Investors, regulators, and tenants increasingly demand transparency around the environmental and social impacts of the real estate they invest in, regulate, and occupy. Disclosure of non-financial (aka sustainability) data is the “new normal” - producing a complete, accurate sustainability report is now an essential business process. 

There are many organizations who seek to define the substance and format of sustainability reporting. The annual survey conducted by the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) has emerged as the de facto standard for how the commercial real estate industry discloses sustainability performance. This paper will explore the demand for benchmarks like GRESB, how they affect the commercial real estate industry, and what stakeholders can expect in the near future.