Top 10 real estate sustainability trends for 2025

The Savills Blog

Top 10 real estate sustainability trends for 2025

Last year sustainability remained front and centre of the real estate industry driven by continued environmental crises and regulatory changes. As we begin 2025, we take a look at the top ten areas expected to impact the sector this year. 

1.  Nature reporting
Over 500 companies and financial institutions have now committed to starting nature-related corporate reporting based on the Taskforce for Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has revised its biodiversity standard and in 2024 the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) announced the first set of companies publicly adopting science-based targets for nature. With the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) also setting a new stronger emphasis on biodiversity this year, we are seeing a huge increase in nature based reporting.

2. Stakeholder collaboration and communication
To combat any potential climate policy backlash, sustainability professionals need to focus,  and be stronger, on communication skills. This can stretch from a simple knowledge exchange, to leading and inspiring collaboration and cooperation to deliver sustainable innovation.

3. Third party verifications
As sustainability reporting requirements continue to become more complex and varied, verification and validation of data is becoming an increasingly essential step to enhance value and credibility.

4. Green skills
Lack of green skills continues be a problem for ambitious sustainability goals. Policy making and increasing reporting requirements are just wishful thinking without investment in both existing teams and diverse future talent.

5. Double materiality
Driven by Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSDR) and the evolution of understanding in sustainability, organisations are increasingly expected to undertake double materiality assessments. This broadens the concept of materiality from a sole focus on financial materiality to also include environmental and social factors. The assessment will be crucial for organisations seeking to define the scope of their ESG and sustainability reporting.

6. Board-level responsibility and accountability
It’s the board’s role within an organisation to oversee, identify, assess and mitigate company risk, and this includes sustainability and ESG risks. Ownership and purpose starts with the board; more than ever before they must be working to ensure that there is continuous improvement and strategic reflection on sustainability performance and climate action, by providing transparency while also galvanising managers into action.

7. Asset-level decarbonisation
As organisations’ net zero target deadlines approach, the process of reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with individual buildings and properties within a real estate portfolio can no longer be deferred. Targeted interventions at the asset level must be prioritised once a baseline has been established.

8. Social sustainability reporting
Following the launch of the Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures (TISFD) we will see the continued development of a common language for reporting on people-related impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities.

9. Social resilience
Asset managers have started assessing the social risks and opportunities that could affect asset users and local communities, helping build social resilience. GRESB has contributed to the market’s maturity levels by introducing new indicators with an increased focus on social justice, inclusion and diversity.

10. Indoor air quality
Pollution inside buildings has a wide-ranging impact on our health and mental performance. Uptake of building certifications designed to prioritise indoor air for occupier health, productivity, and comfort, such as WELL, RESET, and Fitwel, is on the rise.

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