FAQ

You can share your GRESB Results with your stakeholders.

You may not sell, sub-license, or otherwise commercially exploit the Scorecard or Benchmark Report.

For more details please refer to Clause 3 of GRESB Terms & Conditions.

We provide GRESB Rating logos and Sector Leader logos that you can add to your website, embed in your email signature or include in your reports, presentations and other communications.

See the results marketing resources.

There will be no embargo date in 2023, as such participants can choose to publicly communicate their final GRESB results, should they wish to do so, once they receive their final Benchmark Report on October 2.

You can find more information here.

Real Estate Assessment Data Protection

Data is submitted to GRESB through a secure online platform. The data is never made public except in anonymized and aggregated form.

Non-listed real estate entities participating in the Assessment

As a participating manager, you need to give your explicit consent for GRESB Investor Members to see your data and GRESB Results.

• Scorecard and Benchmark Report – GRESB Investor Members must request access to your Benchmark Report, in order to see your data and your GRESB Results. This request is made via the GRESB Portal and you are able to accept or deny the request with a simple click. This data is also made available to Investor Members in the Portfolios Analysis Tool and in the Data Exporter.
• Asset Data – Asset data is reported through the GRESB Asset Portal. GRESB Investor Members are not able to request access to your asset data. If you choose to share this information with all your Investor Members, you can do so directly from the Asset Portal. Please note that you cannot provide access to GRESB Investor Members on a case by case basis.

Listed real estate entities participating in the Assessment 

• Scorecard and Benchmark Report – GRESB Investor Members automatically have access to your data and GRESB Results. This data is also made available to Investor Members in the Portfolios Analysis Tool and in the Data Exporter.
• Asset Data – Asset level data is reported through the GRESB Asset Portal. Asset-level data of listed entities will not be shared with Investor Members with a listed real estate subscription, and entities cannot choose to share them with the Investor Members.

First-year participants can opt-out of allowing GRESB Investors Members to request access to their data and GRESB results. This is referred to as a “Grace Period”.

Participants can choose whether the documentation uploaded as evidence for various Indicators is shared with Investor Members. This is done by ticking a corresponding checkbox. Otherwise, the evidence is only used for validation purposes.

Participants also have the option to disclose their scores to peers. This option is available under the reporting-entities data-sharing settings in the Assessment Portal page. By selecting “Yes”, participants agree to disclose their entity’s name and Component Scores with the rest of their peer group participants that have also opted-in. This information is visible in the online version of the Scorecard only and can be accessed by hovering over data points in the GRESB Model. It is important to note that once a participating entity has decided to disclose its score to peers, the action cannot be reversed after the submission deadline has passed.

Infrastructure Assessment data protection

Data is submitted to GRESB through a secure online platform. The data is never made public except in anonymized and aggregated form.

Non-listed infrastructure entities participating in the Assessment 

As a participating manager or operator, you need to give your explicit consent for GRESB Investor Members, or Fund Managers in the case of the Infrastructure Asset Assessment, to see your data and GRESB Results.

• Scorecard and Benchmark Report – GRESB Investor Members, or Fund Managers in the case of the Infrastructure Asset Assessment, must request access to your Scorecard and Benchmark Report, in order to see your data and your GRESB Results. This request is made via the GRESB Portal and you are able to accept or deny the request with a simple click. This data is also made available to Investor Members in the Portfolios Analysis Tool and in the Data Exporter.

Listed infrastructure entities participating in the Assessment

• Scorecard and Benchmark Report – GRESB Investor Members, or Fund Managers in the case of the Infrastructure Asset Assessment, automatically have access to your data and GRESB Results. This data is also made available to Investor Members in the Portfolios Analysis Tool and in the Data Exporter.

First-year participants can opt-out of allowing GRESB Investors Members, or Fund Managers in the case of the Infrastructure Asset Assessment, to request access to their data and GRESB results. This is referred to as a “Grace Period”.

