GRESB June Update | GRESB Events Save the Date; A New Data Center Benchmark in Partnership with iMasons; GRESB Product Updates

As the July 1 assessment deadline approaches, the GRESB Portal is seeing record activity from participants finalizing their submissions. This month, we’re excited to share important product updates, releases, and news, including:

• GRESB events save the date
• Early access to Asset Analytics for real estate members
• REAL Benchmarks expansion
• GRESB & iMasons’ new Data Center Benchmark
• Get results-ready with GRESB AP
• GRESB Climate Action Plan

Read more below.

We are pleased to share new updates available to GRESB Real Estate Members to help them make the most of their data—starting now.

Early Access to Asset-Level Data with Asset Analytics

For the first time in GRESB’s history, real estate investors and participants will gain early access to asset-level data through the Asset Analytics tab in the GRESB Portal—starting this July. The Asset Analytics tab allows participants and investors to engage meaningfully with asset-level data beyond the portfolio results available in the Benchmark Report.

Early access offers new opportunities for performance analysis, engagement, and strategic planning, all before the final results are released in October.

What’s included:

• Asset-level metrics calculated from the performance data available in the GRESB Asset Portal
• Energy, GHG, Water, and Waste metrics, such as data coverage, like-for-like, and consumption metrics, and intensities

Asset-level data will become available in July upon submission into the GRESB Portal and will be refreshed when final results are released in October. Participants can choose to share their data with investors in July, October, any other time in between, or not at all.

NEW: Top 15% and 30% Performance Thresholds with REAL Benchmarks

GRESB REAL Benchmarks now includes performance thresholds for the top 15% and top 30% of assets, along with new ASHRAE thresholds. 

Available year-round, REAL Benchmarks is a private dashboard for real estate managers and companies to delve into the energy and GHG emissions data of all assets within their portfolio. It supports detailed analysis of how each asset contributes to the portfolio’s overall performance and allows users to benchmark assets against peers, decarbonization pathways, and other assets within the portfolio. The new thresholds will further support EU Taxonomy alignment analysis and unlock deeper insights.

This update marks the transition of REAL Benchmarks into a customizable benchmarking tool, empowering users to choose the benchmarks that best suit their needs and strategy.

Learn more about early access to Asset Analytics and the REAL Benchmarks expansion here.

Whether you’ve been working on the Real Estate or Infrastructure Assessments, summer is the ideal moment to put your reporting experience to use and get ahead of the results season. The updated 2025 GRESB Accredited Professional (AP) exams are designed to help you turn knowledge into insight—especially when it comes to interpreting and analyzing Benchmark Report results.

Taking the AP exam now ensures you’re prepared to support your team or clients when scores are released, with new questions focused on results interpretation, validation, scoring, and the latest GRESB Standards. Already took the AP last year? Remember to renew your credential.

Show what you’ve learned, deepen your expertise, and get results-ready.

Learn more about becoming a GRESB AP.

Earlier this month, GRESB published its inaugural Climate Action Plan. The Plan covers both GRESB and Asset Impact, outlining our approach across four key areas:

• Governance and foundation
• Products and services
• Stakeholder engagement
• Research and innovation

Developed in alignment with our commitments as a signatory to the NZFSPA, the Plan codifies our climate strategy, supports net-zero alignment, and strengthens the connection between capital flows and measurable emissions reductions.

Read the Climate Action Plan.

At GRESB, we understand that ENERGY STAR is far more than just a benchmarking tool—it’s a critical pillar of the U.S. real estate ecosystem.

While its future is still uncertain, Chris Pyke, GRESB Chief Innovation Officer, takes a moment to look at how ENERGY STAR functions as a brand, a yardstick, a platform, an educator, and a certification system—all grounded in rigorous science and public trust. Its value lies not just in its tools, but in the ecosystem it supports: credible data, aligned incentives, and a shared language for performance.

Read the full article.

