Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark

GRES 101 – Essential things you need to know about GRES B assessment and reporting.

What is GRESB? GRES B was formerly known as the “Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark.” Because when it was launched in 2009, its focus was on the real estate sector.

Photo above: What is GRESB? (

But now that they cover real assets, including infrastructure, their name is simply “GRES B,” and they no longer break down the letters into words.
GRES B is a mission-driven and investor-led organization providing standardized and validated Environmental, Social and Governance, or ESG data to the capital markets.

Established in 2009, GRES B has become the leading ESG benchmark for real estate and infrastructure investments across the world. The 2020 real estate benchmark covers more than 1,200 property companies, real estate investment trusts or REITs, funds, and developers.

Their coverage for infrastructure includes more than 540 infrastructure funds and assets. Combined, GRES B represents the US $5.3 trillion in real asset value.

The reported ESG data is used by more than 100 institutional and financial investors. To monitor investments across portfolios and understand the opportunities, risks, and choices that need to be made. As the industry transitions to a more sustainable future.

What is a GRES B assessment? And who is it for? GRES B assesses and benchmarks the ESG performance of real assets, providing standardized and validated data to the capital markets.

GRES B 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, SAS B, DJSI, TCFD recommendations, the Paris Climate Agreement, UN SDGs, region and country-specific disclosure guidelines.

Each year reporting to the GRES B Assessments generates four ESG benchmarks for the industry. Real Estate Benchmark, Real Estate Development Benchmark, Infrastructure Fund Benchmark, and 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 GRES B’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.