Participants can choose whether the documentation uploaded as evidence for various Indicators is shared with Investor Members. This is done by ticking a corresponding checkbox. Otherwise, the evidence is only used for validation purposes.

Participants also have the option to disclose their scores to peers. This option is available under the reporting-entities data-sharing settings in the Assessment Portal page. By selecting “Yes”, participants agree to disclose their entity’s name and Component Scores with the rest of their peer group participants that have also opted-in. This information is visible in the online version of the Scorecard only and can be accessed by hovering over data points in the GRESB Model. It is important to note that once a participating entity has decided to disclose its score to peers, the action cannot be reversed after the submission deadline has passed.

For more information, please watch the below video, which applies to both Real Estate and Infrastructure.

The Personal Data that we collect from you may be transferred to, and stored, outside the European Economic Area (“EEA”), currently limited to the USA, Singapore, or to authorized employees in Canada, USA and Australia.

It may also be processed by staff operating outside the EEA that work for us or for one of our suppliers, or our parent company based in the United States. Such staff may be engaged in, among other things, the fulfilment of your order, the processing of your payment details and the provision of support services.

All information you provide to us is stored using a password-protected system managed either by us or by independent contractors appointed by us. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password that enables you to access certain parts of our site, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share such passwords with anyone.

GRESB has updated its Privacy Statement to reflect changes in data privacy laws, specifically the General Data Protection Regulation in the European Union.

We’ve added details about your ability to manage the information you share with us, and the new tools we’ve created to help you do that.

This updated Policy gives you more control over your information and more clearly explains how we use it. Our core commitments regarding your privacy haven’t changed, including the commitment to safeguarding your data.

In the interest of transparency and additional clarity, we also made some related changes to our Terms and Conditions and have introduced a separate Cookie Policy.

For more details, you can access:

• Our updated Privacy Statement;
• Our updated Terms & Conditions;
• Our Cookie Policy.

Click here to sign up to the GRESB Newsletter. You’ll receive monthly GRESB news and updates on advancing sustainability best practices in real assets.

Click here to see current vacancies.

You can share your feedback with us in several ways:

• From within the Portal by using the feedback page,
• Via our Contact form, selecting “Feedback” as your reason for contacting us, and
• If you are a GRESB Member or a GRESB Partner, you can apply to join one of the GRESB Foundation’s committees and or working groups.

As an industry-led benchmark, assessment development involves a structured engagement with our governance bodies. See more information on our governance bodies.

The process is informed by in-house data analysis, market research, detailed gap analysis alignment work feedback from Assessment users and engaging with the broader industry that relies on our Assessments and Benchmarks. This approach ensures that our Assessments and benchmarks are shaped and driven by the stakeholders we serve and help move the entire industry closer to our shared vision of sustainable real assets.

Information on Governance

GRESB assesses and benchmarks the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance of real assets, providing standardized and validated data to the capital markets.

GRESB Assessments capture information on ESG performance and sustainability best practices for real estate and infrastructure companies, funds and assets worldwide.

The Assessments are guided by what investors and the industry consider to be material issues in the sustainability performance of real asset investments, and are aligned with international reporting frameworks, such as GRI, PRI, SASB, DJSI, TCFD recommendations, the Paris Climate Agreement, UN SDGs, region and country specific disclosure guidelines.

Each year reporting to the GRESB Assessments generates the following ESG benchmarks for the industry:

• Real Estate Benchmark
• Real Estate Development Benchmark
• Infrastructure Fund Benchmark
• Infrastructure Asset Benchmark

Assessment participants receive comparative business intelligence on where they stand against their peers, a roadmap with the actions they can take to improve their ESG performance and a communication platform to engage with investors.

Investors use the ESG data and GRESB’s analytical tools to monitor their investments, engage with their managers, and make decisions that lead to a more sustainable and resilient real asset industry.

GRESB has Assessments covering: Real Estate and Infrastructure.

