Introduction

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations have become central to modern real estate strategy, influencing investment decisions, regulatory compliance, and stakeholder expectations. Developers, investors, and asset managers are increasingly required to demonstrate measurable sustainability performance across all property types and portfolios.

This training course provides a structured approach to understanding and applying ESG frameworks within the real estate sector. It explores global sustainability trends, regulatory developments, and reporting standards while linking them to practical implementation across development and investment activities.

Participants will examine how ESG principles affect asset performance, financing conditions, and long-term valuation outcomes. The course also highlights sector-specific applications across residential, commercial, industrial, and mixed-use developments, enabling professionals to embed sustainability into real estate decision-making.

Key focus areas include:

Key Learning Outcomes

At the end of this training course, participants will be able to:

Training Methodology

This training course uses an interactive and case-study-driven learning approach supported by real-world examples, group exercises, and applied financial analysis. Participants engage in discussions, calculations, and scenario-based exercises to understand ESG implementation in real estate contexts. The methodology emphasises practical application of sustainability frameworks and reporting standards across diverse property sectors.

Sustainable Real Estate

Who Should Attend?

This training course is designed for professionals involved in real estate development, investment, regulation, and asset management, including:

  • Real Estate Economists
  • Urban Planners and Regulators
  • Real Estate Developers
  • Surveyors and Property Valuers
  • Institutional Investors and Fund Managers
  • Investment Bankers and Finance Professionals
  • Bankers and Lenders
  • Property Managers
  • Legal, Tax, and Advisory Professionals in Real Estate

Course Outline

Day 1

Policies and Drivers

  • Environmental concerns and real estate
    • The rise of Net Zero
    • The contribution of real estate to environmental issues
    • ESG legislation for real estate in the Gulf
  • The social impact of real estate
    • CSR and Social Impact policies for developers
      • Local procurement
      • Labour standards and working conditions
      • The creation and maintenance of communities 
      • Tenancy mix
      • Diversity and inclusion
    • CSR and Social Impact for real estate investors
    • Integration of Islamic social finance with CSR for real estate
Day 2

Risk and Governance

  • Risk analysis for real estate development
    • A risk typology for real estate
    • Identifying and measuring risks
    • Risk management tools and their use in practice
  • Governance for developers
    • The legislative and regulatory framework for corporate governance in the Gulf – a global comparison
    • The EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive and its analogues in the Gulf 
    • Best practices for governance: real estate developers
      • Board and executive structures
      • Workforce issues
      •  Transparency and reporting
    • Worldwide evidence on developer governance
  • LP and GP governance
    • Private equity governance guidelines in the Gulf, UK and worldwide
Day 3

ESG Measurement and Reporting Tools, Techniques and Standards

  • ESG measurement for real estate
    • Measuring ESG for developers and construction companies
      • Energy use and control
      • HVAC analytics
      • Water and waste management
      • Biodiversity
      • Tracking material use: analysing embedded carbon and other issues for the real estate supply chain
      • Governance – tax, corruption, and data privacy
      • Lifecycle costing
      • Sectoral differences (residential, industrial, retail, office and others)
      • Reviewing global evidence for the range of potential and actual ESG variables for developers and investors
  • ESG reporting for real estate
        • Comparing reporting indicators across jurisdictions
        • Measuring transparency for real estate investors 
        • Portfolio analysis: best practice benchmarking
          • GRESB reporting
          • SECR reporting
          • ESOS reporting
          • ECORE 
          • SBTi reporting
        • Conforming to ESG standards
          • UN SDGs
          • The UN PRI
          • UN Global Compact
  • Reporting according to GRI requirements
            • Analysis of the GRI requirements for sustainability reporting
            • How to report using the GRI standards(
            • Examples of GRI real estate reporting
            • Integrating other standards relevant to the energy sector into sustainability reporting using the GRI, including:
              •  ESRS
              • ISSB
              • UNSDG
            • People, places and progress: reporting social initiatives
  • Certification, benchmarking and reporting frameworks at asset portfolio and corporate level
  • Property green standards for construction and investment: evolution and benchmarking, including:
    • LEED / BREEAM / REEB / NABERS / EDGE / WELL / Fitwel / Energy Star / ISO 14001 / Estidama / Mostadam
Day 4

Implementation of ESG Policies for real estate developers and investors

  • Implementation
    • The role of data collection
    • Utilisation of tools (e.g., CREEAM Risk Assessment)
    • Integrating ESG into BIM and GIS software
    • Predictive maintenance and the wider ESG perspective on Facilities Management 
    • Management of ESG implementation
    • Key challenges and obstacles from a decade of ESG real estate implementation
    • Overcoming greenwashing in ESG implementation
    • ESG qualifications for real estate
    • Interaction with development teams
  • Financing
    • The design and scope of green bonds
    • Bank green lending practices for real estate
    • Green leases
    • Integration of Islamic finance and green financing
Day 5

ESG Impact on Real Estate

  • Impact measurement
    • Financing costs and ESG performance for real estate developers and investors
    • The emergence of real estate ESG rating
    • Developer ESG policies and valuation
    • ESG and retention rates
    • Impact on rental rates, capital values and yields in the Gulf 
    • Construction and development companies, ESG and share prices
    • ESG, property value and investment performance
    • Translation of ESG scoring to portfolio performance and value
    • E, S, and G – evidence on the relative contribution of each to financial performance
  • The future trajectory of ESG and real estate

International Standards & Professional Alignment

Our training courses are aligned with internationally recognised professional standards and frameworks across leadership, strategy, finance, governance, risk, compliance, and audit. By integrating globally trusted models, we ensure learners develop practical, relevant, and industry-recognised capabilities.

Our trainings draw on leading international standards and professional frameworks, including ISO, ISACA, COSO, OECD, IIA, FATF, Basel, IFRS/ISSB, GRI, NIST, CPD, ILM and the OECD AI Principles. This alignment ensures consistency with global best practices across financial management, risk oversight, digital governance, sustainability, and strategic decision-making..

Designed in alignment with globally recognised professional bodies, our courses support continuous professional development, strengthen organisational capability, and provide clear pathways toward professional certifications valued worldwide.

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