In December 2024, GRESB announced it had come up with a fresh set of requirements for building certification. The ESG real estate assessor and benchmark provider said the new conditions would improve the standard of the certifications it uses to examine the sustainability credentials of real estate portfolios.
The move came after a lengthy consultation period launched in early 2024, which signalled that long-standing complaints about certifications were being taken seriously. Chief among these grievances was a lack of harmony between certifiers and the proliferation of new schemes during the past few years.
GRESB now aims to elevate best-in-class schemes, refine the list of accepted schemes in order to recognise those with the greatest credibility and impact, and enhance transparency on key evaluation metrics.
GRESB has not acted alone. A report by the Leaders of the Urban Future (LOTUF), called Seeing is Believing: Unlocking the Low-Carbon Real Estate Market re
