RM2.1: Environmental Risk Assessment
Maximum Score
2.85 points
Prefill
Eligible
Validation
Evidence and Other answer are manually validated
Has the entity performed an environmental risk assessment(s), including risk identification, analysis, evaluation, and treatment within the last three years?
Assessment Instructions
Intent: What is the purpose of this indicator?
This indicator intends to assess the entity’s implemented process for assessing material environmental risks, and its understanding and mitigation of these risks. Systematic responses to environmental risks include effective risk assessment, thoughtful mitigation planning, and implementation of action plans.
Input: How do I complete this indicator?
Select Yes or No: If selecting 'Yes', select applicable sub-options.
Material environmental issues: Select all issues that are covered by the entity’s risk assessment process(es). It is possible to report using the ‘Other’ answer option. Ensure that the ‘Other’ answer provided is not a duplicate or subset of another option. It is possible to report multiple ‘Other’ answers.
Terminology
Air pollution
Air pollutants are particles and gases released into the atmosphere that may adversely affect living organisms. Additionally, some pollutants contribute to climate change or exacerbate the effects of climate change locally. Pollutants of major public health concern include ozone-depleting substances (ODS), NOx, SOx, particulate matter (PM), lead, mercury and/or other standard categories of air emissions identified in relevant regulations.
Biodiversity and habitat
Issues related to wildlife, endangered species, ecosystem services, habitat management, and invasive species. Biodiversity refers to the variety of all plant and animal species. Habitat refers to the natural environment in which these plant and animal species live and function.
Contaminated Land
Land that contains substances in or under it that are actually or potentially hazardous to human health or the environment. Contamination of land can happen by substances or effluents such as gases, chemicals, oils, fuels, waste.
Energy
Energy refers to energy consumption and generation from non-renewable and renewable sources (e.g. electricity, heating, cooling, steam).
Environmental issues
The impact on living and non-living natural systems, including land, air, water and ecosystems. This includes, but is not limited to, biodiversity, transport and product and service-related impacts, as well as environmental compliance and expenditures.
Greenhouse gas emissions
Refers to the seven gases listed in the Kyoto Protocol: carbon dioxide (CO2); methane (CH4); nitrous oxide (N2O); hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs); perfluorocarbons (PFCs); nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).
Hazardous substances
Also known as dangerous goods. Any substances that can pose a health or physical hazard to humans or the environment, such as carcinogens, toxic agents, irritants, corrosives, combustibles or explosives.
Light pollution
Excessive or obtrusive artificial light also known as photo pollution or luminous pollution. Examples of light pollution and reflection include: spilled light from construction zones and parking lots which may impact breeding grounds or resting areas; highly reflective towers which may affect bird flight.
Materials sourcing and resource efficiency
Responsible sourcing of materials considers the environmental, social and economic impacts of the procurement and production of products and materials. Resource efficiency means using those products and materials in an efficient and sustainable manner while minimizing impacts on the environment and society.
Noise pollution
Refers to noise pollution, also known as environmental noise, which is the propagation of noise with harmful impact on the activity of human or animal life.
Risk analysis
Studying probabilities and consequences given the existing controls, to identify the level of residual risk.
Risk assessment
Careful examination of the factors that could potentially adversely impact the value or longevity of an infrastructure asset. The results of the assessment assist in identifying measures that have to be implemented in order to prevent and mitigate the risks.
Risk evaluation
Comparing risk analysis results with risk criteria to determine whether the residual risk is tolerable.
Risk identification
Identifying what could prevent an organization from achieving their objectives.
Risk treatment
Control / mitigation of the risk.
Physical Risk
The risks associated with the potential negative direct and/or indirect impacts of physical hazards, natural disasters, catastrophes, as well as physical climate-related hazards, which may be event-driven (acute) or driven by longer-term shifts in climatic patterns (chronic). The physical risk associated with a particular real asset may be described in terms of elements including hazard exposure, sensitivity, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity.
Decreasing the sensitivity of an asset to particular physical risks, increasing its adaptive capacity, and planning are all ways of increasing the resilience of the built environment against physical risks, climate-driven or otherwise. In practice, these objectives may be promoted by various actions including the establishment of appropriate management policies; the utilization of informational technologies for disaster response; the education of employees, the community, and suppliers; and implementing physical measures at the asset level.
Waste
Entity's consideration of waste disposal methods and whether waste minimization strategies emphasize prioritizing options for reuse, recycling, and then recovery over other disposal options to minimize ecological impact.
