The 5 most important building certifications for sustainability

11.08.25 06:44 AM - By Florian

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Learn more about the five most important and recognized certification systems for assessing the sustainability and climate resilience of real estate and open spaces.

As one of the main causes of climate change, the real estate industry contributes significantly to global warming. Sustainability and climate resilience are therefore essential aspects in the planning and construction of buildings today. They not only contribute to environmental protection but also to the long-term value retention of real estate, whether through direct value enhancement or the avoidance of depreciation losses.

To assess and confirm the sustainability and climate resilience of buildings, there are various sustainability certifications, which are traditionally based on an evaluation system with indicators.

This blog post presents and compares the five most important and market-recognized green building certifications for the sustainability and climate resilience of real estate.

View through the jungle

Certification systems are frameworks that allow for transparent assessment and compliance with quality criteria and standards regarding the sustainability of buildings. A multitude of certification solutions are available on the market, which are often difficult to distinguish and compare in terms of content and system.

Generally, certifications for real estate are based on the work of certified auditors. These are often limited to a local or national scope. There are only a few internationally applicable and recognized systems.

The following assessment systems and approaches can be distinguished:

Certification

Confirmation of the assessment by an auditor, e.g. LEED, BREEAM, DGNB/ÖGNI, greenpass, ...

Declaration

Confirmation of the rating through self-declaration, e.g., klimaaktiv, ...

In addition to the type of valuation confirmation, certifications and sustainability assessments for real estate are generally divided into the following two types:

Building certification

Focus on the building and its interior (green building), e.g., LEED, BREEAM, DGNB/ÖGNI, klimaaktiv, etc.

Climate resilience certification

Focus on buildings and outdoor spaces with regard to climate change adaptation and climate resilience, e.g., greenpass, ...

In recent years, building certifications have increasingly taken climate change adaptation and climate risk into account, not least due to the EU Taxonomy specifications and criteria, as well as technological possibilities, relevance, and market demand. The quality and impact of the certifications vary considerably, ranging from generic, conceptual assessments to detailed, spatial assessments and certifications.

Climate resilience certifications offer a broader, focused, and above all, impact-oriented approach to the topics of climate change adaptation and its sub-areas, such as climate, water, air, biodiversity, and much more. They allow for the reduction of increasing climate risks and their noticeable physical and economic impacts on people, the environment, and real estate under current and future climate conditions.

Below you will find the most important and market-recognized certification systems for sustainability and climate resilience of real estate and open spaces:

A) LEED

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a certification system from the USA and is considered one of the best-known and most widely used systems worldwide. Developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), it evaluates the sustainability of buildings in the areas of energy efficiency, water consumption, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and site selection. The assessment is based on a point system, and the certification classes are Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Certified.

LEED distinguishes between the following six categories:

Sustainable Land
Water Efficiency
Energy and Atmosphere
Materials and Resources
Indoor Environmental Quality
Innovation and Design Process

B) BREEAM

BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) is a UK certification system developed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE). It is recognized in over 70 countries and assesses the sustainability of buildings in the areas of energy, water, materials, waste, health and well-being, land use and ecology, and management. The assessment is also based on a scale of 0 to 100 percent, and the certificate classes are Outstanding, Excellent, Very Good, Good, and Pass.

BREEAM distinguishes between the following ten categories:

Management
Health and Well-being
Energy
Transportation
Water
Materials
Waste
Land Use and Ecology
Environment
Innovation

C) DGNB

The DGNB(German Sustainable Building Council) is a German certification system developed by the German Sustainable Building Council. It assesses the sustainability of buildings in the areas of ecology, economy, sociocultural aspects, and functionality. The assessment is based on a degree of fulfillment of 0 to 100 percent, and the certificate classes are platinum, gold, silver, and bronze.

Like some other systems, it offers various certification options based on asset class or use, e.g., for new buildings and existing buildings, and much more. This also includes a neighborhood-specific certification, which examines climate change adaptation in more depth.

