Sustainability metrics: translation and impact on property investment and management

This report presents a framework for a Corporate Real Estate Sustainability Management (CRESM) system, developed by the UNEP Finance Initiative Property Working Group and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Designed for property investment and management organizations, the framework enhances the industry's ability to create structured information links and feedback loops across the property market. It supports decision-making at corporate, portfolio, and building levels by aligning sustainability metrics with financial performance, valuation, and risk assessment. The report identifies a clear financial incentive for behavioral change and outlines how sustainability can be systematically embedded into business routines. It provides a list of applicable sustainability metrics, explaining how they can be integrated into existing tools and processes, and how buildings' sustainability performance can influence asset value, portfolio performance, corporate reputation, and financial outcomes.