Australia’s leading authority on sustainable buildings and communities,
the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) is partnering with GRESB, the
global sustainability benchmark for real estate portfolios, to advance
reporting on environmental, social and economic performance in Australia’s real
estate sector.
GRESB assesses the environmental, social and governance performance of
property funds globally, including corporate sustainability strategy, policies
and objectives, environmental performance monitoring, and the use of
high-quality voluntary rating systems such as Green Star. In 2014, GRESB covered
637 funds representing $2.1 trillion in property value, including 44
participants from Australia with a gross asset value of $131 billion.
GBCA’s Chief Executive Officer, Romilly Madew explains that investors
are increasingly demanding reliable data on energy efficiency and
sustainability to help guide their decision-making. She adds that the Green
Building Council of Australia is determined to play a role in the global
discussion around benchmarking on behalf of its members, and to ensure
Australia maintains its position as a global leader in sustainability.
Observing that buildings will continue to be a focus of environmental
legislation, GRESB’s Head of Asia Pacific Ruben Langbroek commented that green
building certification programs have become institutionalised in the real
estate market, with more than 800 Green Star-certified buildings across
Australia. This trend of increasing transparency and enhanced sustainability
performance at the asset level will meet investors’ need for reliable, investment
grade data on sustainability.
Mr Langbroek believes reporting on sustainability performance at the
portfolio and asset level will facilitate faster adoption of sustainability
best practices by the global real estate industry, enhancing and protecting the
value of real estate investments, and ultimately contributing to a more
efficient and more sustainable built environment.
The 2014 GRESB results confirm that Australia and New Zealand lead in
overall performance, with Lend Lease and ISPT announced in a list of 11 global
leaders.
Ms Madew concludes that the new partnership with
GRESB will ensure GBCA members are part of the conversation about the future of
sustainability benchmarking in Australia and around the world.