What’s New in March
With the launch of the GRESB Assessments just around the corner, we’re excited to share key updates, services, and resources to help you approach the 2026 assessment cycle with confidence.
In this edition, you’ll find:
- Webinars, guidance, and resources to help you get ready for the Assessments
- The Road to Performance Public Consultation and live webinar
- Regional data center webinars in March and April
- A lookback at GRESB’s live market quiz & debate at MIPIM 2026
- Updates on the 2026 GRESB Accredited Professional exams
Read on for details.
Get Ready for the GRESB Assessments
The GRESB Portal opens on April 1, marking the start of the 2026 GRESB Assessments and a key moment to engage with GRESB resources and support offerings.
GRESB Assessment Q&A Webinars
Join the GRESB Member Success team for live Q&A webinars on April 1–2, offering a timely opportunity to ask questions and gain clarity on the Assessments as the reporting period begins. To accommodate Members across time zones, two sessions will be held per asset class:
- Real estate | April 1, 2026 | See sessions and register
- Infrastructure | April 2, 2026 | See sessions and register
Get Up to Speed with GRESB Guides
Explore GRESB Guides, the redesigned resource platform that consolidates all core assessment guidance in one place, making it easier to navigate requirements and find the information you need.
New in March:
- Updated structure: Each assessment now has its own dedicated space for key guidance.
- AI-supported search feature (Beta): An enhanced search feature that provides short, AI-supported answers directly from the search box. This feature is currently in Beta. Review this disclaimer before use—responses should be verified against official guidance.
New Assessments & Tools
This year, GRESB introduced new offerings across the assessments, including:
- Real Estate Lender Assessment: A structured, independently validated framework purpose-built for lenders, evaluating how sustainability considerations are embedded across lending practices and delivering validated, comparable insights for credit and investment teams. Watch an on-demand webinar to learn more.
- NZIF Alignment Tool for infrastructure: Developed with IIGCC and launching as part of the Infrastructure Asset Assessment, this tool provides a standardized approach to understanding how infrastructure assets align with the Net Zero Investment Framework (NZIF). The tool uses existing GRESB data alongside a short, voluntary NZIF Module. Participation is optional and does not affect GRESB Scores or benchmarks.
Set Up for Success with GRESB Assessment Services
Starting April 1, participants can request a Pre-Submission Check—an evidence validation review which includes a one-hour call and a report outlining findings and feedback.
New in 2026:
- Technical Expert Touchpoint: Available year-round, this service provides focused, one-on-one facetime engagement with a GRESB Member Success expert, offering tailored guidance at any stage of your GRESB journey.
- Success Suite: A new bundled offering that brings together core premium support elements in the GRESB journey, including: one GRESB AP seat, one Technical Expert Touchpoint, one Pre-Submission Check, eligibility to opt in to Assessment Correction, and one Results Performance Review.
Together, these offerings are designed to guide participants through the Assessment cycle with confidence.
Road to Performance Public Consultation
Last month, the GRESB Foundation launched a public consultation on proposed updates to the Real Estate Standard under its Road to Performance initiative—a long-term program to strengthen the role of measured, real-world performance in the Standard. The consultation invites feedback on the long-term direction of performance-based scoring, the proposed implementation timeline, and the design of key structural changes.
To accommodate different levels of interest and technical expertise, participants can engage via two options:
- Executive Review: Read a condensed summary and answer core questions
- Advanced Review: Read the full consultation paper and respond to both core and detailed questions
Both options are accessible through a single survey, with the option to save progress and expand responses at any time.
The consultation closes on April 23, 2026. Feedback will directly inform refinements ahead of the 2028 Real Estate Standard.
Join the Live Webinar | In Conversation with the GRESB Foundation: On the Road to Performance
Join members of the GRESB Real Estate Standards Committee for a live discussion on the Road to Performance public consultation on April 8. The session will explore the proposed updates, their intended impact, and what they mean for investors and managers participating in the GRESB Assessment.
This is an opportunity to hear directly from Foundation leadership, ask questions, and gain clarity on the future direction of the Real Estate Standard.
GRESB Events & Webinars
Data Center Webinar Series: Regional Insights for 2026
Data centers continue to be one of the fastest-growing real asset sectors globally, but expansion is increasingly shaped by grid constraints, regulatory developments, energy sourcing challenges, and heightened stakeholder scrutiny. Join us for our regional webinars diving into the evolving data center sustainability landscape ahead of the launch of the dedicated GRESB Data Center Assessment later this year.
Data Centers: Impacts and Opportunities in Asia-Pacific | April 22 | 2 PM MYT/4 PM AEDT
Data center demand across Asia Pacific is accelerating, but growth is increasingly shaped by real-world constraints—limited grid capacity, uneven grid decarbonization, water stress, and tighter siting and permitting expectations. Join us online to gain a clearer view of near-term priorities, credible pathways, and how to benchmark and communicate progress.
