CAPITAL WATCH

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It is clear that expectations have
changed in the real asset sector.
Health and wellbeing is emerging as
an important source of both risk and
opportunity for property investors,
landlords and occupiers.
Investors are asking for greater
transparency about the environmental,
social and governance (ESG)
performance of real asset portfolios
and occupiers are demanding more
sustainable, greener and healthier
buildings.
GRESB assesses the sustainability
performance of real asset sector
portfolios and assets in public, private
and direct sectors worldwide. It
emerged from a unique collaboration
of the world’s largest pension funds
and academics from Maastricht
GRESB
assesses the
sustainability
performance
of real
asset sector
portfolios
and assets
in public,
private and
direct sectors
worldwide
University and the University of
California at Berkeley. More than
66 institutional and retail investors,
collectively representing over USD
17 trillion in institutional capital use
GRESB data and analytical tools. In
2017 GRESB assessed real estate
portfolios jointly representing more
than USD 3.7 trillion in assets under
management, as well as more than
200 infrastructure assets and funds.
The new GRESB Health & Well-
being Module provides participating
companies and funds with practical
tools for assessing and benchmarking
the actions they are taking to
promote health and well-being.
The Module has two areas of focus:
• Internal health promotion refers
to policies and actions focused
directly on a real estate company’s
own workforce.
• External health promotion refers
to intentional actions taken by
companies and funds to improve
the health and well-being of
their tenants, customers and the
communities surrounding their
real estate assets.
Internal health promotion is usually
undertaken though corporate
wellness programmes which are
notoriously difficult for investors
to measure and compare between
organisations and typically struggle
with low participation rates or offer
only piecemeal interventions that
do not comprehensively address
employees’ health.
One intervention which the real
estate industry is uniquely positioned
to integrate is implementation of
healthy building features that have
been scientifically shown to support
Promote
Employee Health
& Well-being
Promote Health &
Well-being
through products
and serivces
Promote Employee
Health &
Well-being
+
Promote Health &
Well-being through
products and
serivces
Promotion of health of employees
Promotion of health through products and services
The GRESB Health & Well-being Module
WELL Certified office One Carter Lane. Photo: Dirk Lindner
CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD
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OPINION