Sector Leaders
Introduction
The GRESB Sector Leader Program recognizes leadership demonstrated through performance in the GRESB Assessments and encourages continuous improvement among participants.
Each year, GRESB *recognizes the achievements of Sector Leaders and 5-star rated entities on our website.
About Sector Leadership
What is a Sector Leader?
This recognition is based on the GRESB Score and highlights the highest-scoring entities within each superclass, class, and region (GRESB Infrastructure Fund Assessment only), rather than recognizing only a single top performer per category.
How does GRESB identify Sector Leaders?
Sector Leader awards are determined using the following criteria:
Across all GRESB assessments, the entity with the highest score in a category, as well as entities with scores within one point of the highest score, are recognized as Sector Leaders. As a result of this approach, some categories may have a single Sector Leader, while others may include multiple recognized entities.
Example: If the highest score in the Waste Treatment, Environmental Services category is 96.0000, all entities with scores above 95.0000 are recognized as Sector Leaders in that category. If the second-highest score is 94.9999, GRESB recognizes only one Sector Leader - the entity with a score of 96.0000. For this purpose, scores are rounded to the fourth decimal place.
For Infrastructure Asset & Asset Development Assessments
Categories are defined at either the Superclass level or the Class level, using the TICCS classification. Each category requires a minimum of:
Twelve entities at the Class level, or
Six entities at the Superclass level.
Where fewer than six entities exist at the Superclass level, those entities are grouped into an “Other” category to ensure that all entities have the opportunity to be recognized as a Sector Leader.
For Infrastructure Fund Assessment
Sector Leader categories are defined at either the region level or the Superclass level, using the TICCS classification. Each category requires a minimum of six participating entities at the sector level.
Exclusion Criteria
Fund Assessment
Funds that use the "New Fund Participant" asset exclusion reason in indicator RC6 are not eligible to earn Sector Leader recognition.
Asset & Development Asset Assessments
Information reported under indicator RP2.2 may be used when determining Sector Leader recognition. Once Sector Leaders are identified, GRESB reviews participants’ responses to the Sustainability-Related Incident Occurrences indicator (RP2.2). If a potential Sector Leader is flagged through this review, GRESB conducts a manual assessment to determine whether the incident is material and whether recognition should be withheld.
Public Recognition*
Managers receiving recognition (GRESB Sector Leaders and GRESB 5 Star Rated) are notified in October, alongside the official release of GRESB Results. Recognitions are then published on the GRESB website, included in press releases, and shared with media partners. For Sector Leader and Top Performer awards, managers may request that their recognition not be made public by responding to the notification email.
For listed entities, GRESB publishes the company name. For non-listed entities, GRESB publishes the fund manager name.
All recognized managers and entities are listed alphabetically rather than by score. No distinction is made between recognized entities within the same category.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my entity opt out of being displayed as a Sector Leader on the website?
Yes. Account managers may request that their Sector Leader recognition not be made public. To do so, the manager must respond to the notification email received at the time of the official release of GRESB Results. If no request is made, the recognition will be published on the GRESB website and may be shared through other public communications.
How is my entity’s name displayed for Sector Leader recognition?
The name displayed for a recognized entity is taken from the information provided by participants in the GRESB Portal and should match the name shown in the Benchmark Report.
For listed entities, GRESB publishes the entity name.
For non-listed entities, GRESB publishes the fund manager name only.
GRESB does not support alternative naming conventions for Sector Leader recognition beyond these rules.
Why did my entity receive Sector Leader recognition at a broader level but not at a more granular level?
Sector Leader recognition depends on the composition and size of each category. More granular categories require a minimum number of comparable entities to be eligible for the Sector Leader designation. If a granular category does not meet the minimum participation threshold, or if score differences fall outside the defined recognition range, a Sector Leader may be assigned at a broader level but not at the more granular level.
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