The Green Rating Alliance has has issued audits covering more than seven million m2 of commercial real estate in Europe.

The Green Rating Alliance has has issued audits covering more than seven million m2 of commercial real estate in Europe.

The sustainability body expects this growth in the number of audits to continue over the next 12 months. The non-profit association counts several leading real estate firms among its members, including AEW Europe, Allianz Real Estate, AXA Real Estate and CBRE Global Investors, and Chairman Pieter Hendrikse expects membership to expand further in 2013.

'Increasing the number of audits in Europe was one of the most important goals for 2012. Bringing in two new members, Invesco Real Estate and Valad, means we have also broadened the membership base to underline that Green Rating Alliance is an initiative truly driven by large European real estate companies,' he said.

The Green Rating is a sustainability audit tool for existing buildings with internationally comparable criteria to assess performance and provide quantified recommendations for improvement. Audits of office, logistics and retail assets have been conducted in more than 100 cities in 16 countries.