Data Center Working Group

The Data Centers Working Group  partnership with Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) was recently announced at Data Cloud. The working group includes more than 20 representatives from across the automation, energy management, computing, technology, and asset management sectors to develop a new data center-specific sustainability benchmark. A pilot assessment is scheduled for Q3 of 2025, with a full assessment open to the whole market expected in 2026.

To read more about GRESB’s focus on data centers, check out the recently published whitepaper on Navigating data center sustainability with GRESB in 2025.

Change Management Working Group

The Change Management Working Group has finalized the Principles for Governing the Standards Development Process. These governing principles provide an additional level of transparency into how the Foundation manages incremental, annual changes to the Standards. The Foundation will soon release a podcast to discuss the importance of these principles to the future standards development process.

Building Certifications Criteria Update

GRESB has launched its evaluation process of building certification schemes to ensure they are aligned with updated Building Certification Evaluation Criteria. Certification bodies are required to submit information to GRESB to demonstrate alignment with the criteria for schemes to be recognized in future versions of the Real Estate Standard. A survey was launched in June covering brand-level requirements (governance, process, transparency), and a running tracker of recognized brands will become available in July. Further details on the evaluation process and transition timeline are available on this webpage.

Industry insights from our partners and members into “Biodiversity” and other rolling topics:

• Biodiversity and solar power in Spain—Why smart planning makes all the difference | CMS
  Spain leads Europe in both solar energy potential and biodiversity. As photovoltaic projects accelerate, this article explores how forward-looking planning, legal safeguards, and site-specific measures are essential to protect ecosystems and ensure truly sustainable energy development.
• Promoting Natural Resources and Biodiversity Protection Practices: Yuexiu Property’s Journey | Yuexiu Property
  As biodiversity risks gain prominence, Yuexiu Property is applying the TNFD framework across its operations to manage nature-related risks. The article covers biodiversity assessments in 10 major cities, ecological restoration projects like Moon Lake, and long-term goals to achieve no net biodiversity loss by 2030 and deliver positive impacts by 2060.
• Data centers are under pressure—Here’s what needs to change | EVORA
  Rising energy use, water consumption, and e-waste are putting data centers under the spotlight. This article outlines key challenges and practical strategies for reducing operational demand, improving long-term resilience, and enhancing transparency—turning sustainability risk into investment value.

Interested in contributing? Check out the 2025 GRESB Editorial Calendar for fixed monthly topics and submission guidelines. The topic for July is “Green financing options.”

WELL Regional Summit – Bangalore
July 16 | Bangalore, India

Join Padmanabh Subramaniam, Country Management – Business Development, India, at the WELL Regional Summit in Bengaluru. Gain insights into local trends, success stories, and the real-world impact of WELL in Bengaluru’s built environment.

WELL Flagship Summit – Australia
August 20 | Sydney, Australia

Join IWBI’s Flagship Summit in Sydney—an unmatched opportunity to connect with global leaders and changemakers dedicated to creating people-first places. Attendees will engage in education sessions, technical training, tours of WELL Certified spaces, wellness activities, and an awards reception.

Proptech Connect 2025
September 3–4 | London, UK

Join Europe’s largest real estate tech event bringing together 6,000+ leaders from real estate, tech, venture capital, and service sectors to advance digital transformation in the built environment. Anna Olink, Director, Real Estate – EMEA, will be speaking at the event.

GRESB is growing and looking for new people! Our most recently added open positions:

• Marketing Manager | Amsterdam
• Client Relationship Manager, Asset Impact | Amsterdam | Paris | London | Berlin
• M&A and Special Projects Internship | Paris

From Mandates to Markets: How Non-Financial Data’s Shaping the Future | Commercial Property Executive

Vast Majority of Investors Sticking with Sustainable Investing, But Quietly, BNP Paribas Survey Finds | ESG today

Data Centers Need Their Own Sustainability Benchmark | PERE (paywalled)

From Risk to Opportunity: Investing in Infrastructure in Emerging Markets | Institutional Investing in Infrastructure (paywalled)

Revisiting “The Babel Tower Of EPC Ratings”: Updated Thresholds Across Europe | European Datawarehouse