Sustainability and ESG terminology moves fast, particularly across real assets, where reporting frameworks, emissions standards and regulatory requirements are constantly evolving.
This reference covers 60+ of the most common acronyms I encounter when working with clients. The list covers everything from disclosure frameworks and carbon accounting to building certifications.
Updated regularly – let me know if there’s anything missing.
BECD – Built Environment Carbon Database (UK)
A UK database that collects and shares whole-life carbon data for buildings and infrastructure to support benchmarking and evidence-based decision-making. Website →
BREEAM – Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method
A leading international sustainability assessment and certification scheme for buildings, evaluating performance across energy, water, health, and materials. Website →
BRSR – Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (India)
A mandatory sustainability disclosure framework for listed Indian companies, covering ESG performance across nine principles of responsible business conduct. Website →
CBAM – Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (EU)
An EU trade policy that places a carbon price on imports of goods from countries with less stringent climate policies, to prevent carbon leakage. Website →
CDP – Carbon Disclosure Project (Global)
A global disclosure platform that enables companies, cities, and regions to report their environmental data on climate change, water security, and deforestation. Website →
COP – Conference of the Parties
The annual United Nations climate summit at which member states review progress on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and negotiate international climate commitments. Website →
CRREM – Carbon Risk Real Estate Monitor
A tool that provides science-based carbon reduction pathways for real estate assets, helping investors identify stranding risk and decarbonisation trajectories. Website →
CSDDD – Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (EU)
An EU directive requiring large companies to identify, prevent, and mitigate adverse human rights and environmental impacts across their value chains. Website →
CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility
A business framework through which companies integrate social, environmental, and ethical considerations into their operations and stakeholder relationships.
CSRD – Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (EU)
An EU directive that expands mandatory sustainability reporting requirements for large companies, replacing the NFRD with more detailed disclosure obligations under ESRS. Website →
DEI – Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion
A set of organisational principles and practices aimed at ensuring equitable representation and fair treatment across characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, and disability.
DMA – Double Materiality Assessment
A process required under CSRD/ESRS that evaluates both the financial materiality of ESG risks to a company and the company’s impact on society and the environment.
DR – Disclosure Requirement
A specific item of information that a company is mandated to report under a given regulatory framework, such as the European Sustainability Reporting Standards.
EIA – Environmental Impact Assessment
A formal process for evaluating the likely environmental effects of a proposed development project before a planning or regulatory decision is made.
EFRAG – European Financial Reporting Advisory Group
The EU advisory body responsible for developing the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and providing technical guidance on sustainability reporting. Website →
EMS – Environmental Management System
A structured framework, typically aligned to ISO 14001, that helps organisations identify, manage, and continuously improve their environmental performance.
EPBD – Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EU)
An EU directive setting minimum energy performance standards for buildings, driving decarbonisation of the built environment across member states. Website →
EPC – Energy Performance Certificate
A national rating certificate that grades a building’s energy efficiency on a scale from A to G, required for the sale, let, or construction of properties in the UK and EU.
ESG – Environmental, Social, Governance
The three pillars used to assess a company’s or asset’s sustainability practices and risks, widely used by investors as a lens for responsible investment decisions.
EPRA sBPR – European Public Real Estate Association Sustainability Best Practice Recommendations
A reporting framework developed by EPRA that sets standardised sustainability performance measures for listed real estate companies in Europe. Website →
ESRS – European Sustainability Reporting Standards (EU)
The mandatory disclosure standards developed by EFRAG under CSRD, covering topics from climate and biodiversity to social and governance matters. Website →
EU Taxonomy – EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Activities
An EU classification system that defines which economic activities can be considered environmentally sustainable, used to direct capital towards the green transition. Website →
GFANZ – Glasgow Finance Alliance for Net Zero (Global)
A global coalition of financial institutions committed to accelerating the decarbonisation of the economy and aligning portfolios with net zero emissions by 2050. Website →
GHG – Greenhouse Gases / GHG Protocol
Greenhouse gases are the atmospheric gases driving climate change; the GHG Protocol is the most widely used international standard for measuring and managing these emissions. Website →
GREEN – Global Real Estate Engagement Network
A network that facilitates ESG engagement between investors and listed real estate companies to improve sustainability disclosure and performance. Website →
GRESB – GRESB (formerly Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark)
A widely used ESG benchmark and data platform for real assets, providing standardised performance data to institutional investors and fund managers globally. Website →
GRI – Global Reporting Initiative (Global)
An international independent standards organisation that provides the world’s most widely used framework for sustainability reporting across sectors. Website →
H&S – Health and Safety
The regulatory and management frameworks that protect the wellbeing of workers, occupants, and the public in the context of buildings and construction sites.
IFRS – International Financial Reporting Standards
Global accounting standards issued by the IASB; the IFRS Foundation also oversees the ISSB, which develops international sustainability disclosure standards. Website →
INREV ESG SDDS – European Association for Investors in Non-Listed Real Estate Vehicles Environmental, Social, Governance Standard Data Delivery Sheet
A standardised data template developed by INREV to facilitate consistent ESG reporting between non-listed real estate fund managers and their investors. Website →
IPCC – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The UN body that synthesises global scientific research on climate change, producing authoritative reports that underpin international climate policy. Website →
IROs – Impacts, Risks, and Opportunities
A core concept in ESRS/CSRD requiring companies to identify how their activities affect the environment and society, and how ESG factors create financial risks or opportunities.