Download GRESB Real Estate Presentation, October 2019
Download GRESB Infrastructure Presentation, October 2019

GRESB was formerly known as the “Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark” because when we launched in 2009 our focus was on the real estate sector.

But now that we cover real assets, including infrastructure, our name is simply “GRESB” and we no longer break down the letters into words.

As a trusted partner to financial markets across real assets and climate-critical industries, GRESB delivers assessment-based solutions, actionable insights, and granular asset-level data to drive informed investment decisions and support the transition to a sustainable, net-zero economy. Since 2009, GRESB has been the premier provider of sustainability data and benchmarks across real assets, serving more than 150 financial institutions and investors worldwide.

Learn more about GRESB

We have prepared marketing resources, including logos, email signature badges and template press releases that you can add to your website, include in media releases, reports, presentations and other communications.

See marketing resources for your results communications.

We will continue to recognize Real Estate entities with a score higher than 50% of the points allocated to each relevant component. Entities with more than 15 points in Management and 35 points in Performance OR 15 points in Management and 35 points in Development will receive the Green Star designation.

The Green Star designation is only provided for Real Estate Assessment participants.

The Green Star designation is highlighted through a distinctive markup in the Scorecard and Benchmark Reports. It is not accompanied by a Green Star logo.

Unlike the GRESB Rating, which is a relative rating, the GRESB Green Star is a rating on absolute performance.

The GRESB Rating is based on the GRESB Score and its quintile position relative to all participants in the GRESB Assessment, with annual calibration of the model. If the entity is placed in the top quintile, it will be a GRESB 5 Star rated entity; if it ranks in the bottom quintile, it will be a GRESB 1 Star rated entity, etc.

As the GRESB Rating is calculated relative to the global performance of reporting entities, it shows you exactly where you stand on a global scale. GRESB 5 Stars is the highest rating and recognition for being an industry leader. Each year, 20% of entities receive a GRESB 5 Star rating. You can use your GRESB Rating Logo in your communications.

The GRESB Score is an overall measure of ESG performance – represented as a percentage (100 percent maximum). Your GRESB Score gives you quantitative insight into your ESG performance in absolute terms, over time and against your peers.

GRESB Public Results provide an aggregated picture of the state of sustainability in the real estate and infrastructure sector. Given the global reach of our benchmarks, the annual dataset can be used to track sector progress against relevant targets and normative standards and shine a light on what needs to be done to transition to sustainable real assets.

GRESB Results provide a practical way for GRESB Participants to understand their ESG performance and communicate that performance to investors and other stakeholders. Some stakeholders will seek high-level scores and key performance drivers, while others will want to review more detailed information. GRESB Results respond to both priorities, providing simple overall scores and absolute measures of performance as well as rich, detailed indicator-level insights and relative peer rankings.

GRESB Results are available in the GRESB Portal. The two primary reports are the GRESB Scorecard and Benchmark Report.

The Scorecard provides you with your overall GRESB Score, GRESB Rating and a summary analysis of how your performance compares to your peers.

The Benchmark Report includes a more in-depth analysis of your sustainability performance, providing the basis for competitive analysis and communication. The report starts with the Scorecard and is followed by indicator-by-indicator information of your ESG performance and how this compares against your peers. The report is designed to help you to identify areas of risk and opportunity, make informed decisions and deepen your engagement with investors. Learn more about the Benchmark Report.

If you participate with several entities, the Portfolio Analysis Tool allows you to analyze the relative performance of each entity and compare your aggregated portfolio to a self-selected benchmark. The Portfolio Analysis Tool is available to GRESB Members. Learn more about the Portfolio Analysis Tool.

The Data Exporter provides access to all data points in the Assessments. The datasets are available for download in .csv and .xlsx format so that you can integrate the data more easily with your existing portfolio management systems and use in your own modeling.

You can also download a report with all your Assessment Responses from the GRESB Portal. The report provides the detail of what you reported and is useful in helping you understand your Scorecard and Benchmark Report.

