New report explores the voluntary adoption of ESG standards in the real estate sector

Following the insightful discussions at COP26 and making sure that discussion of sustainability continues, Dr Armando Castro, Dr Maria Gradillas and Dr Rossella Salandra have prepared a report exploring the voluntary adoption of ESG standards in the real estate sector. The real estate sector has recently been in the spotlight on account of its trend in increasing carbon emissions, which in 2019 were the highest ever recorded.

The report explores how and why firms in this sector that are interested in monitoring and improving their environmental and social impact adopt these standards. It also analyses the trend of how this adoption has evolved by the key players in the real estate industry. Finally, they provide recommendations for industry professionals and future researchers interested in the adoption of voluntary ESG standards in the real estate industry.

This report was supported by the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) and UCL Innovation and Enterprise and data analysed was shared by GRESB, an organisation that has a Global ESG benchmark Research England. 

Dr Armando Castro comments: “COP26 provided an important forum for countries to pledge emission cuts and to discuss how to deal with the climate crisis. However it is also important to think about how private actors can voluntarily contribute to this fight.”