Now on Demand | Behind-The-Meter Power Generation for Data Centers: Tackling a Constrained Grid
Across the Americas, data center growth is colliding with grid congestion, interconnection delays, and rising scrutiny of how reliability strategies affect emissions. At the same time, community sentiment is becoming a material project risk. Join us online to discuss how to pursue resilient operations while maintaining procurement integrity and transparent sustainability performance.
Now on Demand | Future-Ready Data Centers in EMEA: Regulation, Reporting, and Community Impact
In EMEA, data center sustainability is being reshaped by tightening regulation, higher disclosure expectations, and the need to operate efficiently within complex energy systems. Join us to discuss how to align operational performance and sustainability reporting with evolving regulatory and disclosure demands, and what investors and customers increasingly expect to see.
Looking Back at MIPIM 2026
GRESB was on the ground at MIPIM 2026 in Cannes, where conversations with investors, asset managers, and industry leaders pointed to a clear shift: sustainability is now part of how real estate assets are managed, valued, and positioned for the future.
At the Road to Zero Stage, GRESB hosted The Net Zero Reality Check, with Mathilde Petriat joined by Hugh Garnett (IIGCC) and Amanda Skeldon (SBTi). The interactive session combined live polling with findings from the GRESB & MIPIM industry survey and GRESB Benchmark data to explore how market perceptions align—or diverge—from evidence on net-zero progress, and what this means for risk, pricing, and capital allocation.
GRESB partnered with EUBIN to support the Global ESG Awards, recognizing organizations leading sustainability efforts across the real estate industry. As part of the ceremony, GRESB was also pleased to recognize a selection of 2025 GRESB Sector Leaders on stage.
Build Internal Expertise with GRESB AP
Now is the ideal time to earn or renew the GRESB Accredited Professional (AP) credential. The GRESB AP program is designed to equip professionals with the expertise to navigate the Assessments, manage sustainability data, and improve real asset performance.
The AP exam reflects the latest 2026 reporting requirements, covering Standards updates, scoring changes, and key concepts from preparation through to results interpretation.
New in 2026:
- Shortened recertification exam available for 2025 GRESB APs.
- Chinese-language versions of the GRESB AP exams are now available.
GRESB to Continue Providing CRREM Alignment Metrics
The CRREM Foundation announced that it will retire its standalone Risk Assessment Tool later this year.
For GRESB participants and investors, CRREM pathway alignment insights will continue to be available through the GRESB Real Estate Benchmark Reports and other GRESB real estate products, including REAL Benchmarks and the Transition Risk Report.
GRESB integrates CRREM pathway analysis across these products to support the assessment of transition risk and the decarbonization trajectory of real estate portfolios, helping investors and managers understand how portfolios align with evolving climate targets.
Foundation Update
Foundation Members In-Person Meeting
Members of the GRESB Foundation, including the Board, the Real Estate and Infrastructure Standards Committees, and the Data Center Working Group will gather in person in London for an in-person meeting next week. There will be several Standards Committee and Working Group meetings, Foundation strategy sessions, as well as tours of the Stagecoach Lea Interchange Bus Depot, Tower Bridge Court, and an IronMountain Data Center.
Although the Foundation hosts most of its meetings virtually, there is nothing that compares to face-to-face interactions and knowledge-sharing and we are delighted to see everyone in person next week.
Public Consultation – Member Engagement
The Road to Performance Public Consultation was launched in February and will close in less than a month on April 23. The GRESB Foundation is seeking a diverse and representative range of views on the proposed updates to test the direction, rationale, and practical implications. To support engagement, GRESB is running member roundtables across different markets to generate open discussion and gather direct feedback. A series of online roundtable sessions will take place mid-April, allowing more members to share their perspectives. Further information will be available soon.
Data Center Pilot Standard
GRESB continues to partner with iMasons Climate Accord to develop a Data Center Assessment. The Foundation recently provided pilot participants and Data Center Working Group members with an aggregated view of the pilot feedback collected from more than 40 organizations over the past few months. The analysis reflects their global perspective and presents a quantitative analysis of feedback on the relevance, practicality, and control associated with each proposed indicator. The Foundation plans to release a revised Data Center Standard available for use later this year.
For inquiries on the pilot findings or the upcoming Data Center Assessment, please reach out to [email protected].
GRESB Insights
GRESB Case Study Spotlight: Horizon Industrial Parks
In a new GRESB first-year participant interview, Horizon Industrial Parks—India’s largest and fastest-growing industrial and logistics infrastructure developer and a Blackstone platform—shares its experience participating in the GRESB Real Estate Assessment.
For Horizon, GRESB participation was not just a reporting exercise—it established a common framework to evaluate performance, strengthen governance, and identify gaps across both standing assets and development projects.