Water outflows/discharges
Discharge of water to water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater) or to third-parties for treatment or use.
Water inflows/withdrawals
Water drawn into the boundaries of the entity from all sources (including surface water, ground water, rainwater, and municipal water supply) as well as water reuse, efficiency, and recycling, including the entity's consideration of whether water sources are significantly affected by withdrawal of water.
Validation: What evidence is required?
The evidence and ‘Other’ answer provided will be subject to manual validation.
Evidence
The provided evidence must:
Confirm that an environmental risk assessment was conducted and clearly present the outcomes of the risk assessment.
Cover all elements of the risk assessment process aligned with the ISO 31001:2018 Risk Management System standard, including risk identification, analysis, evaluation, and treatment.
Include all selected environmental issues within the assessment, highlighting or bringing attention to these where possible.
Relate to an assessment that has taken place within the last three years, up to and including the end of the reporting year identified in EC4.
Evidence examples may include, but are not limited to:
Documents or sections of documents, in their original or redacted form, such as:
Corporate risk registers
Environmental aspects and impacts registers
Environmental inspections and audits
Monitoring reports
Annual reports
Environmental impact assessments
Environmental management plans/reports
Meeting minutes or company presentations
Procedure or process document(s) (e.g., from a risk management system) when supported with documentation that details the outcome of the risk assessment for selected issues.
See below for an example of a risk register structure:
Environmental issues
Risk description
Risk rating
Mitigation measures
Likelihood
Consequence
Rating
Contractor and/or operator engagement: In some cases, an indicator addresses an activity that applies to the reporting entity, yet is undertaken by an assigned contractor, operator, and/or contracted entity. This is often the case, for example, for PPP-type arrangements. In these cases, when providing evidence, the participant should specify the entity undertaking the activity and the relationship to that entity, to verify how these actions apply to the reporting entity. Copies of redacted contractual agreements/clauses to verify these relationships are acceptable.
Other Answer
Ensure that the ‘Other’ answer provided is not a duplicate or subset of another option selected. It is possible to report multiple ‘Other’ answers. If multiple ‘Other’ answers are accepted, only one will be counted towards scoring. Answers referring to evidence and/or other indicators will not be accepted.
Scoring
Scoring: How does GRESB score this indicator?
Materiality-Based Scoring
The scoring of this indicator is equal to the sum of the fractions assigned to the selected options and respective sub-options, multiplied by the total score of the indicator. The fractional points assigned to each option depend on their material relevance (as determined by the GRESB Materiality Assessment).
The entity must select all issues of ‘Medium relevance’ and ‘High relevance’ to obtain the maximum score.
Specific materiality weightings are assigned to the entity for each sustainability issue. The weightings are set at one of four levels for each of the issues:
No relevance (scoring weight: 0)
Low relevance (scoring weight: 0)
Medium relevance (scoring weight: 1)
High relevance (scoring weight: 2)
For more details, refer to the Asset Scoring Basics page or download the Asset Materiality & Scoring Tool.
Evidence
The evidence is manually validated and assigned a multiplier, according to the table below. The evidence must support the validation requirements. If any requirements are not met, the evidence may be partially accepted or not accepted, depending on the level of alignment with the requirements.
Accepted
2/2
Partially Accepted
1/2
Not Accepted
0
Other Answer
The 'Other' answer is manually validated and assigned a score, which is used as a multiplying factor, as per the table below. Any accepted ‘Other’ answers will be scored at ‘Medium' material relevance (i.e., with a scoring weight of 1).
Accepted
1/1
Not Accepted
0
Duplicate
0
References
ISO 31001 Risk Management standard
ISO 14001 Environmental Management
Alignment with External Frameworks
CDP Climate Change 2021 - C2.1 Management ProceduresDJSI CSA 2021- 3.3.2 Emerging Risks.DJSI CSA 2021 - 3.3.3 Risk CultureGGRI Standards 2021 - General Disclosures 2021 - 2-13: Delegation of responsibility for managing impacts
Good practice examples: Please refer to the following link.
Get Support: Solution Providers
GRESB Solution Providers are independent, third-party organizations within the GRESB Partner network that offer specialized products, tools, and services to support sustainability performance outside the GRESB Assessment process.
The organizations below deliver commercially available solutions designed to help drive improvement for this indicator. Engagement is managed directly between the reporting entity and the Solution Provider.
GRESB will continue to update this section as the GRESB Solution Provider network grows. Please check back regularly to find GRESB Solution Providers who can support your sustainability performance.
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