The DGNB assessment is based on six main criteria:

Ecology
Economics
Sociocultural and functional aspects
Technology
Processes
Location

D) ÖGNI

The ÖGNI(Austrian Sustainable Building Council) is an NGO dedicated to establishing sustainability in the construction and real estate industry in Austria. It certifies according to the DGNB system and assesses the sustainability of buildings and neighborhoods. Like the DGNB, the ÖGNI assessment is based on a degree of fulfillment of 0 to 100 percent, and the certificate classes are platinum, gold, silver, and bronze.

E) klimaaktiv

Klimaaktiv is an Austrian assessment system and declaration tool supported by the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology. It evaluates the sustainability of buildings in the areas of climate change adaptation and location, energy and supply, resources and circular economy, and comfort and health.

Unlike the other certifications mentioned, there is no external assessment by auditors per se; instead, owners or external consultants can provide their own information. With the 2025 Building Standard, up to 1,000 points can be achieved in the klimaaktiv system.

klimaaktiv distinguishes between the following four different categories:

A. Climate Change Adaptation and Location
B. Energy and Supply
C. Resources and Circular Economy
D. Comfort and Health

F) greenpass

greenpass is the greenpass for real estate and open spaces and the internationally applicable certification standard for climate resilience and climate change adaptation. Greenpass was developed over more than 10 years of scientific research in collaboration with international universities and experts and has already been used in over 250 projects in more than 10 countries worldwide.

The system is based on a three-dimensional digital twin from the greenpass Editor and high-resolution expert simulations, coupled with numerical indicators and qualitative bonus indicators.

The greenpass Certification assesses the climate change adaptation and resilience of buildings and open spaces and is carried out by trained and certified Urban Climate Architects (UCAs).

The scientifically based system can also be used for quality assurance and the achievement of target values. The certification can also be applied to stand-alone open space, such as squares or streets. The assessment is based on a scale of 0 to 100 percent, and the certificate classes are platinum, gold, silver, and certified.

The greenpass Certification evaluates the following six urban challenges and four bonus categories with more than 50 meaningful indicators:

Climate (microclimate)
Water (rainwater management)
Air (CO₂ and wind)
Biodiversity
Energy
Costs (green and blue infrastructure)
Ecology
Resources
Social Issues
Mobility

References

Green markets in retail

How BILLA is transforming its retail stores into climate-safe and green stores with the help of digital twins and the greenpass standard

6 min reading time

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Differences and synergies

The certification systems mentioned above all aim to assess and improve the sustainability of buildings. However, they differ in their application, depth, and quality of verification, as well as in their content and thematic focus.

While building certifications primarily focus on the building and its interior, climate resilience certifications focus primarily on the exterior and successful climate change adaptation.

Unlike the other certifications, the greenpass Certification is not just an assessment framework, but also an assessment system, verification, and planning tool all in one.

A three-dimensional digital twin coupled with a numerical assessment system allows for a realistic simulation and mapping of the complex causal network for a scientifically valid, fact-based, and objective assessment of the sustainability and climate resilience of properties and open spaces.

For a holistic and investment-safe real estate, it is recommended to carry out both building and climate resilience certification in order to adequately cover all aspects of sustainability, including climate change adaptation and resilience, and to effectively and effectively utilize the synergies.

Conclusion

The systems mentioned are the most important and most recognized solutions on the market and by experts for the assessment and transparent certification of sustainability and climate resilience at the national and international level.

Building certifications, as the name suggests, focus on buildings. While climate resilience certifications focus on climate change adaptation and resilience of the building and its exterior space. One certification does not replace the other. Even if the topics and terminology often sound similar, there are many differences in the depth, impact, performance, and quality of the assessment.

Many joint projects across a wide range of real estate asset classes have shown that building certifications and greenpass Certification complement each other perfectly and can be used synergistically to create added value.

In our blog under References, you will find some showcase and best-practice examples of sustainable construction with greenpass certification, as well as in combination with other certification systems.

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Florian

Co-Founder & CEO greenpass

https://www.linkedin.com/in/florian-kraus/

Ich bin internationaler Experte mit jahrelanger Erfahrung in der Bewertung und Gestaltung von klimasicheren und nachhaltigen Immobilien und Freiräumen. Nach meinem Masterstudium für Landschaftsplanung & -architektur war ich an der BOKU als Forscher und der Green4Cities als Manager tätig.