Practice

GRESB

GovernancePlanning and DevelopmentOperations

Aspect contributions

How this practice contributes to the green port aspects.

Aspect	Role	Justification
Certification and Benchmarking	Core	GRESB is an externally validated annual ESG benchmark that investors use to compare assets.
Risk Management	Secondary	The assessment requires documented policies, procedures, board oversight and performance targets.
Financing (Green & Sustainable)	Secondary	The program is used by investors and financiers to assess ESG performance
Climate Adaptation	Secondary	Resilience indicators assess physical and transition climate risks and the organizational response.

Summary

The Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) is an international ESG assessment and benchmarking system widely used in the real estate and infrastructure sectors. Founded in 2009 by a consortium of leading pension funds, GRESB was created to provide a consistent framework for evaluating and comparing the sustainability performance of real estate portfolios and infrastructure assets worldwide.

GRESB offers a rigorous methodology for participants to self-report Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) data. GRESB’s annual assessments, which are independently validated and scored, produce transparent benchmarks that allow investors and asset managers to gauge the ESG attributes of their investments, identify risks related to climate and resource use, and recognize leaders in sustainable practices.

By aligning its benchmarks with international goals and reporting frameworks (like the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals), GRESB ensures that its rating system remains relevant to global sustainability priorities and helps drive the real asset industry toward net-zero emissions and enhanced resilience.

Details

The Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) is the international ESG benchmark for real estate portfolios and infrastructure assets. For port operators, GRESB Infrastructure provides an annual, investor grade ESG assessment that measures management practices and operational performance across themes including management, policy, risk, stakeholder engagement, energy, greenhouse gas emissions, water and waste, biodiversity and climate resilience (GRESB, 2024). Port authorities, terminal operators and private port investors can report at the asset level (Asset Assessment) and at the fund or portfolio level (Fund Assessment). The 2024 GRESB Infrastructure benchmark assessed more than 700 infrastructure assets globally and is aligned with the Task Force on Climate related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) S2 Climate related Disclosures (GRESB, 2024).

GRESB addresses the core aspect of Certification schemes by providing an externally validated ESG benchmark that supports investor decisions and contributes to Risk oversight and standards by requiring documentation of policies, procedures, board oversight and performance targets. Secondary contributions include Climate adaptation and port resilience, where the assessment's resilience indicators assess physical and transition climate risks and the organizational response. Ports participating in GRESB can use the process to identify material gaps, prioritize investment, and benchmark progress against their peers, with results provided in an annual Benchmark Report, a Scorecard and a detailed Peer Analysis.

Port participants in GRESB Infrastructure include Port of Newcastle (Australia), Port of Brisbane (Australia), both of which have received GRESB 5-star ratings (Port of Newcastle, 2021; Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd, n.d.).

Public evidence of GRESB participation by DMC ports is limited, and no verified DMC port GRESB case is included in this sheet.

Enabling factors

Policy Environment

GRESB assessment is aligned with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures and IFRS S2; ports benefit when national regulators recognize these frameworks as mainstream disclosure expectations.

Improved Technologies & Standards

GRESB asks for performance data on energy, emissions, water and waste, with indicator-specific evidence and assurance requirements; digital energy management and greenhouse gas inventory systems (aligned with ISO 50001 and ISO 14064) are enabling technologies.

Sustainable Procurement

GRESB's Management Component rewards ports that have documented sustainable procurement policies and that extend environmental and social requirements to concessionaires and suppliers.

Partnerships & Collaboration

GRESB reporting benefits from engagement with investors, industry forums, peer ports and specialized ESG assurance providers; the GRESB Infrastructure Standards Committee and industry working groups provide mechanisms for industry input.

Port type applicability

All 15

port types applicable

Case studies

Global

Port of Newcastle

Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia · Not specified

UN Sustainable Development Goals

ASEAN Taxonomy V4

Not directly applicable (supporting evidence only)

GRESB is an ESG benchmarking assessment for infrastructure assets and funds, not an economic activity with its own TSC under the ASEAN Taxonomy V4.

The Foundation Framework (FF) guiding questions for each Environmental Objective (EO) ask whether the Activity complies with the relevant environmental laws and, where relevant, whether third party certification or verification of alignment with that EO is available (ASEAN Taxonomy Board, 2025, Sections 4.3.2 to 4.3.5). Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) is an Essential Criterion under both the FF and the Plus Standard, with the Plus Standard criteria set out in Annex 2 (Section 3.2.1).

GRESB data on energy, greenhouse gas emissions and climate resilience relate to EO1 (Climate Change Mitigation) and EO2 (Climate Change Adaptation). Resilience data can support the Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) required under 50[001] EO2, and asset level energy and emissions data can support assessment against Annex 1. GRESB data can also support entity or portfolio reporting under Chapter 6, which expresses alignment as the proportion of revenue, capital expenditure (CapEx) or operating expenditure (OpEx) that is Green, Amber or Red. A GRESB score does not by itself establish Green or Amber classification.

The certification body's or benchmark provider's own services may align as an enabling activity under 702[001] Management consultancy for environmental-related services, which covers risk and impact assessment, reporting, assurance services and the development of rating tools, where they enable a focus sector activity such as 50[001] Infrastructure for water transportation to be consistent with recognized standards. This applies to the provider, not to the port holding the certificate or rating (ASEAN Taxonomy Board, 2025).