Facility managers play a unique role in all phases of the life cycle of a building, including design and construction, operations, building renovations and upgrades, and end-of-life management.

IFMA has widespread support initiatives and beneficial resources for FMs as they operate their buildings in ways that improve the building’s performance and support climate change management.

IFMA initiatives

IFMA is the world's largest and most widely recognized association for facility management professionals, supporting more than 20,000 members in 135 countries. IFMA’s Vision is to lead the future of the built environment to make the world a better place. Among the values that drive the association – guiding staff and stakeholders in everything they do – IFMA believes in the benefit of global diversity, inclusion and social equity, recognizing that sustainability, resilience and responsible environmental stewardship are paramount.

IFMA’s Environmental Stewardship, Utilities and Sustainability Community (ESUS)

IFMA communities meet members’ networking and information needs specific to FM core competencies. ESUS facilitates IFMA’s performance as a sustainable organization, with the following strategic objectives:

  • to become the leading advocate for global environmental stewardship and sustainability;

  • to increase corporate social responsibility adoption with a specific emphasis on environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria along with the required SEC financial reporting;

  • to provide leadership in establishing the direction of sustainability-centered education;

  • to report on technology advancements that are focused on sustainability (with a specific emphasis on greenhouse gas reduction); and

  • to develop and maintain global partnerships that will augment the activities of ESUS and advance IFMA’s sustainability goals.

All IFMA members are invited to join the ESUS Community. Additional details on ESUS’ current activities can be found here.

Networking opportunities

IFMA Chapters

Globally, IFMA has 139 chapters, many of which engage in sustainability initiatives at the local level. IFMA provides support to these local initiatives. Members who have not yet engaged with a chapter should locate the nearest chapter on IFMA’s online map, visit their local chapter’s website and learn how to get involved. Most chapter websites post helpful sustainability information.

IFMA Councils

IFMA supports 16 councils that span the breadth of the FM industry. Members can network within councils that correspond to the types of facilities they manage, regardless of their location to share knowledge, trends and best practices in their specific area of the industry.

IFMA Engage

Through Engage, IFMA members can ask questions, seek advice and view solutions for challenges that other FMs have previously faced. From paperwork issues to capital strategies, members are quick to respond with their expertise and experience in specific circumstances in an open forum.

IFMA conferences & expos

All IFMA global conferences include presentations that focus on how FMs can contribute to improving sustainability performance in buildings and have a positive impact on climate. The 2022 schedule of upcoming events continues to focus on these subjects.

Sustainability credential courses

IFMA supports two educational programs directly related to sustainability – the Sustainability Facility Professional® (SFP®) and IFMA’s Sustainability Course.

The SFP credential focuses on enabling FMs to think strategically about sustainability. SFP focus areas include:

  • strategy and alignment (how to align, implement, review, measure and communicate sustainable strategies),

  • managing sustainable facilities (identification of goals, metrics and tools to measure program performance), and

  • operating sustainable facilities (tools and strategies to improve the sustainability of facility practices).

IFMA provides a video overview of the SFP program on its website.

IFMA’s Sustainability Course is a high-level overview of sustainable practices that helps students understand resource management. The course takes about five study hours to complete (compared to the 60-90 hours of commitment estimated for the SFP) and promises FMs a working knowledge of various aspects of sustainability including workplace and site management, energy, water, materials and consumables and waste management

Global initiatives

In July 2021, IFMA formed IFMA Europe, Middle East and Africa (IFMA EMEA). Headquartered in Brussels, this association is a separate entity with its own formal professional board dedicated to serving the needs of local chapters and regional IFMA members.

IFMA EMEA partners with industry-related stakeholders and associations in these geographic regions. It is developing additional relationships with the European Commission and other relevant institutions that can have an impact on policy makers.

IFMA EMEA develops initiatives for its constituency that educate FMs about sustainability, incorporating IFMA’s educational resources (e.g., its sustainability courses), as well as those developed for and by IFMA EMEA.

A major sustainability project of IFMA EMEA is the European Union’s Green Deal initiative whose primary goal is to transition Europe’s economies to a more sustainable model. This initiative will initially result in the EU becoming climate neutral by 2050. More than €1 trillion is committed to this effort. Current goals include strong energy efficiency measures focusing on carbon removal, which provides a framework for decarbonizing the gas market and moving to electrification via green non-CO2 power. IFMA EMEA believes that the EU will soon be imposing legislation (under development) on CO2 emissions, which will include an increase in CO2 emission taxes.

A second global association, APAC (Asia-Pacific), is organized differently from IFMA EMEA in that EMEA chapters are consolidated under IFMA Europe. APAC consists of IFMA China, IFMA India, and IFMA’s Hong Kong and Singapore chapters, operating independently; however, each relates directly to IFMA. They do not officially report to an existing Asian Advisory Board.

IFMA leaders are active in Macau; however, no chapter has been established there. IFMA has entered into a strategic partner agreement with the Macau Institute of Management (MIM), which has a strong relationship with the local government. MIM sponsors committee members that attend Train-the-Trainer programs in Hong Kong, and there are IFMA instructors in Macau. MIM has close relationships with IFMA China and the Hong Kong Chapter.

These Asian entities are actively involved in a variety of sustainability initiatives related to awards, legislation, training, standards and partnerships.

Sustainability awards & scholarships

IFMA’s Awards of Excellence recognizes member achievements. One such award is the Sheila Sheridan Sustainable Facility Operations and Management award. Recipients are recognized at IFMA’s annual World Workplace event.

The award recognizes an individual or team that has provided an outstanding example of strategic sustainable operations and management initiatives leading to successful tactical and operational adjustments in the management of a facility including stakeholder engagement, overall performance, energy efficiency, innovation, audits and reporting, and long-term solutions for facility management success.

Strategic partnerships

IFMA has an active program for helping organizations enter into strategic partnerships with other leading associations:

  • ESUS has established partnerships with the U.S. Dept. of Energy, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Circular Economy Institute;

  • IFMA has an alliance partnership with Facility Management Nederland and memorandums of understanding with numerous other professional organizations.

IFMA Foundation initiatives

The IFMA Foundation is a 501(c)3 charitable organization separate from IFMA. Its activities primarily relate to education and facility management advancement. The Foundation develops and supports a number of registered and accredited degree programs, publications and credentials that have sustainability components.

Sustainability scholarships

In May of 2020, the IFMA Foundation established the Eric Teicholz Sustainability Facility Professional Scholarship program, open to young professionals interested in earning the SFP credential. Awardees are young professionals selected based on their sustainability achievements, diversity, financial need and the impact that the scholarship is expected to have on the applicant’s career and local community.

In March of 2021, the IFMA Foundation expanded the scope of the Scholarship Program to include corporate partners, and in June of 2021 the scholarship was extended to include a partner component. The initial implementation of the program will be dedicated to the use of FM technology as it relates to climate change.