Bangkok - Up to 60 per cent of the real estate executives in the Asia-Pacific are willing to pay a 10 per cent premium for "sustainable space," higher than their counterparts elsewhere, a survey revealed Monday.

According to a survey conducted by CoreNet Global and Jones Lang LaSalle, an international property consultant, 60 per cent of respondents in Asia Pacific would pay up to 10 per cent more rent to occupy a sustainable building, an increase from 55 per cent in 2007.

In the global survey of 400 executives responsible for real estate decisions, only 40 per cent of the respondents to last year's survey said they would pay a 10 per cent premium for sustainability, down from 70 per cent in 2007, Jones Lang Lasalle head of sustainability services Chris Wallbank said.

"The willingness to pay more in Asia Pacific may be partly attributed to the perception that sustainable solutions are hard to find in markets that are less 'mature,'" Wallbank said.

While the harsh economic climate may have reduced a willingness to pay the 10 per cent premium for sustainable buildings, it has not reduced demand for such premises, the survey concluded.

In Asia Pacific, 65 per cent of the respondents said that sustainability is already critical, up from 46 per cent the previous year.

Globally, respondents who agreed that sustainability is a critical business issue today rose to 67 per cent in 2008, from 47 in 2007.

"In tough economic times the ability of efficiency initiatives to deliver bottom-line returns is increasingly important," Wallbank said. "We have seen that savings of up to 15 per cent are achievable in most existing buildings, using conventional technology that is available today."

The most popular sustainability services in office buildings include recycling, energy efficiency programmes and energy/sustainability data collection, according to the survey.

Using renewable energy was "relatively low on the agenda" for respondents. (dpa)