The results are in: this year's key priorities and challenges for climate action in real estate
In December, we asked our network of real estate professionals about the pressures, opportunities and priorities shaping the sector’s climate action agenda as we move into 2026. We’ve created a report outlining their responses and pairing them with insights from our consultants.
The full report, Climate Action in Real Estate: Market Outlook 2026, is now available for you to download and browse.
Climate Outlook in Real Estate: Market Outlook 2026
What to expect in 2026
The commercial real estate sector enters the new year with renewed but measured confidence, following a period of recalibration driven by higher financing costs, shifting occupier expectations, and tightening sustainability regulations.
Economic and geopolitical headwinds remain, yet investor appetites for ESG-aligned assets have strengthened. Many are expecting sustainability-linked investment and refurbishment activity to accelerate in 2026.
Priority activities
Delivering decarbonisation and managing climate transition risk are top priorities for this year. Building resilience, managing physical climate risks and enhancing internal governance structures are key focuses too.
The centre of gravity has shifted from setting targets to evidencing them. Companies are starting to invest in data quality, controls and internal audits to meet disclosure and anti-greenwashing expectations.
What’s standing in the way?
Budget constraints and the ability to collect accurate data remain the greatest barriers to achieving climate action. Uncooperative occupiers are presenting a greater challenge, too, so engaging occupiers with the climate action journey should be a focus across the market for 2026.
Find out more – read the full report
Look out for more articles in this series
We’ll be releasing weekly articles exploring the valuable data we collected in the report, so keep an eye on our website and social media for the latest updates. Still to come are:
How to stay ahead of real estate's shifting focus in 2026
This year's biggest challenges for real estate professionals (and how to overcome them)
We can help you meet your goals for this year
Verco is committed to addressing the challenges and utilising the drivers described in the report to facilitate sustainable growth. Our technical experts support clients by:
providing strategic advice to help navigate the constantly shifting landscape, while managing transition risks;
delivering data and reporting solutions to comply with both mandatory and voluntary standards; and
conducting asset-level performance reviews with investment plans and technical delivery support.
Get in touch for expert advice on your next steps and how we can help you.