The Global Network for Zero and the El Salvador Green Building Council Announce Strategic Partnership to Scale Net Zero Transformation

El Salvador Green Building Council (ESGBC) and the Global Network for Zero (GNFZ) have formed a strategic partnership set to transform sustainable building practices across El Salvador and the broader Latin American region. This collaboration aims to accelerate the shift to net zero in buildings and real estate portfolios by establishing leading industry standards, streamlining certification processes, enhancing sustainability reporting, and promoting the adoption of cutting-edge environmental practices.

ESGBC is a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable building practices by serving as a convening platform for diverse green building programs and certification options. It provides ongoing education, technical assistance, and training to its member companies and green building professionals. ESGBC is also a member of the World Green Building Council network. The organization has played a key role in driving El Salvador’s growth to over 100 green buildings across the country, spanning the residential, commercial, and mixed-use sectors.

With El Salvador and the Latin America region facing increasing climate vulnerability, it’s government recently advanced a single economy wide mitigation target that commits to an unconditional reduction of at least 5% and a conditional reduction of at least 15%. This updated target marks a significant shift from fragmented targets toward a unified objective.

According to the United Nation’s Development Programme, El Salvador’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution builds on the country’s “Long-Term Low Emission and Climate Resilient Strategy 2050,” which connects medium term action with long term decarbonization and resilience objectives targeting energy, waste, water, transport and land use.

“ESGBC is driving transformative change across El Salvador’s built environment by addressing emissions from both existing and new construction and balancing decarbonization and resilience,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, President and CEO of GNFZ. “Their mission aligns seamlessly with ours at GNFZ. Through this partnership, we will bring world-class net zero strategies and implementation practices to the region, guiding businesses through certification and accelerating their path to verifiable net zero performance. Our process is incremental and aligns to meet the unique needs of El Salvador.”

“We are eager to utilize GNFZ’s global expertise in achieving net zero to support El Salvador’s expanding climate goals. We also praise GNFZ for its leadership in developing practical pathways toward decarbonization. We are especially interested in its incremental approach and its emphasis on both existing buildings and new construction,” said Emerson Alas, President of ESGBC.

“This alliance supports ESGBC’s vision and ongoing efforts to incorporate decarbonization principles into the building sector. It also enhances our ability to bring internationally recognized net zero frameworks closer to the Salvadoran market through education, technical guidance, and practical implementation pathways. This creates a solid foundation for reducing emissions in the construction sector, which is essential for advancing broader climate action,” added Beatriz Quinteros, Executive Director of ESGBC.

As part of the strategic partnership, GNFZ's world premier net zero certification programs will be introduced to ESGBC’s network and member organizations. The partnership will also deliver regional validation and review services for GNFZ clients while jointly advancing advocacy, market development, and education initiatives. Building on these efforts, GNFZ is supported by a regional advisory network in Latin America to reinforce its work, with a dedicated GNFZ Advisor for South America already in place to help accelerate the expansion and success of this collaboration.

Together, GNFZ and ESGBC will empower El Salvadorian companies with the tools, technologies, and knowledge they need to meet their sustainability targets and accelerate progress toward net zero.

Is your organization ready to lead the way to net zero? Partner with GNFZ and help build a more sustainable, resilient future for Latin America and beyond.