SATO achieves Green Star rating in Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) assessment

The rental housing provider SATO participated for the fourth time in the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) assessment providing an internationally comparable score. SATO has continued its long-term sustainability efforts and progress was made in almost every aspect.

SATO received four stars on a scale of one to five in the GRESB assessment. In its peer group, European housing investment companies, SATO was ranked higher than the average score.

In 2017, SATO focused particularly on customer service and stakeholder engagement in line with its Customer First strategy. This strengthened SATO’s performance related to the social sustainability indicators. SATO’s strengths also included energy-efficiency measures and transparency in policy and disclosure.

As regards new construction and major renovation, SATO’s comprehensive environmental programme and energy-efficiency requirements as well as the health and safety and sustainability requirements set for contractors are highlighted as SATO's strengths.

”The GRESB assessment provides SATO with tools for maintaining and developing a sustainable approach. The results serve as an important indicator for us and also give us an international point of comparison.” says Miia Eloranta, Director of Marketing and Communications, from SATO.

An area in need of development for SATO brought up by GRESB is the lack of environmental certificates for properties. So far, certificates have been utilised mainly in the construction of new business premises and shopping centres and they are not widely used for residential buildings in Finland.

GRESB harmonises reporting in the sector

The Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) assesses the sustainability performance of real estate portfolios. The GRESB assessments have introduced a uniform and comparable reporting model for the real estate sector that increases and supports investment decisions. The aspects measured are Management, Policy & Disclosure, Risks & Opportunities, Monitoring & EMS, Performance Indicators, Building Certifications, and Stakeholder Engagement.

GRESB has been conducting an international benchmark since 2009, and the results of the participating enterprises form a comparative matrix. A total of 903 enterprises took part in the assessment in 2018.

For more information please contact:

SATO Corporation
Miia Eloranta, Director, Marketing and Communications, phone: +358 50 441 4221
Laura Nurmi, Project Specialist, phone: +358 201 34 4492