Pioneering dual zero innovation in China: Yuexiu Property’s approach to sustainable real estate 

Yuexiu Property, established in 1983 as one of China’s first comprehensive real estate enterprises, is deeply committed to sustainable development with “long-termism” and has disclosed its progress and achievements in sustainable development for 15 consecutive years. 

Yuexiu’s sustainability strategy integrates national climate policy, investor expectations, and innovation in green building technologies. Key sustainability commitments include:

• Dual-carbon goals: Carbon emission intensity reduction of 40% (public buildings) and 19% (residential) by 2030, relative to 2019 levels
• Net-zero trajectory: Achieve Scope 1 and 2 emissions neutrality by or before 2060
• Green building standards: Company-wide digital certification system and targets for zero-carbon and zero-energy performance
• GRESB integration: Annual participation since 2021 to inform planning, assess progress, and guide continuous improvement

Since 2021, Yuexiu Property has participated in the GRESB Real Estate Assessment as part of its commitment to embedding sustainability into its core business strategy. Recognizing early on that alignment with global benchmarks and international standards is essential for long-term value creation, Yuexiu uses GRESB to measure performance, guide operational improvements, and meet investor expectations in a transparent and structured way. GRESB’s industry-specific framework offers Yuexiu both performance insights and strategic guidance, enabling the company to enhance disclosures, improve operations, and strengthen its market competitiveness.

Participation in the GRESB Assessment has catalyzed improvements across multiple dimensions of Yuexiu’s performance. One early insight—a performance gap revealed by the firm’s initial GRESB results—led Yuexiu to implement a digital management platform to monitor and drive green building certification adoption across its portfolio. Yuexiu also pays close attention to the annual updates to the GRESB Standards to inform its strategic planning and sustainability agenda. For example, the introduction of an embodied carbon indicator in the GRESB Real Estate Standard in 2025 prompted Yuexiu to formally incorporate embodied carbon into its sustainability roadmap.

“GRESB is not only a tool to evaluate our sustainability performance—it is a strategic compass that helps us stay aligned with both market expectations and the planet’s needs,” said the sustainability team at Yuexiu Property.

Yuexiu’s broader climate strategy is closely aligned with China’s national “30|60” dual-carbon targets, which commit the country to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. In response, Yuexiu developed a comprehensive Dual-Carbon Action Plan, grounded in rigorous carbon inventories and structured around ten action directions across three strategic dimensions, namely Product Enhancement, Operational Optimization and Management Upgrade.

The plan includes goals such as a 40% reduction in carbon intensity per unit area for public buildings and a 19% reduction for residential projects by 2030 (against 2019 levels), as well as Scope 1 and 2 carbon neutrality by or before 2060. In this context, GRESB continues to serve as Yuexiu’s sustainability performance dashboard, enabling the firm to benchmark, iterate, and align its sustainability actions with national and global ambitions.

Building on this foundation, Yuexiu has designed a “dual zero” strategy—developing buildings that achieve both zero-carbon and zero-energy performance. These high-performance assets are becoming a cornerstone of the company’s climate action plan and a defining feature of its approach to sustainable real estate.

A prime example of Yuexiu’s dual-zero strategy is the Yuexiu iPARK Guangdong-Hong Kong Cloud Valley. Located in the Qingsheng area of the Nansha pilot zone in Guangzhou, iPARK is the first industrial park in South China to be certified both as a zero-carbon and zero-energy building. The project received these certifications in December 2024 from the China Association of Building Energy Efficiency.

iPARK was designed with a “one corridor, two zones, three nodes” spatial layout tailored to local climate conditions. One corridor refers to the central corridor of the commercial district, two zones are commercial and office zones, and three nodes refer to the urban gathering ground—colorful showgrounds and social axis under the forest. The development integrates 12 specialized technologies, including:

• Passive energy-saving: Self-shading architectural forms, enhanced glass shading coefficients, and designs that maximize natural lighting and ventilation
• Active energy-saving: High-efficiency HVAC systems, heat recovery ventilation, intelligent air quality monitoring, and energy-efficient lighting
• Renewable energy: Solar photovoltaic power generation and sponge city rainwater reuse
• Innovative construction: BIM technology, prefabricated structures, and an integrated energy management platform

These interventions resulted in 47.7% energy efficiency for the main building, a comprehensive energy efficiency rate of 100%, and a renewable energy utilization rate of 108%. With terminal energy consumption at just 34 kWh/m² annually, the project aligns industrial-scale development with net-zero performance.

The GRESB framework has served as both a mirror and a map for Yuexiu’s “dual-zero” journey. The firm used GRESB indicators—particularly around energy performance, carbon emissions, and renewables—to guide the design, implementation, and monitoring of its projects.

“The GRESB framework offers a clear and consistent guide for our dual-zero building strategy. It enables us to monitor energy performance, make timely improvements, and ensure each project aligns with our broader carbon reduction goals,” said the Sustainability team at Yuexiu Property.