DWS's real estate investment business has been investing in real estate assets for more than 40 years. With $48.2 billion in assets under management invested in more over 1700 properties across the globe, DWS is intent on building lasting value for clients through a diverse range of strategies and solutions across the risk/return and geographic spectrums, including core and value-added real estate, real estate securities, real estate debt and opportunistic real estate.

Real estate assets around the globe are increasingly exposed to the impacts and risks of climate change, regulatory policy and the onset of modern high-performance technologies and features in the commercial building stock. Return-driven real estate investors now expect high-quality real estate investment managers to lay out ESG (Environmental Social Governance) objectives that can be measured, and overall strategies that preserve and enhance risk-adjusted returns. DWS annually outlines its investment approach through its Real Estate ESG Strategy Update, offering a pragmatic and objective approach to how it implements ESG within its business, in a manner that addresses the issues that are material to financial performance.

As a Partner of the Better Buildings Challenge, DWS has committed to reducing the energy consumption across a portfolio of at least 5 million square feet of US commercial office buildings by two percent, annually, through 2020, and achieved their goal in 2017. This commitment is consistent with one of its ESG objectives, which is to set performance targets that can be reported to its stakeholders, and preserve or enhance risk-adjusted returns.