Panchshil Realty: From a One-Person ESG Function to GRI and GRESB
Panchshil Realty
At a Glance
- Industry: Real estate (residential and commercial)
- Portfolio: 20+ landmark projects, plus active construction sites
- Services: ESG strategy, materiality assessment, sustainability reporting, ESG training, ESG data management platform, decarbonisation advisory
- Frameworks and certifications: GRI Standards, GRESB, ISO, Green Building
- Headline results: ESG moved from one person to a cross-functional team; GRI-aligned reports for three consecutive years; Green Clauses added to corporate tenant agreements
About the Client
Panchshil Realty is an Indian real estate developer with a portfolio of more than 20 landmark residential and commercial projects, known for luxury and quality.
As it scaled and sought capital for large projects, Panchshil recognised that Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) look for ESG integrated into core strategy, not just architectural quality. Oren was engaged to close the gap between Panchshil's physical assets and its sustainability narrative, turning a nascent ESG function into an investment-grade framework aligned with international standards.
The Challenge: From a Blank Slate to Investment Readiness
- Resource constraints: the entire ESG mandate rested on one person, creating a bottleneck in both strategy and execution.
- Data fragmentation: there was no unified data system, process or ESG framework, and internal teams were often unaware of basic ESG principles and compliance requirements, leaving a blank slate on historical data.
Oren's mandate was to unify the data, build the culture and move Panchshil from ESG beginner to a credible sustainability performer in real estate.
Oren's Solution: Two Pathways
Oren began with a maturity assessment, peer benchmarking and a materiality assessment that included in-depth interviews with corporate tenants and key stakeholders. A standard reporting exercise would not be enough, so Oren designed two pathways.
Pathway 1: Internal Institutionalisation and Governance
- Roadmap and policies: a 5-year ESG roadmap, company policies upgraded to national and international regulations, and a governance mechanism that moved accountability from one person to a cross-functional ESG team.
- Sustainability reporting: for three years, Oren has guided Panchshil in publishing Sustainability Reports aligned with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards.
- Capacity building: training for mid-management so policy updates are understood and applied across departments.
- ESG data platform: Oren Sustainability Hub (OSH) centralises data across all assets and supports disclosures and certifications including Green Building, ISO and the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB).
- Construction sites: ESG controls extended to active construction sites, with policies for safe, clean workplaces, zero tolerance for child labour and rigorous waste management, all tracked on OSH.
Pathway 2: Tenant Enablement and Value Chain Integration
- Green Clauses: corporate tenant agreements updated with Green Clauses that require tenants to share ESG data with Panchshil.
- Decarbonisation infrastructure: advice on Net Zero transport, including EV charging stations and electric buses for point-to-point public transport.
- Energy and waste circularity: partnerships with certified recyclers, green energy for tenants, and support with the management and verification of carbon credits.
The Outcome
| Impact Area | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Investment Readiness | A governance structure and ESG narrative in place, positioning Panchshil for FII investment in large-scale projects. |
| Disclosure & Ratings | From no disclosures to GRI-aligned Sustainability Reports for three consecutive years, with GRESB, ISO and Green Building disclosures coordinated on OSH. |
| Governance & Culture | ESG grown from one person to a company-wide practice, with a 5-year roadmap and trained mid-management. |
| Social Responsibility | Safety, child-labour and waste policies cascaded to active construction sites and tracked on OSH. |
| Tenant Synergy | Green Clauses and decarbonisation infrastructure (EV charging, green energy) turned sustainability into a service for corporate tenants. |
Complexities Managed
- Cultural change: moving a construction-focused workforce from unaware to active participants in sustainability data collection.
- Stakeholder alignment: balancing landlord operating goals with the ESG demands of corporate tenants and other stakeholders.
- Data unification: consolidating data from 20+ operational projects and active construction sites into one source of truth on OSH.
- Multiple disclosures at once: meeting the data requirements of the GRI report, GRESB, ISO and Green Building certifications concurrently, without slowing the business.
Conclusion
Panchshil Realty has moved from an early-stage ESG function run by one person to a data-driven programme with upgraded company policies, three years of GRI reporting and tenants contractually sharing ESG data. It now has the governance and disclosures that investors in large real estate projects expect.
Related services: ESG strategy · Sustainability reporting · Materiality assessment · ESG for real estate