“GRESB insights have helped us prioritize actions that directly informed refinements to our operational strategy, including enhanced performance data capture, deeper tenant engagement on energy and water use, and sharper focus on climate risk, biodiversity, and embodied carbon in development decisions. The results also provide a structured way to communicate performance and progress to internal leadership, investors, and partners, using a globally recognized framework.”—Sneha Zagade, ESG Lead, Horizon Industrial Parks
The Pulse by GRESB
The Pulse by GRESB is an informative content series featuring the GRESB team, partners, GRESB Foundation members, and other industry experts, published on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Listen to the latest episodes below:
Why L&I Needs a New Resilience Playbook
Parag Cameron-Rastogi, GRESB Director of Real Asset Analytics, and Matt Clifford, Head of Sustainability & ESG, Asia Pacific at Cushman & Wakefield, explore how hazards such as floods, heat stress, storms, and wildfires are reshaping asset risk profiles globally, and discuss how investors and operators can integrate climate risk into capital planning, adaptation strategies, and long-term value creation.
From Targets to Capital Allocation: Testing the Credibility of Corporate Decarbonization Plans
Alex Clark, Research Director at Asset Impact (a GRESB company), speaks with Vincent Bouchet, Scientific Portfolio’s Director of ESG and Climate Research, about their joint white paper, “Evaluating the Consistency of Companies’ Decarbonisation Targets in Critical Sectors.”
Contribute to GRESB Insights
Industry insights from our partners and members into “Data Quality Matters” and other rolling topics:
- Data quality in the era of SFDR 2.0 and GRESB | PwC Luxembourg
- ESG in real estate: how data coverage drives performance and credibility | CTE – Centro de Tecnologia de Edificações
- The new cost of doing business | First Street
- From acquisition to exit: GRESB as a lever for driving sustainability performance across the investment lifecycle | Rider Levett Bucknall
- Data is easy to collect. Trust is not. | uHoo
- The financial cost of low-quality water data, and how smart water management transforms portfolio performance | HydroPoint Data Systems
- Building a scalable GRESB reporting engine: systems, tools, and governance | Earthood Services Limited
Interested in contributing? Check out the 2026 GRESB Editorial Calendar for fixed monthly topics and submission guidelines. The topic for April is “Data Centers“.
Upcoming Industry Events
SuperReturn Energy Transition
June 8-9, 2026 | Berlin, Germany
SuperReturn Energy Transition brings together 300+ private market leaders—including 100+ institutional investors and 180+ GPs—to explore the future of energy investment. With 6,000+ meetings, investor-led content, and insights from senior executives, the event offers a platform to navigate key themes such as energy security, industrial decarbonization, and evolving market dynamics.
GRESB Members receive a 10% discount with code: FKR3665GRESB
9th Sustainable Investor Summit | Swiss Forum 2026
April 22, 2026 | Zurich, Switzerland
Focused on the Swiss market, the 9th Sustainable Investor Summit – Swiss Forum brings together institutional investors, asset managers, and sustainability leaders to discuss how climate risk, sustainable finance, and capital allocation are shaping investment strategies in Switzerland and the DACH region.
Learn more and register here.
9th Sustainable Investor Summit | Germany Forum 2026
May 12–13, 2026 | Frankfurt, Germany
Centered on the German market, the 9th Sustainable Investor Summit – Germany Forum convenes institutional investors, asset managers, and sustainability leaders to explore the evolving role of sustainable finance, climate risk, and capital allocation in one of Europe’s largest investment markets.
Learn more and register here.
Data Centers Power Capital
May 4, 2026 | New York, USA
As demand accelerates with AI and cloud expansion, IMN’s Data Centers Power Capital in New York brings together investors, lenders, and operators to examine capital deployment, energy strategy, and the evolving infrastructure required to support digital growth.
GRESB Members receive a 15% discount with code: GRESB15
Data Centers Private Equity Dealmakers East
May 5, 2026 | New York, USA
IMN’s Data Centers Private Equity Dealmakers East, a leading East Coast event focused on data center investment and private equity, will gather investors, operators, and lendersto explore key themes shaping the sector—from AI-driven demand and power constraints to valuation, deal structuring, and emerging risks.
GRESB Members receive a 15% discount with code: GRESB15
Learn more and register here.
Sustainable Buildings: Taking the Temperature in 2026
April 22, 2026 | London, UK
GRESB will join CMS in London for an evening panel exploring the current state of sustainability across the real estate sector. The discussion will cover key topics including the role of data in investment decisions, evolving green lease practices, retrofit challenges, climate risk, and regulatory developments such as MEES. GRESB’s Karl Desai will be speaking at the event.
Learn more and register here.
Careers
GRESB is growing and looking for new people! Please feel free to share with your network.
Our most recently added open positions:
- Data Quality & Validation Internship | Amsterdam
Further Reading & Listening
Real estate sustainability: progress is real but execution remains the challenge | Real Asset INSIGHT
ESG Isn’t Dead | RE+D Magazine
Green Lease Leaders applications | Green Lease Leaders
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