Grainger : and GRIP REIT recognised as sustainability leaders

8 September 2017

GRAINGER PLC AND GRIP REIT RECOGNISED AS SUSTAINABILITY LEADERS

Grainger's ongoing commitment to embedding sustainability into all areas of its business has been recognised with a series of sustainability awards.

Grainger plc and GRIP REIT plc have participated in the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) for five consecutive years. Over this time, performance has continually improved and in the 2017 benchmark, GRIP REIT has been awarded Sector Leader in the Listed European Residential category, with a score of 73 out of 100.

The GRESB Sector Leader Awards Program recognises real estate and infrastructure companies, funds and assets that have demonstrated outstanding leadership in sustainability. Sander Paul van Tongeren, Co-Founder and Managing Director at GRESB said 'We are proud to recognize the 2017 Sector Leaders for their clear commitment and meaningful action to improve their sustainability performance.'

GRIP REIT was also rated first amongst all UK residential participants in the benchmark. Grainger scored 69 out of 100, placing it third among all European residential participants and significantly above the sector average of 57.

Both Grainger and GRIP performed significantly above the peer group average across Environmental, Social and Governance criteria. Grainger's commitment to sustainable development saw it placed 14 out of 338 participants with development projects.

Grainger was the best performing European residential organisation for health and wellbeing, recognising the company's commitment to promoting the health and wellbeing of its employees and its residents.

Grainger's sustainability approach includes transparently communicating sustainability performance to all stakeholders, and in the new GRESB Public Disclosure benchmark, both Grainger and GRIP were awarded the highest possible A rating.

The past year has seen continued efforts to improve coverage of Energy Performance Certificates across Grainger's portfolios to proactively ensure compliance with Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards legislation. Grainger has also undertaken engagement with key stakeholders to inform the development of a longer-term sustainability strategy which will be announced later this year.

At this week's annual European Public Real Estate Association (EPRA) Conference, Grainger received the highest recognition, a gold award, in the EPRA Sustainability Best Practice Recommendations (sBPR) Awards for the fourth consecutive year. As part of its commitment to best practice in sustainability reporting, Grainger will review its disclosure against the new third edition of the EPRA sBPR Guidelines launched today.

These accolades follow the announcement earlier this year that Grainger has successfully retained its listing on the FTSE4Good index, which Grainger has been listed on consistently since 2010.

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