Bouwinvest ‘s funds obtain top GRESB sustainability rating

Bouwinvest obtained the highest Green Star rating for all three of its Dutch fund portfolios in the annual assessment released in September by Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), the industry-led organisation that evaluates the sustainability performance of global property companies and funds.

“We started three years ago with an intensive program to sharpen our sustainability strategy. This involved implementing best practices with a focus on improving and measuring the results. The fact that all three of our Dutch funds have since received the highest rating from an objective organisation like GRESB is a great achievement,” said Dick Hal, CEO of Bouwinvest.

GRESB uses surveys and its benchmarking model to evaluate the sustainability policies of real estate companies and funds across the globe, ranking them from Green Starters, rising to Green Talkers, Green Walkers and the highest rating of Green Stars. The GRESB scoring system allows fund managers to compare and assess their sustainability policy, while identifying where improvements may be necessary.

“Recently we have received more requests from potential investors seeking greater transparency in the performance of sustainable investments. GRESB is perceived as a clear benchmark and now that we have obtained these Green Star ratings, we are better able to respond to these requests,” said Allard van Spaandonk, Bouwinvest’s Director for the Netherlands.

The CSR report tells how the Residential Fund, the Retail Fund and the Office Fund obtained their GRESB Green Star rating.

Bouwinvest uses GRESB also to analyse the performance of the International Investments.