The framework for belonging in the built environment
The first social equity certification purpose-built for commercial real estate. A rigorous, human-centered standard that embeds belonging into every stage of how buildings are conceived, built, and managed.
- Free for non-commercial use
- 4 pillars, 8 concepts, 21 objectives, 50+ activities
- Delivered straight to your inbox
“When we account for human impact — from initial design and material sourcing to ongoing operations — everything performs better: the building, the business, the community, the factory worker 1,000 miles away.”
Equity addresses human impact: in a building, in a community, in the supply chain. It isn't a nice-to-have or an afterthought. It's the foundation — designed into the structure, sourced into the materials, and built into the partnerships throughout the community. The SEAM Standard gives organizations the guidance to do that work with rigor, integrity, and proof.
Contextual assessment
Requires a Social Impact Assessment for every project — understanding the people, the place, and the issues material to this specific context before any other work begins.
Prescribe social goals without understanding of community context or what issues are actually material to the project.
No offsetting of harm
Avoiding negative impact must come before earning points for positive initiatives — the scoring design enforces this sequence.
Allow positive-impact points to offset negative performance — a project can do harm and still earn certification.
Impact-aligned levels
Certification levels align directly to social impact goals — Bronze through Platinum correspond to acting to avoid harm, preventing harm, achieving positive impact, and contributing to lasting change.
Certification levels based on point thresholds — a project can earn a higher level without demonstrating meaningful improvement for people.
Leading indicators
Measures the principles and processes that cause change, so organizations know they are on the right track before harm is done.
Measure lagging indicators — outcomes after work is complete. In social issues, that can mean harm has already occurred by the time measurement happens.
Roadmap design
A roadmap with ordered, prerequisite activities, and the guidance to put those activities into practice, to help the work progress with confidence.
Activities can be completed in any order, often leading to advanced initiatives built on a missing foundation.
Project-level scope
Social initiatives apply to the specific project and the people it touches, with additional recognition for organization-level implementation.
Organization-wide scope — a heavier lift for organizations early in their social equity journey, and harder to connect to real impact on people in specific places.
Pillar 01 Social Impact
Address social, cultural, and economic effects of your development project before they happen through structured assessments and meaningful community engagement.
- Impact Assessment: Contextual Assessment, Impacted Party Engagement, Monitoring + Evaluation
Pillar 02 Social Responsibility
Strengthen organizational policies, community involvement, and social investment practices to reflect a commitment to responsible development.
- Transformational Governance (5 objectives)
- Community Involvement
- Social Investment
Pillar 03 Social Justice
Advance meaningful social sustainability practices across procurement, the workplace, the community, and capital access decision making.
- Social Equity + Justice (Procurement, Workplace, Community, Capital)
- Social Justice Innovation
Pillar 04 Social Accountability
Uphold human rights across your project's full value chain through ethical materials and supplier practices, along with health, well-being, and safety standards.
- Human Rights (Ethical Materials, Ethical Suppliers, Reporting, Education)
- Health + Safety
Community Involvement
Social Responsibility
2 activities
Social Investment
Social Responsibility
1 activity
Transformational Governance
Social Responsibility
11 activities
Human Rights
Social Accountability
15 activities
Health + Safety
Social Accountability
4 activities
Impact Assessment
Social Impact
14 activities
Social Justice Innovation
Social Justice
2 activities
Social Equity + Justice
Social Justice
16 activities
- CI CI01 Community Development Community Involvement 2 activities
- SI SI01 Community Resilience Social Investment 1 activity
- TG TG01 Education + Awareness Transformational Governance 3 activities
