Monday 8 September 2025

As the world counts down to the UN Climate Summit COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and the global network of Green Building Councils (GBCs) are rallying businesses to showcase the benefits of sustainable buildings. Under the banner “Business goes better when you’re bold on buildings”, the network will spotlight solutions throughout World Green Building Week 2025 (#WGBW25) from 8–12 September 2025.  

Celebrating bold leadership 

In the face of rising costs, climate risks, and resource scarcity, how can today’s business leaders build true resilience?  

More and more companies are finding the answer to this question in their buildings. In fact, sustainable buildings are becoming one of the smartest business strategies available today.

This is why for WGBW25, from 8—12 September, WorldGBC is celebrating the businesses taking bold steps to construct a greener, cleaner, smarter future – for themselves and the world.  

The value proposition: Why business goes better when you’re bold on buildings 

WGBW25 comes at a critical moment ahead of COP30 — a tipping point for climate action. Whether or not businesses have already prioritised decarbonisation, the economic and policy landscape makes it clear: future-proofing through green buildings is no longer optional. 

1. People focussed 

Sustainable buildings can deliver healthier, more productive spaces: 

• Creating workspaces that promote wellbeing and productivity — green buildings can enhance cognitive performance by over 25% and reduce staff sickness by 30%. 
• Investing in employee wellbeing enhances retention and boosts performance — turning the built environment into a competitive advantage. 
• Local communities benefit from climate-resilient, low-carbon designs that protect both people and planet. 

2. Financial returns 

Green buildings are strategic assets that drive measurable business outcomes: 

• Lower operational costs — efficient energy and water use reduces utility bills and secures resources against scarcity. 

• Asset value and financing — companies with sustainable buildings gain access to preferential finance, green bonds, and stronger investor confidence. 

• Scale global efficiency — research shows green buildings could lower energy demand by 12% and cut energy intensity by 38% — driving major cost savings. 

• Market advantage:  

• In Asia Pacific, sustainable buildings command higher rents, stronger occupancy, and market leadership, particularly in prime real estate.  

• In the Americas and Africa, access to green finance and reduced utility costs are key drivers, alongside resilience and health benefits, as well as the benefit of greater energy access and security.  
• In Europe, strong policy leadership, such as mandatory green building standards in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and green investment definitions in the EU Taxonomy, provides the clarity and consistency investors need to define “future-fit” assets and lay the foundations for growth in renovation and decarbonised construction.  

3. Risk management and resilience 

In a changing economic and policy landscape, bold building choices reduce exposure to risk. 

• Policy alignment — with new national climate commitments due at COP30, businesses that act now avoid stranded assets and lost investment. 

• Resilience to shocks — climate-resilient buildings protect assets and communities, as natural disasters already cost the global economy more than US $100 billion per year. 

• Reputation and retention — sustainability leadership strengthens customer loyalty, employee culture, and long-term competitiveness. 

Bold actions to be future-ready

WGBW25 invites businesses to adopt forward-looking building strategies that align resilience, profitability and climate action, including:

• Engaging with ESG policies and green finance to lower capital costs and secure long-term profitability. 

• Boosting business value by designing for whole life carbon— embodied carbon accounts for up to 50% of a building’s total emissions. Reducing it with durable, low-carbon materials brings long-term savings, local job creation, and investment potential. 

• Creating healthy, productive workplaces that boost employee wellbeing and retention. 

• Investing in future-ready, climate-resilient buildings to protect communities and secure assets. 

About World Green Building Week  

Now in its 17th year, WGBW is led by WorldGBC, the global network of GBCs and their 48,000+ members, and international industry leaders, to celebrate and champion the built environment to drive the local action necessary for people and planet to thrive.  

The GBC network is uniquely placed to drive action. Present in over 75 countries around the world, GBCs jurisdictions cover 60% of the world’s building stock, plus 65% of global GDP in countries that account for 72% of global built environment emissions. 

Throughout the week, WorldGBC and the GBC network will be hosting events and sharing stories of how business goes better when you’re bold on buildings. The scale of the network will be reflected during #WGBW25 through around 100 events planned to take place across five continents.  

Cristina Gamboa, CEO, WorldGBC, said:

“World Green Building Week 2025 is a key milestone in support of the COP30 Presidency Action Agenda, as it puts the magnifying glass on how business goes better when they are bold on buildings. Sustainable real estate is a strategic asset that drives efficiency, resilience, and value, while protecting the people and places we depend on. The companies stepping up now are not just delivering greener communities, cleaner air, and healthier homes and workplaces — they’re demonstrating the leadership that all businesses will need to thrive in a competitive future”.

Find out more about the campaign and how to get involved, register for an event, and join the conversation on social media at #BeBoldOnBuildings and #WGBW25. You can also contact your national GBC to find out more about the sustainable built environment in your area.
 

ENDS    

Media contact: 
 
Tessa Eydmann-Peel, Marketing and Communications Manager, WorldGBC, teydmannpeel@worldgbc.org  

About World Green Building Council   

The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) is the largest local-regional-global  action network leading the transformation to sustainable and decarbonised built  Environments.  

Together, with over 75 Green Building Councils and industry partners from all around  the world, we are driving systemic changes to achieve:  

• total decarbonisation of the built environment 
• healthy, equitable and resilient buildings, cities and communities 
• regeneration of natural systems and thriving circular economy 

We work with businesses, organisations and governments to deliver on the ambitions of  the Paris Agreement and UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs).  

Find out more www.worldgbc.org