Each year we are excited to recognize and celebrate GRESB Participants from across the world who have inspired us with their leadership and commitment. Recognition include: GRESB Sector Leader, GRESB Most Improved, GRESB 5 star Rated and Infrastructure Fund Managers who achieve a GRESB Score.

View 2024 Real Estate Sector Leaders for Standing Investment

View 2024 Real Estate Sector Leaders for Development

View 2024 Infrastructure Sector Leaders

Learn more about how we recognize leadership in the Assessments

Read our latest news and releases to discover how we’re working with capital markets to assess the environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance of real asset investments.

GRESB logos can be downloaded from this page.

GRESB logos and marketing assets are GRESB’s proprietary material and cannot be altered in any way. Please refer to the Branding Guidelines.

GRESB logos and assets are proprietary and we ask you to follow our Branding Guidelines.

We would be delighted to discuss what you have in mind. Please contact us with an agenda and information on the event participants.

GRESB Investor Members, Participant Members, Partners and Industry Partners gain preferential opportunity to submit articles and case studies on GRESB Insights to share sustainability best practices and leadership with the industry. Here is our guidance and editorial calendar.

You can share your GRESB Results with your stakeholders.

You may not sell, sub-license, or otherwise commercially exploit the Scorecard or Benchmark Report.

For more details please refer to Clause 3 of GRESB Terms & Conditions.

We provide GRESB Rating logos and Sector Leader logos that you can add to your website, embed in your email signature or include in your reports, presentations and other communications.

See the results marketing resources.

There will be no embargo date in 2023, as such participants can choose to publicly communicate their final GRESB results, should they wish to do so, once they receive their final Benchmark Report on October 2.

You can find more information here.

GRESB was formerly known as the “Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark” because when we launched in 2009 our focus was on the real estate sector.

But now that we cover real assets, including infrastructure, our name is simply “GRESB” and we no longer break down the letters into words.

Please take the following information into account when paying your 2023 invoice.

Payments in Euro can be paid to:
IBAN: NL07 INGB 0004 8499 91
BIC: INGBNL2A

Payments in USD can be paid to:
IBAN: NL27 INGB 0020 2200 57
BIC: INGBNL2A

ING Bank:
Bank Address: PO Box 1800, 1000 BV Amsterdam, NL
Beneficiary Name: GRESB B.V.

For information about fees, please contact us.

GRESB Managers who participated in an Assessment receive an annual invoice at the beginning of the subsequent year. The annual invoice is based on the number of participating entities in the prior year.

If you participate with more entities than are covered by your annual invoice, you will receive an invoice for the additional entities after the submission.

You can request that your invoice be updated if you know before April 1st that you will participate with a different number of entities than indicated on your invoice.

See the GRESB Partner Directory.

GRESB Data Partners are those Partners who can help participants report data to the Portal via an API.

To find out more information about receiving this designation, see our GRESB Data Partner & API page.

GRESB offers various ways for organizations to partner.

• Learn more about becoming a GRESB Partner
• See GRESB Partner Directory.

Yes, you can participate in the Assessments with multiple entities.

A separate Assessment should be submitted for each entity.

First, register as an individual via the GRESB Portal. Once you have registered, you will be able to add individual entities to the GRESB Portal and complete a GRESB Assessment on behalf of each entity.

The GRESB Scorecard and Benchmark Report is available in the GRESB Portal.

• GRESB Members receive a free Benchmark Report as part of their membership.
• Participants in the Real Estate Assessment and Infrastructure Fund Assessment paying the flat participation fee receive a free Benchmark Report.

Yes, you can discuss your results with a GRESB in a Results Consultation call. The Results Consultation provides an in-depth understanding of your GRESB Assessment results, including detailed insight into the validation process and the allocation of points for individual indicators. You can use this information in your discussions with investors and to develop a plan for improving your performance in future years.

Learn more about the Results Consultation.

