This year’s Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) reveals that sustainability reporting has improved in coverage and quality of data, with the average overall score increasing due to increasing implementation and measurement.
The average score is now 47 (out of 100) which is up nine points this year. The benchmark collects data from 637 listed property companies and private equity real estate funds, covering 56,000 buildings with an aggregate value of $2.1 trillion.
GRESB found that collectively, in 2013, the commercial real estate sector reduced its energy consumption by about 0.8 per cent, carbon emissions fell by 0.3 per cent, and water consumption fell by 2.3 per cent.
Sustainability is assessed annually by GRESB with a focus on: executive decisions, plans and policies; performance measurement; and stakeholder engagement.
The data provided by GRESB allows pension funds and other institutional investors to incorporate responsible investment principles into their decision-making. It is a source of portfolio-level sustainability data for the real estate industry, with more than 40 institutional investors, representing $5.5 trillion in assets under management, using it for timely, actionable information about the sustainability performance of property portfolios.
Five years after the launch of the benchmark in 2009, GRESB participation has become standard practice for many of the world’s fund managers and listed property companies. There has been a more than 220 percent increase in response rate since 2009.
To view the results click here
