Fitwel has announced the release of its Fitwel-GRESB Crosswalk for Workplace and Multifamily Scorecards. The tool cross-identifies Fitwel strategies with industry-leading ESG framework GRESB Real Estate Assessment, specifically supporting the industry in quantifying the “S” — Social — in ESG.
This announcement comes on the heels of Fitwel’s newly published Guide to Measuring “S”, a resource that outlines 5 key areas and metrics for quantifying S in ESG reporting.
“As real estate leaders increasingly focus on the “S” pillar to meet occupant demands and boost ROI, industry tools like the GRESB Real Estate Assessment and the Fitwel Platform are proving more valuable than ever,” says Dan Winters, Senior Director of GRESB. “Fitwel is utilized by nearly all leading GRESB member firms looking to deliver superior outcomes.”
In the real estate sector, the role of ESG considerations has traditionally focused on structural building risk rather than people-centric risk because it’s seen as easier to quantify. But, by using health as the basis to measure and evaluate ESG performance, the Center for Active Design (CfAD) asserts it is possible to not only increase ESG scores but also mitigate material risk across assets and portfolios.
Many leading real estate companies have already begun integrating these measurement standards into their ESG reporting, CfAD states, which highlights how important these types of measurements have become within the real estate industry.
“Ninety-two percent of real estate investors expect demand for healthy buildings to grow over the next three years, and Fitwel offers a solution that not only meets this demand but also fills the gap for Social metrics,” says Joanna Frank CEO and President of CfAD, the official operator of Fitwel Certification.
Making the Push for More Human Centric Measurements in Building Performance
With global ESG-aligned assets on track to exceed $50 trillion by 2025, the CfAD believes that third-party healthy building certification systems like Fitwel will increasingly be relied upon for tracking and integrating health-related ESG metrics. For Fitwel partners, the fact that many buildings aren’t currently tapped into some form of certification is a missed opportunity for many.
More than 1/3 of GRESB Indicators align with Fitwel, either through the implementation of a strategy or through asset-specific certification. In connection with the Fitwel Platform, the newly released Crosswalk provides professionals with a data-backed tool that shows how Fitwel strategies can be leveraged across a portfolio to comply with GRESB assessments.
