GRESB’s impact
As a profit-for-purpose company and a Certified B Corp, GRESB BV believes in business as a force for good. 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 better 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
- Encourage the real assets industry to embrace ESG transparency and collective action
The GRESB Assessments and products have had a significant impact on the real assets industry, providing investors and managers with the requisite data, insights, and tools to make better decisions, and improve sustainability outcomes.
GRESB is now B Corp Certified
GRESB has earned official certification as a ‘B Corp’ (Benefit Corporation), placing us within a global network of organizations dedicated to fostering a sustainable and responsible society. This certification is awarded to companies that demonstrate a positive social and/or ecological impact, exhibit corporate transparency, and actively contribute to shaping the economy of the future. Currently, there are almost 8,000 B Corp-certified companies across more than 90 countries worldwide.
As a mission-driven organization dedicated to encouraging climate action, GRESB cares about its adherence to ESG criteria. B Corp companies undergo rigorous assessments to earn the certification and are evaluated on business performance standards and the company’s impact on all stakeholders, including team members, suppliers, society, and the environment. The certification reinforces GRESB’s long-standing commitment to helping the real assets industry create a more sustainable future. B Corp is a seal of approval for GRESB’s conduct within the organization and encompassing external relationships and interactions.
GRESB is committed to net-zero targets
GRESB is a proud signatory to the Net Zero Financial Service Providers Alliance (NZFSPA). The company is committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner, aligned with a maximum 1.5°C temperature rise above pre-industrial levels. To fulfill this commitment, GRESB seeks to align its services and products with net-zero targets, build internal capabilities to understand transition risks, and set interim targets consistent with a fair share of global emissions reduction by 2030.
As part of our commitment, GRESB pledges to disclose operational information aligned with the recommendations of the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
Moreover, GRESB is a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment and intends to become a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), further emphasizing the company’s commitment net-zero targets and complementing our our membership in the NZFSPA.
Sustainability initiatives at GRESB: building a responsible future
While GRESB’s core business model is dedicated to driving sustainable practices across the investment industry, we acknowledge the impact of our own operations and we are keen to exemplify the change we wish to see in the investment industry. As such, we are committed to aligning our own ESG practices with the standards we promote globally. Below is an overview of the sustainability-related initiatives at GRESB.
Reducing energy consumption and emissions at our offices
As a member-based knowledge company, the majority of GRESB’s emissions and energy use is concentrated in necessary electricity-based emissions to power our office and servers. To uphold our commitment, we are actively establishing robust policies and practices aimed at measuring, mitigating, and limiting these emissions whenever possible. GRESB is currently in dialogue with its office management and staff to reduce emissions and waste in line with the Paris Agreement.
Measuring and mitigating emissions from work-related travel
As an organization with a global footprint, another significant portion of GRESB’s emissions stems from essential work-related travel. While GRESB encourages virtual meetings whenever possible, we recognize the need to be present with our members on occasion and will begin tracking emissions from work-related travel and events. Moreover, the GRESB team is encouraged to take advantage of eco-friendly transportation options (i.e., walking, biking, using public transport) for work-related travel whenever possible. All staff is provided with a transit card to discourage the use of personal vehicles for their daily commutes.
Encouraging environmentally preferred and local purchasing
GRESB relies on local suppliers and opts for environmentally preferred purchasing options whenever possible – such as eco-friendly office supplies and food and beverage services that don’t rely on single-use plastics. Additionally, GRESB is integrating more plant-based catering across the company.
Implementing sustainable waste management practices
GRESB adopts a comprehensive waste management strategy to help reduce its environmental footprint. Emphasizing reduction, reuse, and recycling, our approach aims to divert waste from landfills whenever possible. Additionally, GRESB educates and encourages employees to engage in responsible waste disposal practices in their home offices. Team members are also encouraged to reduce their paper consumption by working digitally.
Fostering an environmentally conscious work culture
GRESB believes that sustainability is a collective responsibility. All members of the GRESB team hold each other accountable for nurturing and maintaining an eco-friendly work environment. GRESB is committed to staying up to date with best environmental practices and welcomes input on company sustainability practices from stakeholders and interested parties. Examples of eco-friendly practices at our offices include as energy conservation, waste reduction, and sustainable commuting.
Fostering a socially conscious and engaged work culture
GRESB encourages and supports the involvement of its team members in their communities, organizations, and philanthropic initiatives, whether through personal interests or GRESB-sponsored initiatives. To facilitate this committment, all team members are entitled to paid time off for volunteering every year. Additionally, the GRESB team collectively engages in community service projects around our headquarters in Amsterdam area and across global offices and supports employee-led philanthropic initiatives.
Supporting the health and well-being of GRESB team members
GRESB prioritizes the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of its employees and provides services and resources to promote a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Our approach to employee health and well-being includes encouraging physical activity, promoting organization-wide wellness challenges, offering trainings on proper posture, and conducting ergonomic assessments as well as complying with relevant health and safety regulations. For more information, see our careers page.
Committing to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and a safe work environment
GRESB is dedicated to fostering an inclusive culture that celebrates diversity and champions equity for all. GRESB’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity policy cultivates an inclusive environment through diverse hiring practices and continuous career development opportunities. Additionally, GRESB has appointed and trained two internal confidential counselors to support employees who feel they have been subjected to unwanted behavior in the workplace. For more information, visit our careers page.
Driving the industry forward
GRESB is actively mobilizing the financial sector for climate resilience and sustainability. The impact of GRESB on the real asset economy, covering USD 8.8 trillion of assets under management, far exceeds its impact as a company. As such, GRESB’s primary sustainability focus is to foster a financial industry that addresses climate change through its assessments, benchmarks, and related products, consistent with the company’s vision of an an investment sector that supports the transition to a sustainable world.
GRESB Foundation
Established in 2022, the GRESB Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit organization that sets global standards for assessing the ESG performance of real estate, infrastructure, and other assets. It oversees the GRESB Standards upon which the GRESB assessments are based and ensures that they remain independent. Through the Foundation, GRESB is able to engage more closely with the stakeholders we serve and the wider investment industry to advance our mission.
Read more about the Foundation and its board members here.
In October 2023, the GRESB Foundation released its 2024 Roadmap, which reflects upon future priorities for the Standards for the near- and long-term future. Alongside the Roadmap, GRESB also released its 2024 Standards changes. Every year, as part of the annual standards development process, the Foundation reviews stakeholder feedback and potential improvements to the GRESB Standards. Recommendations are made to the Foundation Board, which ultimately determines the advancements to the Standards. This annual exercise ensures that the Standards remain fit for purpose and continue to evolve alongside the needs of the investment industry.
Additionally, the GRESB Foundation reviews and maps other important frameworks to understand where and how the GRESB Standards may align. This annual framework mapping exercise may inform GRESB’s prioritization and technical approach to ESG issues that are considered in the GRESB Standards. Learn more about GRESB’s alignment with other common ESG frameworks here.