BREEAM In-use

1. Assess readiness: Review the BREEAM In-Use technical standard (available on breeam.com) to understand the three parts — Asset Performance, Building Management, and Occupier Management — and determine which are relevant to your building.

1. Appoint a licensed assessor: Engage a BRE-licensed BREEAM In-Use assessor. You can find accredited assessors through the BREEAM assessor directory on the BRE website. The assessor will guide the process and conduct the formal evaluation.

1. Register the building: The assessor registers the building on the BREEAM In-Use online platform (Compliance Tool), which is used to manage evidence submission and scoring throughout the process.

1. Gather and submit evidence: Collect documentation for each assessed part — utility consumption data, energy and water records, building management policies, maintenance logs, occupier fit-out information, and compliance certificates. Upload evidence to the platform.

1. Assessor review and scoring: Your licensed assessor reviews all submitted evidence against the BREEAM In-Use criteria, assigns credits, and calculates the overall score for each part assessed.

1. BRE Global quality assurance: BRE Global conducts a quality assurance review of the assessor's submission to verify accuracy and consistency before a certificate is issued.

1. Receive your rating and certificate: Once QA is passed, your building is awarded a rating (Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent, or Outstanding) for each assessed part. A digital certificate and BREEAM In-Use plaque are issued.

1. Plan for renewal: Certification is valid for three years. Begin planning reassessment ahead of expiry to maintain your rating and track performance improvements over time.

BREEAM In-Use evaluates existing buildings across up to three independently assessable parts, each covering distinct aspects of sustainability performance. Buildings can be assessed on one, two, or all three parts depending on the owner's or manager's objectives.

Part 1 – Asset Performance evaluates the physical characteristics and installed systems of the building itself, independent of how it is managed or occupied. Categories include energy efficiency (building fabric, insulation, glazing, air tightness), water systems, materials and waste infrastructure, pollution controls, transport connectivity, land use and ecology, and health and wellbeing features such as daylighting, ventilation, and thermal comfort. This part reflects the inherent sustainability of the building's design and engineering.

Part 2 – Building Management assesses how the building is operated and managed on a day-to-day basis. It covers energy and water management practices, monitoring and targeting systems, maintenance regimes, waste management procedures, procurement policies, occupant engagement, and health and safety management. This part rewards proactive management that reduces environmental impact beyond what the physical asset alone can achieve.

Part 3 – Occupier Management (applicable where the assessor is engaged by or has access to the occupying organization) evaluates the sustainability practices of the occupying tenant or organization. It covers occupier energy and water use, sustainable procurement, waste minimization, transport policies, and staff engagement in sustainability initiatives.

Each part is scored independently on a percentage basis, with the final score mapped to a rating band: Unclassified (<10%), Pass (≥10%), Good (≥25%), Very Good (≥40%), Excellent (≥55%), or Outstanding (≥70%). Credits are weighted across categories, with energy and management typically carrying the highest weighting.

BREEAM In-Use is the dominant green building certification for existing commercial buildings in Europe, and one of the most widely used globally. As of the mid-2020s, over 25,000 assets across more than 90 countries have been certified or registered under BREEAM In-Use, making it the leading scheme of its type by volume in European real estate. It is particularly entrenched in the UK, Netherlands, Germany, France, and the Nordic countries, where institutional investors and listed real estate companies routinely require BREEAM In-Use certification as part of their ESG reporting and green finance frameworks.

The scheme's growth has been significantly accelerated by the rise of ESG investing and mandatory sustainability disclosure requirements. Major European REITs, pension funds, and asset managers — including those aligned with the EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance and the SFDR — increasingly use BREEAM In-Use ratings as evidence of environmental performance in their portfolios. Green loan and green bond frameworks from major banks often reference BREEAM In-Use ratings as eligibility criteria, creating strong financial incentives for certification. This ESG tailwind has driven double-digit growth in registrations in recent years.

In North America, BREEAM In-Use competes with LEED O+M (Operations and Maintenance) and ENERGY STAR, both of which have significantly deeper market penetration and employer recognition in that region. BREEAM In-Use is gaining ground among multinational corporations and global real estate managers who want a single consistent standard across their international portfolios, but it remains a secondary choice for purely North American assets. In the Asia-Pacific region, BREEAM In-Use is growing, particularly in Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong, though local schemes such as NABERS also hold strong positions. Overall, demand for BREEAM In-Use is growing, driven by regulatory pressure, investor expectations, and the increasing financial materiality of building sustainability performance.

BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) was created by the BRE (Building Research Establishment) in the United Kingdom and launched in 1990 as the world's first green building rating system. The original BREEAM standard focused on new construction, but as the industry recognized that the vast majority of environmental impact comes from existing building stock, BRE developed a dedicated scheme for operational buildings. BREEAM In-Use was formally launched in 2009 to address this gap, providing a structured framework for assessing and improving the sustainability of buildings already in operation.

Since its launch, BREEAM In-Use has undergone several significant revisions to keep pace with evolving sustainability science, regulatory requirements, and market expectations. The scheme was substantially updated in 2015 and again with the introduction of the International version, which expanded its applicability beyond the UK to global markets. A major revision was released in 2020 (v6), which restructured the three-part framework, updated credit categories to better reflect current ESG priorities, and introduced a new online compliance tool to streamline evidence submission and assessor workflows. The scheme is now managed by BRE Global, the certification arm of BRE Group, and is delivered through a network of licensed assessors and national scheme operators in over 90 countries.