- TG TG02 Voluntary Initiatives Transformational Governance 2 activities
- TG TG03 Responsible Policies Transformational Governance 2 activities
- TG TG04 Transparent Communication Transformational Governance 2 activities
- TG TG05 Impacted Party Materiality Transformational Governance 2 activities
- HR HR01 Ethical Materials Procurement Human Rights 4 activities
- HR HR02 Ethical Suppliers Procurement Human Rights 7 activities
- HR HR03 Human Rights Reporting Human Rights 2 activities
- HR HR04 Human Rights Awareness Human Rights 2 activities
- HS HS01 Health, Safety, + Wellness Health + Safety 4 activities
- IA IA01 Contextual Analysis Impact Assessment 7 activities
- IA IA02 Impacted Party Engagement Impact Assessment 5 activities
- IA IA03 Monitoring + Evaluation Impact Assessment 2 activities
- IN IN01 Social Justice Industry Innovation Social Justice Innovation 1 activity
- IN IN02 Design for Embodied Justice Social Justice Innovation 1 activity
- SJ SJ01 Equity + Inclusion in Procurement Social Equity + Justice 5 activities
- SJ SJ02 Equity + Inclusion in the Workplace Social Equity + Justice 5 activities
- SJ SJ03 Equity + Inclusion in the Community Social Equity + Justice 4 activities
- SJ SJ04 Equity + Inclusion in Capital Social Equity + Justice 2 activities
- CI CIa1.1 Design and execute a community involvement initiative that achieves a specific impacted party-centered goal CI01 Impact
- CI CIa1.2 Participate in a community services event within developed community involvement initiative CI01 Impact
- SI SIa1 Contribute to the increase of capacities, resources, and opportunities within a community through financial contribution SI01 Impact
- TG TGa1.1 Complete interactive, activity-based training on social responsibility principles and practices during the construction project TG01 Driver
- TG TGa1.2 Complete interactive, activity-based training on social responsibility principles and practices during the operational phase TG01 Driver
- TG TGa1.3 Promote community education on social responsibility through creative education and awareness signage campaigns TG01 Driver
- TG TGa2.1 Participate in a voluntary initiative addressing social responsibility during the construction project TG02 Driver
- TG TGa2.2 Participate in a voluntary initiative addressing social responsibility on the operating asset TG02 Driver
- TG TGa3.1 Implement site-specific social responsibility policies within construction project governance TG03 Impact
- TG TGa3.2 Implement site-specific social responsibility policies within governance on the operating asset TG03 Impact
- TG TGa4.1 Promote social responsibility through a public-facing communication during the construction project TG04 Impact
- TG TGa4.2 Promote social responsibility through a public-facing communication on the operating asset TG04 Impact
- TG TGa5.1 Conduct impacted party materiality assessment during the construction project TG05 Driver
- TG TGa5.2 Conduct impacted party materiality assessment on the operating asset TG05 Driver
- HR HRa1.1 Owner shall proactively specify ethical materials in design and planning documents HR01 Impact
- HR HRa1.2 Conduct a supply chain risk assessment and action plan HR01 Impact
- HR HRa1.3 Ethical sourcing of products and materials HR01 Impact
- HR HRa1.4 Owner shall remediate materials procurement negative impacts to human rights HR01 Impact
- HR HRa2.1 Owner shall provide a living wage HR02 Impact
- HR HRa2.2 Owner shall ensure decent work conditions HR02 Impact
- HR HRa2.3 Suppliers shall provide a living wage HR02 Impact
- HR HRa2.4 Suppliers shall ensure decent work conditions HR02 Impact
- HR HRa2.5 Tenants shall provide a living wage HR02 Impact
- HR HRa2.6 Tenants shall ensure decent work conditions HR02 Impact
- HR HRa2.7 Owner shall remediate Supplier procurement negative impacts to human rights HR02 Impact
- HR HRa3.1 Communicate externally about human rights impacts and how the Project addresses them HR03 Impact
- HR HRa3.2 Establish a grievance mechanism for direct reporting of human rights violations to the enterprise HR03 Impact
- HR HRa4.1 Conduct education and training sessions on human rights standards for relevant procurement employees HR04 Impact
- HR HRa4.2 Conduct educational sessions to share lessons learned + best practices on Human Rights in the commercial real estate industry HR04 Impact
- HS HSa1.1 Enhance human health and wellness for occupants of the property through a science-based system of strategies HS01 Impact
