GRESB is a mission-driven and industry-led organization that provides actionable and transparent environmental, social and governance (ESG) data to financial markets.
We collect, validate, score, and independently benchmark ESG data to provide business intelligence, engagement tools, and regulatory reporting solutions for investors, asset managers, and the wider industry.
Our vision:
An investment industry that plays a central role in creating a sustainable world
Our mission:
To provide financial markets with actionable insights, ESG data and benchmarks
Our values:
Leadership, dedication, collaboration, integrity, and transparency
How we work
GRESB provides a rigorous methodology and consistent framework to measure the ESG performance of individual assets and portfolios based on self-reported data. Performance assessments are guided by what investors and the wider industries consider to be material issues, and they are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Climate Agreement and major international reporting frameworks.
Through a GRESB Membership, data is reported to the relevant GRESB Assessment each year on a regular cycle and are validated by a third party and scored before being used to generate the following ESG benchmarks for the industry:
- Real Estate Benchmark
- Real Estate Development Benchmark
- Infrastructure Fund Benchmark
- Infrastructure Asset Benchmark
Each year, GRESB publishes the global aggregated benchmark data showing the state of ESG in the industry. The benchmark itself evolves over time, ensuring that scores reflect relative performance and evolving sustainability expectations.
Who we are
Created in 2009, GRESB is the global ESG benchmark for financial markets, composed of an independent foundation and a benefit corporation (certified B Corp). Working together as one, the GRESB Foundation focuses on the development, approval and management of the GRESB Standards while GRESB BV performs ESG assessments and provides related services to GRESB Members.
The owner of the standards upon which assessments are based, the GRESB Foundation is composed of a foundation board as well as standard committees and working groups consisting of investors, managers and industry partners.
A benefit corporation and certified B Corp, GRESB BV is responsible for administering the assessments, providing the benchmarks, developing new solutions and supporting GRESB members. The majority shareholder of GRESB BV is General Atlantic.
As a member-led organization, GRESB is committed to listening to and working closely with the industries it serves. Throughout the year, industry working groups examine specific topics relevant to the GRESB standards, assessments, benchmarks and related services to ensure they are reflective of industry needs.
Our Governance
Following GRESB’s change in ownership, the Real Estate and Infrastructure Advisory Boards and Benchmark Committees have been replaced by Standards Committees under the governance of the GRESB Foundation and will continue to oversee the development and maintenance of GRESB Standards.
GRESB BV will continue to be responsible for administering the GRESB Assessments, providing the benchmarks, promoting widespread adoption of the GRESB Standards and supporting investor and participant members.
GRESB BV is a benefit corporation and B-Corp certified.
Sustainability at GRESB
As a profit-for-purpose company, GRESB BV believes in making business a force for good, and we are guided by our vision of an investment industry that plays a central role in creating a sustainable world. The core of our work is focused on assessing and benchmarking the ESG performance of real assets and providing standardized and validated data to capital markets. Through our assessments, benchmarks, and related products, we:
- Enable investors to make more informed decisions for the benefit of society, the environment, and the economy
- Empower companies, managers, and asset operators to improve their sustainability performance through ESG insights and best practices
- Encourage the wider real assets industry to embrace and promote ESG transparency and collective action
With the establishment of the GRESB Foundation in 2022, steward of the GRESB Standards upon which GRESB assessments are based, we are now able to engage more closely with the stakeholders we serve and the wider industry to further advance our mission. Our governance structure, including the GRESB Foundation, ensures the independence of the standards.
Key ESG topics for GRESB’s operations
While GRESB’s core business model is dedicated to driving sustainable practices across the industry, we also acknowledge the impact of our own operations. We are committed to aligning our own environmental, social, and governance practices with the commitments we promote globally. Our own sustainability journey will start by conducting a broader materiality assessment of our corporate operations to identify the most significant sustainability actions we can take.
Below is an overview of the sustainability-related improvements we are focusing on in the coming year.
Sustainability Focus Areas
Because transparency is one of our core values, we are planning to publish our first sustainability and TCFD reports in the near future.
In addition to tracking the sustainability of our operations, we have also made an extensive commitment towards driving a Net Zero transformation by joining the Net Zero Service Providers Alliance and is now certified as a B-Corp.
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