The Assessment Portal opens on 1st April and closes on 1st July each year. Participants complete the Assessments by reporting through GRESB’s secure Assessment Portal. Once all Assessments have been submitted and the portal has closed, GRESB begins the process of validating, scoring and benchmarking the submitted data. Preliminary Results are available on September 1, with the final Assessment Results launched in October.

View the 2024 Assessment Timeline for an overview of key dates and activities for the 2021 GRESB Assessment Cycle.

First-year participants can opt out of allowing GRESB Investors Members, or Fund Managers in the case of the Infrastructure Asset Assessment, to request access to their data and GRESB results. This is referred to as a “Grace Period.”

First-year participants wishing to report under the Grace Period can select the option on an entity-by-entity basis from the settings section in the Assessment Portal. Participants who select the “Grace Period” option can decide to unselect the option following receipt of their results. The Grace Period is not available in the second year of participation, regardless of whether it was used in the first year or not.

The “Grace Period” allows participants a year to familiarize themselves with the GRESB reporting and assessment process. The names of participating entities are still visible during the Grace Period, but GRESB Investor Members, and fund managers in the case of the Infrastructure Asset Assessment, will not be able to request to see their results.

All participants paying the participation fee (either annually or at the time of submission) will receive Benchmark Reports for all of their reporting entities, whether or not they report an entity under “Grace Period.” As such, participation fees are calculated based on the total number of reporting entities.

Read our first-year participant case studies to learn more about how firms new to GRESB begin their ESG journey and the advice they have for their peers who are just getting started with GRESB. For any questions, please contact us.

Solve the hardest part of SFDR reporting with real data from a trusted source. Receive a more accurate PAI Statement and the flexibility to get ahead of future regulatory requirements.

Learn more about the GRESB SFDR Reporting Solution.

The GRESB Portfolio Analysis Tool lets you examine the performance of your aggregate portfolio against self-selected benchmarks in order to gain valuable insight into your investments, strategy, and overall ESG performance.

Learn more about the Portfolio Analysis Tool.

The GRESB Helpdesk is powered by the GRESB Member Success Team, dedicated to providing GRESB Members (Investors, Participants, and Partners) with timely and responsive support on the GRESB Assessment. A GRESB Member is any entity, association, partnership or organization that is a party to a Membership Agreement with GRESB – being a Partner Member, Participant Member or Investor Member.

To learn more about becoming a GRESB Member, please visit one of our user pages for Investors, Participants, or Partners and complete the online form at the bottom of the appropriate page.

Contact us.

• Core Assessment Documents
• Resources Library
• Online Assessment training

A Results Consultation provides an in-depth understanding of your GRESB Assessment results, including detailed insight into the validation process and the allocation of points for individual indicators. You can use this information in your discussions with investors and to develop a plan for improving your performance in future years.

Learn more about the Results Consultation.

Our goal is to ensure you have a smooth reporting process. The Portal provides a Guidance tab for each indicator in the Assessment outlining the information to provide, we provide free online training, and the GRESB Helpdesk is here to answer your questions.

In addition, you’ll find the following tools and functionality in the Portal to help you in your reporting:

• The pre-filling function adds the information you have already provided in previous years.
• The document section provides an overview of documents you have submitted as evidence.
• The Portal allows you to upload multiple documents as evidence per indicator, eliminating the need to merge different documentation into one file.
• You can manage access rights, adding users with different levels of access.
• We have implemented real-time error detection systems and warnings.
• Automated data uploads for the Real Estate Assessment are available through the GRESB Asset Portal via the Asset Spreadsheet or GRESB API.  View GRESB Data Partners who can assist with data automation.
• The Template Tool enables you to copy information across multiple submissions.

GRESB Partners can help you with your Assessment

GRESB Partners are leading sustainability consultants and solution providers who can assist you to efficiently complete your Assessment, manage ESG data and advance your ESG performance.

To identify partners who can help you, search the GRESB Partner Directory by type, region and service.

To identify partners who can help you, search the GRESB Partner Directory by type, region and service.

