The GRESB Assessments deadline is only a few days away! Please remember to submit your Assessment response before the Portal closes on July 1, 2023.
For any questions on the Assessments or for assistance, please contact us. To learn more about what you can expect in the coming weeks and months, please refer to our GRESB Assessment timeline.
In the meantime, we have two important updates on a new peer group selection functionality currently being developed and our 2023 results events below.
New “Customize Peer Group” functionality
Starting August 1, 2023, GRESB real estate participants will have access to a brand new “Customize Peer Group” functionality in the GRESB Portal. This new feature, available in 2023 in test phase, is being developed in response to industry feedback and allows participants to either confirm their predefined peer group, as allocated by GRESB, or submit edits to the peer grouping criteria.
Because this functionality is still being developed, your updated peer group selection will not appear in your 2023 Benchmark Report. However, your input will allow us to build the functionality in a way that accounts for as many real-life use cases as possible.
In October, as a gesture of appreciation for your input, you will be able to access your ranking against your Customized Peer Group in the GRESB Portal. The ranking will be available to participants only.
Participants will also be able to provide feedback on the usability of the functionality, which will be critical to improving the functionality for its 2024 release, when it will also appear in the Benchmark Reports.
Available between August 1 and August 30, the “Customize Peer Group” process takes less than five minutes to complete and comprises only a few simple steps. Learn more about it here.
2023 GRESB events
The 2023 GRESB Results events series is right around the corner! You can now register for our flagship GRESB Global Results Event, taking place online on October 17, 2023, and for our in-market and online GRESB Regional Insights events taking place in the following weeks and months.
Real assets investors and managers play a central role in driving progress towards a more sustainable world. Our events delve into this progress and the ESG numbers behind the 2023 GRESB Real Estate and Infrastructure Benchmarks. Join us to:
- Discover how leading organizations drive positive outcomes for people and the planet
- See industry transition and ESG alignment in action across global markets
- Learn how ESG reporting is evolving and ways to do it faster and better
You can learn more about our events and sign up on our 2023 GRESB Results events page.
GRESB Global Results event
Interested in learning more about what the 2023 GRESB Benchmark data has taught us about the real estate and infrastructure asset classes and what emerging trends we are seeing? Make sure to sign up for our online 2023 Global Results Event taking place on October 17, 2023.
To faciliate participation across time zones, this year’s GRESB Global Results Event will feature four online sessions — two for each asset class. All sessions will take place on the same day.
View the sessions and register for the GRESB Global Results event here.
GRESB Regional Insights
In collaboration with our co-hosting Partners, the GRESB Regional Insights are live, in-person events that dive deeper into regional numbers and the important topics GRESB members face in the various markets they operate in.
View a full list of our upcoming Regional Insights events and register here.
The link between GRESB participation & financial performance
As sustainability continues to gain prominence in the real estate industry, investors and fund managers are increasingly recognizing the potential impact of ESG practices on financial performance. Leveraging two recent studies, we shed light on the interplay between GRESB participation and non-listed real estate fund returns in Europe and in the US.
Foundation update
Introduction to new GRESB staff
Chris Pyke and Sarah Welton recently joined the GRESB team and have begun supporting the work of the Foundation Board. Chris is returning to GRESB as the Chief Innovation Officer and he will lead GRESB’s innovation strategy across all aspects of the organization. Sarah will serve as the Foundation and Stakeholder Engagement Director and will act as the key interface between the GRESB Foundation and GRESB BV.
CRREM
In September 2022, GRESB released the preliminary 2022 GRESB Real Estate Benchmark Reports, including a new “Portfolio Decarbonization” section, showing a portfolio’s performance against the CRREM pathways. In response to this new section, the Foundation solicited feedback from global industry organizations, including PCA, Nareit, ULI, REALPAC, and ANREV, to request their input on the updated section in the Benchmark Reports. The feedback was reviewed by the Foundation Board during the May Foundation Board meeting and, as a result, an updated CRREM section will be included as part of the 2023 Real Estate Benchmark Report and an updated version of the 2022 CRREM section will also be released in the coming weeks. The two most notable changes to the 2022 re-release are the removal of “stranding year” terminology and updated “limitations” language.
2024 Standards review
In its most recent meeting, the Foundation Board continued its review of the proposed changes to the 2024 Real Estate and Infrastructure Standards, scheduled for release in late October. There are several topics being considered by the Real Estate and Infrastructure Standards Committees, all of which will be presented to the Foundation Board for final approval. The real estate topics include residential real estate, energy consumption and performance, building certifications, TCFD alignment, physical climate risk and transition risk. The infrastructure topics include a solution for infrastructure under development, TCFD alignment, and GHG performance.
It should be noted that the topics of net zero, embodied carbon, and biodiversity are already in progress (please refer to the May 2023 update for more details) and diversity, equity and inclusion will likely be prioritized after the 2024 Standards are released.
Reminder: You can learn more about the GRESB Foundation Standards Committees by visiting our website and can apply to join the Real Estate or Infrastructure Standards Committees by completing this nomination form. Nominations are still open.
GRESB case studies
GRESB case studies explore the many ways our community uses GRESB, looking at how our investor members and managers engage with our data and integrate GRESB into their investment processes and decision-making.
View our latest case studies and features below:
- Brookfield India REIT demonstrates its commitment to sustainability and net-zero transition through GRESB | Brookfield India REIT
- First year participant interview | MOMENI Group
Contribute to GRESB Insights
Through GRESB Insights, we seek to highlight case studies on ESG integration in real assets, data-driven analyses into how the industry is responding to sustainability challenges, and educational articles exploring topics covered in the GRESB Assessments.
The theme this month was “Data Quality.” Below is the latest GRESB Insight:
- The 5-Step Guide to Triple-Net Data Collection | Aquicore
- The Foundation of GHG Reporting: Data Collection, Consistency, and Confidence | Schneider Electric
- Data quality: a game changer in real estate | Deepki
- ESG Foundations: Data Quality in Commercial Real Estate | Stok
- Unlocking investor confidence: Real estate’s path to enhanced data quality | NanoGrid
- Using data quality to improve real assets value | Onnec iQ
See all of our GRESB Insights here. Next month’s topic is “ESG Reporting.”
Upcoming Events
> REITworks: 2023 Conference | June 28-29, 2023 | Las Vegas
Join GRESB’s Sarah Welton and Reid Morgan at REITworks, Nareit’s annual conference focused on providing industry professionals with the chance to discuss evolving sustainability trends relevant to the CRE. Make sure to stop by the GRESB table to discuss everything GRESB and ESG reporting!
> Building sustainable and resilient real estate portfolios in Asia Pacific | July 5 | Singapore
ANREV is hosting its first ESG conference, aimed at discussing the latest trends in ESG and considerations in the private equity real estate funds industry in the APAC region.
> Scaler: Maximizing tech to create and achieve your Net Zero strategy | July 11 | Online
Join Scaler for a webinar on decarbonzing the real estate industry using the right tools, such as science-based targets and advanced data handling solutions.
> IMN ESG Decarbonizing Real Estate Forum | July 18 – 19 | Online
IMN is hosting its annual forum, focused on what is necessary to drive forward ESG progress in the real estate industry, and providing networking opportunities with industry professionals.
> IGCC 2023 Climate Change Investment and Finance Summit | 21 – 22 August, 2023 | Sydney
The IGCC is holding its annual summit for industry professionals working towards decarbonization. With a variety of talks by leading market practitioners, this event focuses on the opportunities within climate investment and policy.
See our events calendar for a full overview of upcoming events.
Careers
GRESB is growing and looking for new people! Please feel free to share with your network.
Our most recently added open positions: