practical, but far-reaching. The Serbia team describes the process as a chain reaction: one in which certification led to improvements in the selection of equipment, clearly defined operating modes and policies, documented maintenance of technical systems, continuous monitoring of air and water quality, green cleaning practices and more sustainable tenant fit-out processes. Together, these measures have helped reduce electricity, heating and cooling consumption, lower water usage, improve waste management and reduce overall environmental impact.

Digital tools have also played an important role. Through smart operations and data readings supported by BMS and EMS systems, predictive maintenance has been introduced, while performance comparisons over time have become more accessible and transparent. In this way, sustainability becomes part of an ongoing operational discipline rather than a once-off achievement.

The benefits of this approach are tangible. For tenants, greener operations can contribute to lower operational costs, improved comfort and healthier indoor environments. For investors, certification supports greater resilience, lower potential risk and better long-term asset value. For local communities, it creates retail destinations that are more resource-conscious and more closely connected to wider environmental and social goals.

In Serbia, that broader value is already visible in the initiatives taking shape across the portfolio. These initiatives include solar panels, composting programmes, electric vehicle charging stations, bicycle-friendly infrastructure, rooftop gardens, beekeeping initiatives, and vegetable gardens. These features help reduce environmental impact while also enhancing biodiversity and creating more enjoyable spaces for visitors. At the same time, public-facing initiatives such as the UŠĆE Eco Festival and Green Wheels Adventure with Porsche encourage awareness and more environmentally responsible behaviour.

Within this regional context, progress still presents challenges. High implementation costs, reliance on coal-based energy, limited local expertise, underdeveloped waste-management systems and relatively low awareness of the benefits of certification all remain issues. Although the legal framework is improving, implementation is still evolving gradually. In this environment, certification does more than recognise achievement; it helps create structure, raise standards and build momentum.

At the same time, exciting opportunities exist. The Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, together with efforts to create favourable market conditions for international businesses and brands, is encouraging closer alignment with international sustainability standards. Green certification also opens access to green loans and specialist funding from international financial institutions, insurers and banks, while helping companies reduce operational costs, strengthen market position and demonstrate a clear commitment to sustainability.

“Sustainability becomes most meaningful when it is visible in how buildings perform every day.”

Looking ahead, the direction is clear. For more than 10 years, Atterbury Europe has actively promoted green construction across Southeast Europe and today holds a substantial portfolio certified under LEED, BREEAM and WELL Health & Safety standards. In 2025, this portfolio expanded further with the addition of GBCI’s PARKSMART certification, recognising sustainable parking garages across management, programmes and technology or structural design. The principle behind all of this is straightforward: the real value of green construction lies in considering environmental impact and lifecycle performance from concept and planning right through to long-term operations.

What Serbia shows is that sustainability becomes most powerful when it moves beyond certification and into everyday practice. At UŠĆE, BEO and Mercator, ESG is being translated into better systems, better data, better environments and stronger long-term resilience, making it relevant, not only for Serbia, but for the wider region too.