BREEAM International: one standard for real estate portfolios across borders

How do you make sustainability tangible for a real estate portfolio that spans multiple countries? After all, sustainability ambitions don’t stop at the border. With their expertise in BREEAM International, CFP’s Pien ter Beek and Sander van den Berg guide clients with international portfolios towards clear insights, comparable scores, and one streamlined approach.

Beyond energy: the full scope of BREEAM

For Pien and Sander, BREEAM is more than a certificate only. “A lot of sustainability efforts revolve around energy, but BREEAM takes a much broader view: water, materials, health, transport: everything counts,” explains Pien. “The bar is raised higher each time, and that motivates organisations to keep improving.”

Sander also sees the strength of BREEAM in its scope: “The beauty is that you have a clear foundation that can be improved step by step. Especially when certifying an entire portfolio, you can see exactly where the biggest gains lie and how to tackle them in the most efficient way. That makes it both concrete and valuable.”

One standard, worldwide

The international version of BREEAM can be applied in almost all countries. Only Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the US have their own standards. For many clients, this means convenience: one approach, one language, the same three-year validity, regardless of where their buildings are located. 

“We work with clients who own properties in the Netherlands and abroad. By combining BREEAM International with BREEAM Netherlands, we can cover those buildings in one go,” Pien explains. “That delivers consistency and prevents each market from needing its own separate approach.”

NL vs. International: same idea, nuanced differences 

Although the systems are becoming more aligned, there are still differences. “In the Netherlands, we have energy labels (EPCs), which means certain aspects are already largely registered. Internationally, more evidence is needed – down to photos with a timestamp,” says Sander. In addition, internationally the roles of assessor and expert are combined, whereas in the Netherlands these are separated.

Looking ahead: international impact and ambitions

“We are increasingly supporting organisations in Belgium, as well as clients with portfolios spread across several countries,” says Pien. “Not only by certifying with BREEAM, but also by thinking strategically about their real estate portfolio.” This requires in-depth knowledge of both BREEAM-NL and BREEAM International, and it’s precisely that combination that makes the difference for clients.

Working internationally also brings fresh insights. For example, in Belgium, the regulations around water reuse are much stricter than in the Netherlands. “That makes cross-border work fascinating, seeing where countries can inspire each other,” Pien notes.

And how does international work feel in practice? “It’s a bit like top-level sport,” Sander reflects. “You work in a small, highly focused team with an eye for detail. It’s a process of continuous improvement.” Their ambitions go even further: a BREEAM Outstanding certification for an international building, or a portfolio of twenty properties spread across multiple countries. “That’s when you truly see the differences – and the strength of one international standard,” Sander concludes.

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