Are you considering Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) as your environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework of choice? Maybe you’re just getting started on your ESG journey and don’t quite know where to begin. For many real estate investors, property owners, managers and operators, GRESB’s Real Estate Benchmark is a great place to start.
Even if you’ve selected your ESG reporting framework, it can be overwhelming to approach the reporting process. EBI’s ESG experts help you submit to GRESB and help you create and implement a customized short term or 3–5-year improvement plan.
You can get started anytime!
Many companies are further along on the ESG journey than they may realize. Already conducted property and environmental due diligence? If so, incorporating ESG and climate risk evaluations into your existing process is a simple step toward both an improved score and the data you need to improve over time. When you begin in the due diligence phase, you’re better prepared to stay ahead of regulation, in addition to going greener and being more sustainable. For most investors and owners, a simple ESG or Sustainability Checklist along with a climate risk review will begin to establish a baseline of their properties’ performance.
Additionally, energy audits and benchmarking – requirements in certain jurisdictions – provide straightforward ways to optimize building system efficiency, overall building performance, and improve your ESG score.
Planning ahead for long-term improvement
You don’t need to start improving immediately! In fact, EBI’s ESG professionals recommend planning out your approach to submitting to GRESB. Even if you’ve already begun your first-year reporting process, it’s best to start by completing a Gap Analysis. Not only does this evaluation determine opportunities for growth, it also identifies actions that are already underway to support your GRESB submission.
Once you’ve completed a Gap Analysis, you need to create an improvement plan. This plan should be tailored to your long-term growth, budget and goals. No two companies are the same and there are a number of ways to improve your score. Work with an experienced GRESB consultant to ensure you find the most material options for your business.
Start with a good consultation
Finally, it’s crucial to work with an experienced consultant not only during the GRESB reporting stage, but also while implementing your improvement plan. Implementation often requires engineering, energy and sustainability, and environmental consulting expertise. Few GRESB consultants can pull all these areas of expertise together, but together, they provide huge potential for you.
Ready to learn more?
Reach out to our experts to learn how we can support you throughout the full GRESB reporting cycle and beyond!
