This document discusses sustainability reporting in the construction and real estate sector. It provides an overview of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) which publishes sustainability reporting guidelines and sector supplements. The GRI Construction and Real Estate Sector Guidance supplement was developed through a consensus-based process to provide industry-specific reporting topics. The document notes that demand for sustainability performance information is increasing and that the next generation of GRI guidelines, G4, aims to improve technical quality and alignment with other frameworks.

1. Sustainability Reporting -
Construction and Real Estate
Tamara Bergkamp
Reporting Framework Coordinator
Amsterdam, July 2012

2. Content
• The sustainability challenge
• What is the Global Reporting Initiative?
• What is sustainability reporting?
• The GRI Construction and Real Estate
Sector Guidance
• New developments
Amsterdam, July 2012

3. The sustainability challenge
How can business be profitable and
contribute to solutions at the same time?

4. Managing change
“What you can’t
measure, you cannot
manage. What you
can’t manage, you
cannot change.”
Peter Drucker
Writer, professor and management
consultant

5. GRI: a network organization
Business
Academia Civil Society
Labor Government
Finance
Amsterdam, July
2012

6. GRI’s Mission
To make sustainability reporting
standard practice by providing
guidance and support to organizations.
Amsterdam, July 2012

7. The business case for reporting
Competitive
Opportunities
advantage
Attract Enhanced
investors reputation &
Improve
management loyalty
process
Attract & Stakeholder
Internal retain talent engagement External
Reduce
waste, CO2,
water usage Government and
stock exchange
requirements
Risks
Amsterdam, July 2012

8. Sustainability Reporting Framework
• Guidelines
• Protocols
• Sector Supplements
www. globalreporting.org
Amsterdam, July 2012

9. Construction and Real Estate Supplement
Content
Strategy and Analysis
Principles Quality (Risk, Opportunity Focus re whole
organisation)
Boundary
Organizational Profile
G3.1 Profile
Report parameters
Governance, commitments,
Standard and engagement
Disclosures
Economic Category
Disclosure on
Management Approach
(DMA) and Environmental Category
Performance Labor
Indicators Human Rights
Social Category Society
Product
Responsibility
Amsterdam, July
2012

10. Some views on the industry …
INTERNAL EXTERNAL
• Complex and divers • Big consumer of
• Many Stakeholders resources
• Significant impacts • ‘Touch People’s lives’
• Large supply chain • Lasting legacies:
positives, negatives
• Broad range of issues or both
• Lack of reporting • Visible activities, but
consistency often obscured
impacts
Amsterdam,
July 2012

11. GRI Construction and Real Estate
Sector Supplement
A tailored version for the
Construction and Real Estate
industry.
For companies that:
Invest in buildings and/or
infrastructure
Develop and /or
construct, buildings and/or
infrastructure
Manage buildings
Amsterdam,
July 2012

12. Construction & Real Estate Guidance
Some examples
GRI categories Topics / Examples
Economic • Policies end practice to encourage positive, and minimize
negative, economic legacy impacts
• Local hiring procedures
Environmental • Building energy, water, and greenhouse gas emissions intensity
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Remediation of land
Labor • Health and safety risks
• Policies and practices on outsourcing work (contractors and
subcontractors) and workers without a formal contract (daily,
casual and/or foreign workers
Human Rights • Screening of contractors and subcontractors on violations of
human rights
Society • Displacement and resettlement of persons
Product • Sustainability certification and labelling schemes
Responsibility

13. Supplement development
CONSENSUS BASED APPROACH
October 2009 September 2011
Six Working Group meetings
Two public comment periods, 90 days
Consultations + outreach +Phone call discussions + email exchange
GRI technical guidance, support and approval process
Amsterdam,
July 2012

14. Construction & Real Estate GRI
Sector Supplement Working Group
Consultants:
Amsterdam, July 2012

15. Looking towards the future
May 2013
Amsterdam, Jul
y 2012

16. Todays…
and future reporting context
• Demand for sustainability performance information
is increasing
• Metrics not coherent or harmonized
• Most reports lack material focus and sometimes
precision
• Integrated Reporting is a trend
G4 next generation of reporting guidance
Amsterdam,
July 2012

17. GRI G4 Guidance - Objectives
• To be user-friendly for beginners and experienced
reporters
• To improve technical quality, with clearer definitions
• To align with other reporting frameworks
• To offer guidance which leads to material reports
(“materiality”)
• To offer guidance on how to link sustainability
reporting and integrated reporting - aligned with IIRC
• To provide support to improve data searching (XBRL)
Amsterdam,
July 2012

18. G4 timeline
2011 2012 2013
MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN
We are here
Launch May 2013
Text Revision / Editing Task Force
Working Working Governance
Public Comment Working Groups Public Comment Bodies give
Preparatory Stage Groups Groups Final Edit LAUNCH
Period 1 Meet Period 2 Final Vote
Formed Mee t
MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN
2011 2012 2013
Help to shape the future guidance
Provide feedback!
Amsterdam, July 2012

19. Any questions?
https://www.globalreporting.org
bergkamp@globalreporting.org
THANK YOU!
Amsterdam, July
2012