GRESB Partners are leading sustainability consultants and solution providers who can assist you to efficiently complete your Assessment, manage ESG data and advance your ESG performance

The Carbon Risk Real Estate Monitor (CRREM) provides the real estate industry with transparent, science-based decarbonization pathways aligned with the Paris Climate Goals of limiting global temperature rise to 2°C, with ambition towards 1.5°C.

For more information, see our CRREM page.

The purpose of data validation is to encourage best practices in data collection and reporting. It is a vital element in GRESB’s work to provide high-quality data to Investor Members and the fund managers and companies completing the Assessments.

Learn more about validation.

The Template Tool provides an easy way to complete answers for sections of the Assessment that are applicable across several entities.You can complete the template to the degree suited for your organization. Note that indicators specific to the performance of the reporting entity’s portfolio are not included in the Template Tool. The complete list of indicators included in the Template Tool can be found below. You can find out more by watching this video. 

To generate a new template you can either:

• Build a new template from scratch by selecting the option “Create template”; or
• Create a template based on an Assessment that has already been filled out by selecting the option “Create template from assessment”. 

To edit a template, you can click on the template name and make amendments to the indicator answers. Indicators for which answers are not provided in the template will not be affected in the Assessments to which the template is applied. 

To manage access to the template, you can click on the “Manage” menu and select “Access Rights”. There you can invite other users to collaborate on the content, manage access to the template, or use it for other users’ Assessments. Users who have been invited to use the template will be able to apply it to the Assessment(s) they are connected to.

To apply a template to other Assessments:

• Go to the Assessment Portal;
• Click on the reporting entity;
• Click on “More”, and;
• Select “Apply a template” from the dropdown menu.

Infrastructure Asset Template Indicators:

• LE1, LE2, LE3, LE4
• PO1, PO2, PO3
• RP1, RP2.1
• RM1, RM2.1, RM2.2, RM2.3, RM3, RM4(.1-.6)
• SE1, SE2, SE3
• CU1

Infrastructure Fund Template Indicators:

• LE1, LE2, LE3, LE4
• PO1, PO2, PO3
• RP1, RP2.1
• RM1.1, RM1.2, RM2, RM3(.1-.6)
• SE1, SE2, SE3, SE4

Infrastructure Asset Development Template Indicators:

• LE1, LE2, LE3, LE4
• PO1, PO2, PO3
• RP1, RP2.1
• RM1, RM2.1, RM2.2, RM2.3, RM3.1, RM3.2, RM4. RM(.1-.6)
• SE1, SE2, SE3

Real Estate Template Indicators:

• LE1, LE2, LE3, LE4, LE5, LE6
• PO1, PO2, PO3
• RP1, RP2.1, RP2.2
• RM1, RM2, RM3.1, RM3.2, RM4.1, RM4.2, RM7
• SE1, SE2.1, SE2.2, SE3.1, SE3.2, SE4, SE5, SE6, SE7.1, SE7.2, SE8
• TC2.2, TC5.1, TC5.2, TC6.1, TC6.2
• DRE1, DRE2, DRE3
• DMA1
• DEN1
• DWT1
• DWS1
• DSE1, DSE2.1, DSE4, DSE5.1, DSE5.2

The Data Exporter provides access to all data points in the Assessments. The datasets are available for download in .csv and .xlsx format so that you can integrate the data more easily with your existing portfolio management systems and use in your own modeling.

Learn more about the Data Exporter.

The GRESB Benchmark Report provides an in-depth analysis of the sustainability performance of a company, fund or asset participating in the GRESB Assessments. The report starts with the Scorecard – with GRESB Score, GRESB Rating and a summary analysis of performance – and is followed by an indicator-by-indicator comparison of how you perform against your peers. It is designed to help investors and managers to identify areas of risk and opportunity and deepen your engagement with investors.

Learn more about the Benchmark Report.

The Scorecard provides you with an overall GRESB score, GRESB Rating and a summary analysis of performance. The Scorecard is the first section of the GRESB Benchmark Report.