The new guide gives RICS’ members information on their role in creating sustainable environments
The RICS global sustainability guide, titled Sustainability practice for surveyors, has been launched alongside the 2025 UN Global Compact Communication on Engagement report.
The reports reflect the institute’s commitments to working towards sustainability in the built and natural environments.
Sharing sustainability knowledge
The sustainability guide is aimed at RICS members, those working towards RICS membership, and early-career professionals and senior practitioners alike, and provides advice on achieving targets and sustainability standards.
It works to establish that sustainability is not a separate specialism for experts, but something to be worked into projects by everyone in the profession, and that surveyors hold key influence on decisions at every stage of development, including investment, valuation, planning and design, construction, management, retrofit, regeneration, and end of life.
A seven-step workflow is introduced focusing on four key issues:
- Climate change mitigation
- Climate change adaptation and resilience
- Circularity and resource use
- Biodiversity and ecosystem health
“A shared foundation for consistent outcomes”
Meanwhile, the UN report sets out how RICS supports the UN Global Compact and Sustainable Development Goals via RICS standards, guidance, partnership and professional development. It highlights work taken to equip members with the skills and insight required to address social, environmental, and economic challenges such as the Sustainability Advisory pathway.
Other RICS work discussed in the UN report include the whole life carbon assessment, the Coalition for life cycle emissions alignment and reporting, International Cost Management Standards, the Built Environment Carbon Database, the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, residential retrofit standards, ESG valuation guidance, responsible business practice, land governance, diversity and inclusion, anti-corruption benchmarks, and global partnerships supporting decarbonisation in the built environment.
Anil Sawhney, head of sustainability at RICS, said: “Our members advance sustainability across assets, cities, and the natural environment. Today, we are publishing two documents to support their efforts.
“The new global sustainability guide offers a shared foundation for consistent outcomes across all practice areas and career stages. As a participant in the UN Global Compact, RICS is committed to its Ten Principles. Our Communication on Engagement report highlights our ongoing sustainability initiatives to address the environmental, social, and economic dimensions.”
Writing for PBC Today last month, founder and CEO of Genous, Simon Bones, discussed how developments shifting towards sustainability are the greatest commercial asset that developers can hold.
Simon wrote: “Housebuilders and developers have tended to view sustainability from the perspective of legislative requirements – what do we have to do to get properties approved – rather than as a differentiator for customers and in their business approaches.
“While the Future Homes Standard pushes the sustainability legislative ask even further, that doesn’t mean the right response is to continue delivering only the minimum requirements.
“On the contrary, we think the standards reflect a broader shift in consumer sentiment and an opportunity for forward-thinking housebuilders to differentiate themselves both against direct competitors and against existing housing stock: rather than characterless vs character properties, reframing the narrative as cutting-edge vs out-of-date.”
Read Simon’s full thoughts here.
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