With 65% of office stock at risk of stranding by 2030, greens certifications can also underpin asset future-proofing.

“These updated frameworks define sustainability beyond building regulations and help mitigate climate risk and the need for future, costlier retrofits,” says Ramsey.

For example, all BREEAM v7 levels include new benchmarks to demonstrate net gain in biodiversity, beyond the UK’s mandatory biodiversity legislation passed in 2024.

Reporting obligations can help shape strategies for which credits to pursue. “Companies need to consider what data is required by the standards they report against, and ensure it aligns with their credit strategies for certification,” says Ramsey.

The building performance data required by BREEAM v7 and LEED v5 also aligns with planning applications that increasingly consider environmental impact, and supports direct reporting to global sustainability standards such as EU Taxonomy, TCFD and GRI. This can provide a useful template for multinationals that face varying regulatory requirements across markets, Ramsey adds.