Beijing, China and Amsterdam, Netherlands – 20 July 2024 – GRESB, the global sustainability benchmark for real assets has joined the Green Investment Principles (GIP) for the Belt and Road as a supporting institution, aiming to collaborate with both parties’ global members to promote sustainable finance and green investment development. GRESB and GIP have multiple points of alignment and intersection in mission, focus areas, and membership. This collaboration will harness the strengths of both parties as industry leaders to enhance services for members, while supporting financial institutions and infrastructure development projects along the Belt and Road with their transition to net zero.
The GIP was initiated by the Green Finance Committee of China Society for Finance and Banking, and the City of London Green Finance Initiative, among other international institutions in November 2018. The goal is to ensure that new Belt and Road investment projects have positive attributes such as environmental friendliness, climate adaptation, and social inclusiveness, in order to collectively promote the achievement of the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
As of July 2024, GIP has been signed by 49 institutions from 17 countries and regions, with a total asset under management or ownership of US$ 42 trillion. Signatory institutions include state-owned policy banks, major commercial banks from the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, the UAE, Thailand, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and other countries.
The head of the GIP Secretariat, Mr. Cheng Lin, stated, “We welcome GRESB to join GIP. GRESB’s professional experience and insights in the infrastructure sector will support GIP member institutions in demonstrating and implementing their commitment to climate action and sustainable development.”
GRESB’s Head of Asia Pacific, Ruben Langbroek, said, “It is an honor to join the GIP as a supporting organization. As a global sustainability standard and benchmark for the real estate and infrastructure sectors, GRESB attaches great importance to the sustainable development of the Chinese market, as well as the countries and markets along the Belt and Road. Via the GIP, we can further encourage, recognize, and award sustainability leadership among real asset owners, managers, and operators. We look forward to engaging with GIP members and their development and investment projects, highlighting best practices to tackle climate change and drive the net-zero transition.”
GRESB is a trusted partner to public and private financial markets across real assets and climate-critical industries, delivering assessment-based solutions, actionable insights, and granular asset-based data to inform investment decisions and support the transition to a sustainable global economy. In terms of assisting financial institutions and infrastructure in their net-zero transformation and development, GRESB has the following application scenarios:
- Access to capital: Institutional investors use the GRESB platform for capital allocation decisions, while multinational banks have used GRESB scores and ratings as key performance indicators for sustainability-linked loans. GRESB is also utilized to track and communicate low-carbon and climate-related performance indicators with stakeholders.
- Transparency and availability of Information: The GRESB Standards and Assessments provide a platform for investors to engage with invested funds and assets on ESG performance. The GRESB Standards are aligned with international ESG frameworks, protocols, and disclosure standards, and are reviewed and updated annually.
- Facilitate decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors: GRESB’s solutions allow the financial industry to track emissions and climate risk across markets, covering the physical assets and companies that are responsible for more than 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions from the most carbon-intensive sectors.
- Capacity building: GRESB works with industry partners to launch knowledge outcomes related to green transition finance. GRESB also provides industrial insights, events, and the Accredited Professional Program to help practitioners better utilize GRESB results.
About The Green Investment Principles (GIP) for the Belt and Road
The GIP is a set of principles for greening investment in the Belt and Road. It includes seven principles at three levels, i.e. strategy, operations and innovation.
In order to ensure that environmental friendliness, climate resilience, and social inclusiveness are built into new investment projects in the Belt and Road, so that the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement are met, and all countries in the region build a shared future for common prosperity, the Green Finance Committee of China Society for Finance and Banking and the City of London Green Finance Initiative have jointly taken the lead to develop this set of green investment principles, with participation of Principles for Responsible Investment, Belt & Road Bankers Roundtable, Green Belt and Road Investors Alliance, World Economic Forum, and the Paulson Institute.
Green Investment Principles (GIP) for the Belt and Road
Principle 1: Embedding sustainability into corporate governance
Principle 2: Understanding Environmental, Social and Governance Risks
Principle 3: Disclosing environmental information
Principle 4: Enhancing communication with stakeholders
Principle 5: Utilizing green financial instruments
Principle 6: Adopting green supply chain management
Principle 7: Building capacity through collective action
For more information, please visit Green Investment Principles (gipbr.net)
About GRESB
GRESB is a trusted partner to public and private financial markets across real assets and climate-critical industries, delivering assessment-based solutions, actionable insights, and granular asset-based data to inform investment decisions and support the transition to a sustainable global economy.
Since 2009, GRESB has been the premier provider of ESG data and sustainability benchmarks for real assets. Our comprehensive and complementary datasets cover thousands of real estate portfolios, infrastructure funds, and infrastructure assets through the annual GRESB assessments, collectively valued at USD 8.8 trillion. And our Asset Impact suite of solutions allow the financial industry to track emissions and climate risk across markets, covering the physical assets and companies that are responsible for more than 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions from the most carbon-intensive sectors.
GRESB is also a signatory to the Net Zero Financial Service Providers Alliance (NZFSPA) under Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ).
Headquartered in Amsterdam with offices in London, Berlin, Paris, Sydney, Singapore, and Boston, GRESB covers global markets, including those in the belt-and-road, and we are aligned with international ESG frameworks, protocols, and disclosure standards.
For more information, please visit gresb.com and asset-impact.gresb.com.
If you need further information, please feel free to contact us.