The EPRA Sustainability BPR have been developed to prepare companies for the likely introduction of more stringent mandatory sustainability reporting regulations across Europe. 

The document sets out core recommendations for sustainability reporting which EPRA expects all of its members to report on, alongside additional recommendations which are based on observations of good practice.  The expectation is that companies should, as a minimum, include a summary table of EPRA Sustainability Performance Measures in their annual financial report, with a detailed report in their annual sustainability or corporate responsibility report.

The BPR sets out a number of performance measures, both in terms of absolute values and intensity measures.  The metrics set out cover the following key areas of sustainability:

• Energy
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Waste
• Water

It also sets out some overarching recommendations which cover the following principles, which should apply to the reporting of EPRA Sustainability Performance Measures:

• Organisational boundaries
• Landlord and tenant consumption arrangements
• Intensity normalisation
• Year-on-year like-for-like comparison
• Segmental analysis (by property type and geography)
• Narrative on performance

To encourage knowledge sharing and reward best practice, EPRA will be introducing an annual Sustainability BPR Award in 2012 to recognise the efforts of those companies who adopt the BPR and innovate in their measurement and reporting of performance.

Click here for a copy of the BPR document (link to EPRA website).