2025 GRESB reporting: Your guide to early preparation

Each year, the GRESB assessment evolves to align with the latest global ESG standards, offering participants an opportunity to demonstrate leadership while addressing new challenges in sustainability.

This year, GRESB introduces significant updates to its Real Estate and Infrastructure Standards, refining its approach to data transparency, scoring methodology, and alignment with global frameworks. These changes reflect the growing urgency to tackle climate change, enhance biodiversity, and meet net-zero commitments. Let’s dive in!

What is GRESB?

GRESB (Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark) provides a globally recognized framework for assessing the ESG performance of real estate and infrastructure assets. With over $8.5 trillion in assets benchmarked globally, it is a vital tool for investors seeking transparency, comparability, and leadership in ESG reporting.

Who should report via GRESB?

Real Estate and Infrastructure managers, companies and asset owners and operators report their ESG data to GRESB.

Why is it important?

• Benchmarking – Helps organizations compare ESG performance against peers, identifying gaps as well as industry best practices.
• Investor trust – Recognized as a leading global ESG benchmark, reporting provides transparency and trust among investors.
• Regulatory alignments – Supports compliance with ESG regulations and frameworks like GRI, TCFD, PRI and SASB.
• Reputation management – Achieving a high GRESB score improves competitive positioning and demonstrates a commitment to sustainability.

“With expanded criteria including energy efficiency and embodied carbon, early preparation is crucial to identify data gaps and ensure a successful 2025 reporting cycle.”

Scott Speer – Senior Associate, Position Green

What’s new for 2025?

The 2025 GRESB reporting cycle includes significant updates to both the Real Estate and Infrastructure standards. These changes aim to improve alignment with global ESG frameworks, enhance data transparency, and reduce reporting burdens. With new methodology updates, scoring ramifications, and expanded data collection requirements, the 2025 reporting cycle presents fresh opportunities—and challenges—for participants. Let’s see the changes one by one:

Updates to the real estate standard:

1. New recognitions:
   • Energy Efficiency: A new scoring category rewards entities managing operationally efficient assets, incentivizing improvements in energy use.
   • Residential Properties: GRESB has introduced a sector-specific methodology for residential assets, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach.
2. Expanded data collection:
   • Decarbonizing the real estate industry is the #1 behavior GRESB seeks to incentivize. The Standard previously treated any type of renewable energy procurement equally. Aligning with RE100 definitions of renewable energy reporting, the Standard differentiates between quality levels where practices with limited impact are deprioritized, while best practices receive higher recognition.
3. New criteria for embodied carbon and biodiversity:
   • Embodied carbon reporting has been expanded across the Management, Performance, and Development components.
   • A new, experimental indicator for biodiversity introduces a forward-looking focus on nature-related risks and opportunities.

Updates to the infrastructure standard:

1. Net-zero performance:
   • Enhanced criteria now assess entities’ progress against their net-zero ambitions.
2. Performance data coverage:
   • Participants must report a coverage estimate (0-100%) for key KPIs, improving data reliability and insights.
3. Expanded verification requirements:
   • To enhance data reliability, GRESB now places increased importance on third-party verification and quality assurance for key metrics such as energy use, emissions, and waste.
4. Streamlining assessments:
   • The assessment process has been simplified by removing 150 data fields and 10 indicators.
   • Funds new to GRESB can report without scoring penalties for partial coverage during their first two years.

Key dates for 2025 GRESB reporting

For entities preparing for 2025 reporting, mark the following dates:

Starting early is crucial, as the new updates to the methodology will require a more strategic approach to data collection and submission. Early preparation allows time for identifying data gaps, implementing corrective actions, and ensuring high-quality submissions.

How to prepare

With these updates, organizations need a strategic approach to maximize their GRESB scores. Here are key steps to consider:

• Understand the Framework: Familiarize yourself with the new methodology and scoring criteria, especially updates related to energy efficiency, embodied carbon, and renewable energy.
• Streamline Data Collection: Leverage tools and platforms that automate data aggregation and submission to reduce administrative burdens.
• Focus on Verification: Ensure that key metrics are independently verified to enhance reliability and scoring potential.
• Leverage Results: Use your GRESB performance as a foundation for broader ESG reporting and communication strategies.

How we can help

As a GRESB Data Partner, our tools and solutions are designed to simplify and enhance your reporting process. With our API integration, you can automate asset-level data submissions directly to the GRESB platform, reducing manual workload and ensuring accuracy. 

Our tailored services include: 

• GRESB education and training
• Strategic guidance on methodology and scoring
• Scoring estimations and improvement strategies
• Automated data aggregation and submission support

With the dynamic nature of GRESB’s annual updates, Position Green ensures you stay one step ahead of compliance, while helping set you up for impact in 2025.