From why to how

Everywhere we look, we’re seeing alignment between voluntary standards, investor benchmarks and regulation. The result is a more confident, coordinated market ready to move faster.

This month’s big news stories capture this alignment perfectly.

Top of the list? Unveiling Green Star Buildings v1.1 at Green Building Forum. More than 700 projects have already used Green Star Buildings as a roadmap for better, healthier, more responsible places. Version 1.1 sharpens the focus on climate action, nature and circularity, and refines the tool with five years of hands-on industry feedback.

All-electric buildings are now the baseline. A new Nature Positive Pathway helps project teams boost biodiversity, and a Design for Circularity credit rewards clever, early design choices. Most importantly, aligning updates with the next wave of regulation and investment – from carbon disclosure to nature reporting and sustainable finance – makes Green Star an even stronger signal of future value.

Framing the refrigerant challenge

Also at Green Building Forum, discussion about the future of refrigerants has reflected growing awareness of their long-term carbon impact. Next week GBCA and AIRAH, with support of the NSW Government, will release our latest discussion paper, Freeze Frame: Refrigerants as long-term building infrastructure.

The systems in use today already contain an estimated 55,000 tonnes of refrigerant, with a total Global Warming Potential (GWP) of around 100 MtCO₂e if released. This is equivalent to roughly a quarter of Australia’s annual emissions. Without intervention, it could grow to 80,000 tonnes by 2036.

We need a plan.

The stepped approach in Green Star Buildings v1.1 sends a clear innovation signal, while giving industry time to adapt. And the new discussion paper explores the practical steps we need to take together – from smarter design and maintenance to better refrigerant tracking and stronger collaboration across industry and government.

Freeze Frame will be launched next week, with feedback open until 2 April 2026. Have your say!

Speaking the same language on materials

We’re driving local and global alignment in the areas of greatest impact – and nowhere is this more important than in construction, which accounts for more than half of the world’s raw materials extraction.

Today, the tools, frameworks and definitions that measure material impacts are fragmented. So, we’ve teamed up with the world’s leading green building organisations to establish a global partnership on sustainable building materials.

By recalibrating data, metrics and terminology across systems such as Green Star, LEED, BREEAM, WELL and Living Building Challenge, we can eliminate duplication, reduce compliance costs and create a common language – one that helps industry act with confidence and gives investors a clear view of what better buildings look like.

You can see the effects of this partnership today. Material Matters, our consultation paper for the next version of the Responsible Products Framework, proposes changes to align best practice priorities and frameworks. The consultation is open until 12 December 2025.

Capital follows carbon

The latest GRESB results reaffirm Oceania’s position as the global leader in sustainable real estate. Our region achieved average scores of 83.3 for standing investments and 93.9 for developments, both well above global averages.

More than 90% of Oceania participants now have net zero policies, and 85% have set targets. As Property Council of Australia Chief Executive, Mike Zorbas, says: “Australian investors and developers continue to prove that sustainability and performance go hand in hand.”

Congratulations to GBCA members Charter Hall, Mirvac, Cbus Property, Aliro Group, Lendlease, The GPT Group, Frasers Property, Scape, Cedar Pacific and CBRE for your leadership.

Speaking of leadership, we’re proud that our own Chief Impact Officer, Jorge Chapa, has joined the GRESB Foundation Board, ensuring Australia continues to help shape the standards that define sustainable investment worldwide.

Policy momentum gathers pace

When voluntary leaders move together, regulation can follow with confidence.

The Australian Government has released its roadmap to expand the Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) Program, extending mandatory energy-performance reporting to more building types and ownership structures. Mixed-use, large office tenancies, public buildings and hotels will lead the way, with retail, data centres and aged care to follow.

We’ve long championed the CBD Program, which has cut office energy use by more than 40% since 2010, avoiding 11 million tonnes of emissions annually and saving a cumulative $1.6 billion in energy costs. Its expansion will give more owners, investors and tenants more opportunities to act on sustainability.

This month, Australia’s Building Ministers also confirmed the content and timing of the National Construction Code 2025 update. New provisions for better water management, carpark energy efficiency, solar readiness and healthier, safer commercial buildings will be published by February 2026 for adoption from 1 May 2026.

While new residential changes have been paused until 2029, we see this not as a step back, but as a moment to plan forward. Over the next few years, we’ll focus on bolstering the evidence base, partnerships and industry leadership to ensure the next phase of reform delivers more homes and better homes.

The pattern of progress

The same pattern keeps repeating – and it’s a good one. Voluntary frameworks move first. Leaders prove what’s possible. Investors elevate expectations. Regulation follows to raise all boats.

No one asks why sustainable buildings matter anymore. They’re asking how to deliver them faster, smarter and at scale.

Our role at GBCA is to keep closing knowledge gaps, building trust and helping industry lead with confidence. Because every time we strengthen voluntary benchmarks, we create the runway for regulation to follow. And when that happens, the whole market moves forward together.