Fitwel Publishes “Crosswalk” — Pathway To Higher GRESB ESG Scoring

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Written By Marcos Reynaga

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Fitwel Publishes “Crosswalk” — Pathway To Higher GRESB ESG Scoring 

Crosswalk tool shows how the Fitwel Platform quantifies the "S" in ESG,
drives portfolio-wide value, and benefits GRESB ESG scoring

NEW YORK, NY; October 7, 2022 - Fitwel today announced the release of their Fitwel-GRESB Crosswalk for Workplace and Multifamily Scorecards, a tool which cross-identifies Fitwel strategies with industry-leading ESG framework GRESB Real Estate Assessment, specifically supporting the industry in quantifying the “S” — Social — in ESG. The 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. 

The Fitwel Platform offers a viable, entity-wide approach for consistently tracking and integrating people-centric metrics to quantify the S in ESG. By using health as the basis to measure and evaluate ESG performance, it is possible to not only increase ESG scores but also mitigate material risk across assets and portfolios — a true win for people, the planet, and prosperity.

“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.”

Fitwel offers more than 100 strategies that have a measurable impact on health and ESG scores that span location, operations and performance, amenities, design, and programming and evaluation. More than 1/3 of GRESB Indicators align with Fitwel, either through implementation of a strategy or through asset-specific certification. In connection with the Fitwel Platform, the newly released Crosswalk provides real estate professionals with a data-backed tool that shows how Fitwel strategies can be leveraged across a portfolio to comply with GRESB assessments. 

“The real estate industry is seeing demand for healthy buildings and ESG strategies from both investors and tenants. Fitwel offers companies a solution to the ever elusive ‘S’ metrics — the health of building occupants as human-centric risk,” says Joanna Frank CEO and President of The Center for Active Design (CfAD), official operator of Fitwel Certification. “92% 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.”

With global ESG-aligned assets on track to exceed $50 trillion by 2025, third-party healthy building certification systems like Fitwel will increasingly be relied upon for tracking and integrating health-related ESG metrics. 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. Fitwel and its real estate partners see this as a missed opportunity — portfolios that don’t focus on optimizing the health of its occupants risk undermining investment performance.

“As a Fitwel Partner, the HXE Partners team appreciated the opportunity to collaborate to develop the workplace and multi-family crosswalks with GRESB,” says Harry Etra, Chief Executive Officer of HXE Partners. “There is increasing importance being placed on better understanding and measuring the social component of ESG for the real estate industry, and we believe these kinds of resources and metrics will help companies concretely implement better strategies to promote health and well-being in their portfolios.” 

Leading real estate companies — many designated Fitwel ‘Champions' — have already been integrating Fitwel into their ESG reporting, highlighting the critical role the platform plays in strengthening their commitment to social responsibility and ultimately driving portfolio-wide value.

About Fitwel

Fitwel is a people-centric real estate certification platform committed to building health for all®. Generated by expert analysis of 5,600+ academic research studies, Fitwel is implementing a vision for a healthier future where all buildings and communities are enhanced to strengthen health and well-being. Fitwel was originally created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. General Services Administration. The CDC remains the research and evaluation partner for Fitwel. The Center for Active Design (CfAD), a global not-for-profit organization, maintains the Fitwel standard and conducts objective third-party assessments that lead to certified projects. CfAD's new business unit, Adai (pronounced "a-DAY"), is charged with expanding Fitwel to the global market, administering the program while providing best-in-class customer service and technical support. To learn more about Fitwel, please visit: fitwel.org

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Marcos Reynaga
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