Interest in environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues among both investors and corporates has ballooned in recent years as a means of assessing the non-financial/social impacts of business decisions. Social and Governance aspects are generally well covered by existing legislation and business practice, while Environmental considerations have a critical role to play in ‘the race to net zero’.  

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, building operations alone accounted for about 31% of global fi nal energy consumption, and 28% of energy-related CO2 emissions in 2020. Under the Paris Agreement, 136 countries have included policies to improve building energy efficiency in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). However, the scope and details of these pledges vary greatly, resulting in a diverse landscape of real-estate related sustainability frameworks and strategies.