The
Sustainability Journey
A guide to turning sustainability into portfolio performance — how leading real estate owners and operators build data, reporting, and performance capability into measurable results.
What’s inside
A practical framework, market data, and real customer outcomes across three capability tracks.
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What should our sustainability journey actually look like? What should we be planning for, and how do we make sure we are getting the full value from our sustainability efforts?
Real Estate Sustainability Leader, Customer Conversation
Why this guide
A real estate market reset is underway.
Higher Cost of Capital
+200bps
Increase in the average interest rate for CRE loans originated in vs. maturing in 2024. Debt maturity walls and higher rates than 5–10 years ago are increasing refinancing risk.
Source: S&P
Rising Operating Costs
+36%
Increase in electricity prices in Europe, and 26% in the U.S. (2019–2024). Rising utility costs are dragging down NOI.
Source: IEA, JP Morgan
Increasing Climate Risk
+88%
Rise in U.S. CRE insurance premiums since 2021 amid climate volatility; global insured losses from natural catastrophes reached $107B in 2025.
Source: JLL, Swiss Re
Growing Compliance Complexity
41%
Of the 75 largest global cities now enforce building performance standards, with mandates increasingly backed by financial penalties.
Source: JLL
Real estate portfolios are caught in a perfect storm. Energy costs are rising faster than inflation, regulatory requirements are multiplying across jurisdictions, and investors are demanding measurable environmental performance alongside financial returns. What was once treated as an annual reporting exercise has become a core driver of asset value and operational efficiency.
Real estate is operating in a different market reality than it was just a few years ago. Sustainability is no longer just a compliance exercise or a corporate initiative — it is how portfolios are evaluated, operated, financed, and improved. Four forces are driving that reset, and when they hit at once, margins compress quickly.
The framework
The Sustainability Journey
A practical framework for turning sustainability activity into measurable business outcomes — across three connected tracks and five stages of maturity.
Most portfolios progress across all three tracks at once — maturity is rarely even, and it can evolve in either direction as regulations and technology shift.
Data Management
Build a foundation of high-quality, trusted data.
Reporting & Insights
Meet reporting requirements and deliver decision-ready insights.
Portfolio Performance
Improve asset performance and reduce emissions.
The payoff
Where the journey leads: competitive advantage
Leading organizations are already turning sustainability data and performance into measurable advantage.
- Higher NOI
- Stronger capital access
- Lower carbon emissions
- Greater tenant satisfaction
- Stronger transparency
- Regulatory compliance
- Lower risk exposure
- Audit-ready data
- Reduced workload