ISO – International Organization for Standardization
A global body that develops voluntary international standards across industries; in ESG, key standards include ISO 14001 (environment) and ISO 50001 (energy management). Website →
ISSB – International Sustainability Standards Board (Global)
A body under the IFRS Foundation that develops globally consistent sustainability disclosure standards, including IFRS S1 (general disclosures) and IFRS S2 (climate). Website →
LCA – Life Cycle Assessment
A methodology for evaluating the environmental impacts of a building, product, or material across its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction to end of life.
LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
A globally recognised US-originated green building certification system that rates buildings on sustainability criteria including energy, water, and indoor environment quality.
MA – Materiality Assessment
A process by which a company identifies and prioritises the ESG topics most significant to its business and stakeholders, informing disclosure and strategy.
MEES – Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard
A UK regulation that sets the minimum EPC rating required for commercially or residentially let properties.
NABERS – National Australian Built Environment Rating System
An Australian government-backed rating system that measures and compares the environmental performance of buildings, particularly for energy and water use. Website →
NFRD – Non-Financial Reporting Directive (EU)
The predecessor EU directive to CSRD that required large public-interest companies to disclose non-financial and diversity information; being progressively replaced. Website →
NZE – Net Zero Emissions
A state in which the greenhouse gases emitted by an organisation, asset, or economy are balanced by equivalent removals or reductions, resulting in no net addition to the atmosphere.
PCAF – Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (Global)
A global partnership of financial institutions developing a standardised approach to measuring and disclosing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with loans and investments. Website →
PRI / UNPRI – Principles for Responsible Investment
A UN-supported investor initiative that promotes the incorporation of ESG factors into investment decision-making and ownership practices through six voluntary principles. Website →
QMS – Quality Management System
A formalised framework, typically aligned to ISO 9001, that documents processes and responsibilities for achieving quality and continuous improvement in an organisation.
REIT – Real Estate Investment Trust
A company that owns, and typically operates, income-generating real estate, structured to allow investors to access property markets and subject to specific ESG reporting expectations.
SASB – Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (Global)
A standards body that developed industry-specific sustainability accounting standards to guide disclosure of financially material ESG information to investors. Website →
SBTi – Science Based Targets initiative (Global)
An independent body that enables companies to set greenhouse gas reduction targets aligned with the latest climate science and Paris Agreement goals. Website →
SDGs – Sustainable Development Goals
A set of 17 global goals adopted by the UN in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda, covering climate, poverty, inequality, and sustainable economic growth. Website →
SDR – Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (UK)
A UK regulatory framework from the FCA that sets requirements for asset managers and firms to make sustainability-related disclosures and use sustainability labels. Website →
SEC – Securities Exchange Commission (US)
The US federal agency that regulates securities markets and public company disclosures, including its rules on climate-related financial risk disclosures. Website →
SFDR – Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (EU)
An EU regulation requiring financial market participants to disclose how they integrate sustainability risks and adverse impacts into their investment processes and products. Website →
SRI – Socially Responsible Investment
An investment approach that incorporates ethical, social, and environmental criteria into portfolio selection, a predecessor concept to modern ESG investing.
SRO – Senior Responsible Officer
A designated senior individual within an organisation accountable for the delivery of a specific programme or regulatory obligation, including sustainability commitments.
TCFD – Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (Global)
A framework developed to guide consistent company disclosure of climate-related financial risks and opportunities across governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics. Website →
TNFD – Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures (Global)
A framework modelled on the TCFD that guides organisations to assess, disclose, and respond to nature-related financial risks and dependencies. Website →
UNGP – United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
A global standard setting out the responsibilities of states and businesses to protect and respect human rights, increasingly relevant to ESG due diligence requirements. Website →
UKNZCBS – UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard
A UK standard defining what constitutes a net zero carbon building in operation and construction, providing a consistent benchmark for the real estate industry. Website →
UN SDGs – United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Global)
The full set of 17 UN goals for 2030 addressing global sustainability challenges; often used by real asset investors to align investment activity with broader societal objectives. Website →
VUCA – Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity
A strategic framework describing the challenging and unpredictable conditions in which organisations must operate, increasingly used in the context of climate and ESG risk management.
WBCSD – World Business Council for Sustainable Development
A CEO-led global organisation of businesses working together to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world through advocacy, tools, and collaborative initiatives. Website →
WELL – WELL Building Certification
A performance-based building certification system focused on human health and wellbeing, assessing features such as air quality, lighting, water, and mental health support. Website →
WGBC – World Green Building Council
A global network of national Green Building Councils that advocates for sustainable buildings and cities, including country-specific councils as members. Website →
WLC(A) – Whole Life Carbon (Assessment)
A methodology for measuring the total carbon emissions associated with a building across its construction, operation, and end-of-life, covering both embodied and operational carbon. Website →
WRI – World Resources Institute
A global research organisation that provides data, tools, and analysis to support sustainable management of natural resources and guide climate and sustainability policy. Website →
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