Real estate sector continues to lead on sustainability: GRESB

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.

Sponsored Content

To view the results click here

 

Leave a Comment

Sort content by

Warren Buffett’s excellent adventure

'Youngster’ Warren Buffett (85) rebuffed risks from sugar and climate change as he toured the American economy with his ‘older’ offsider, Charlie Munger (92), presenting at the Berkshire Hathaway AGM .

Pay for performance

Pension fund executive pay varies widely around the globe, with differences based on internal management and alternatives exposures. Amanda White examines pension fund executive pay.

A long way to go

It’s all very well to have diversity, but most people lack the tools for how to get the best out of a diverse team. Instead the reverse is true and diversity can lead to an unlevel playing field.

Too much of a good thing

Experts at the Thinking Ahead Institute outline the pitfalls of implementing team diversity, , when too much diversity fails us, and how organisations can be champions for change.

Income the key dimension

Risk should be defined as the inability to meet retirement income goals, so investors and their managers should forget alpha and other “distractions”, according to David Booth.

Worlds colliding

The debate about the effect of pay inequality on both the financial and real-world markets is about to get a whole lot hotter this year.

Previous