- HS HSa1.2 Safeguard community health, safety, and wellness HS01 Impact
- HS HSa1.3 Provide safe and healthy jobsites and prevent work-related injury and ill health by eliminating hazards and minimizing occupational health & safety risks HS01 Impact
- HS HSa1.4 Provide safe and secure structure of all occupiable spaces by ensuring structural integrity and compliance with fire safety HS01 Impact
- IA IAa1.1 Establish project understanding and governance framework IA01 Driver
- IA IAa1.2 Gain a good understanding of the communities likely to be affected by the project by preparing a Community Profile IA01 Driver
- IA IAa1.3 Map the proposed project value chain IA01 Driver
- IA IAa1.4 Identify and scope the likely social and human rights impacts of the commercial real estate project IA01 Driver
- IA IAa1.5 Determine the 'social area of influence' by identifying the likely impacted parties IA01 Driver
- IA IAa1.6 Create a reliable, credible, equitable, and efficient impacted party engagement plan IA01 Driver
- IA IAa1.7 Assemble relevant baseline data for key social issues IA01 Driver
- IA IAa2.1 Fully inform community members about the project and likely impacts IA02 Impact
- IA IAa2.2 Collect feedback from impacted parties IA02 Driver
- IA IAa2.3 Develop and implement ways of addressing impacts IA02 Driver
- IA IAa2.4 Establish a community grievance mechanism for direct reporting of complaints to the Owner IA02 Driver
- IA IAa2.5 Draft and publish the Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP) IA02 Driver
- IA IAa3.1 Develop and implement ongoing social performance monitoring plan that addresses obligations from the SIMP IA03 Impact
- IA IAa3.2 Undertake evaluation and periodic review (audit) IA03 Impact
- IN INa1 Design and execute a social justice strategy, program, partnership, or initiative that elevates the commercial real estate industry IN01 Impact
- IN INa2 Address root causes of inequity to prevent reproducing inequitable power relationships through an equitably designed feature within the project IN02 Impact
- SJ SJa1.1 Achieve equity + inclusion in Tier 1 Supplier procurement SJ01 Impact
- SJ SJa1.2 Achieve equity + inclusion in Tenant leasing SJ01 Impact
- SJ SJa1.3 Implement inclusive procurement activities in Tier 1 Suppliers' procurement of Tier 2 Suppliers SJ01 Impact
- SJ SJa1.4 Achieve equity + inclusion in Tier 2 Supplier procurement SJ01 Impact
- SJ SJa1.5 Achieve equity + inclusion for Tenants through social leasing clauses SJ01 Impact
- SJ SJa2.1 Follow human-centered inclusive design practices SJ02 Impact
- SJ SJa2.2 Owner must provide fair and respectful treatment of employees SJ02 Impact
- SJ SJa2.3 Tier 1 Suppliers must provide fair and respectful treatment of workers SJ02 Impact
- SJ SJa2.4 Owner must ensure equal remuneration, regardless of gender, for work of equal value SJ02 Impact
- SJ SJa2.5 Owner must ensure equal remuneration for work of equal value regardless of diversity characteristics SJ02 Impact
- SJ SJa3.1 The Owner shall not acquire land or building assets through eminent domain, compulsory acquisition, resumption, expropriation, or other involuntary displacement SJ03 Impact
- SJ SJa3.2 Projects do not infringe on communities SJ03 Impact
- SJ SJa3.3 Promote local community employment SJ03 Impact
- SJ SJa3.4 Owner shall remediate damage from negative community impacts SJ03 Impact
- SJ SJa4.1 Achieve equity and inclusion in securing equity capital and investors SJ04 Impact
- SJ SJa4.2 Achieve equity and inclusion in securing debt capital SJ04 Impact
Pillars
The four organizing themes of social equity in the built environment. Every concept, objective, and activity connects back to a pillar so you always understand the why behind your efforts.
Concepts
Within the pillars, eight focus areas address specific themes from impact assessments and human rights practices to equity in procurement and more.
Objectives
Measurable objectives define goals within each concept, giving a clear path to progress with rationale and connection to internationally recognized standards.
Activities
The individual actions that drive equitable change. Each activity has defined requirements, clear scoring rubrics, documentation standards, and implementation instructions so nothing is left to guessing.
Timely contextual analysis
Assessments are critical for social equity to take root within a project. Because people are complex and communities change, no two projects will be the same. And assessments help shape everything that follows.
No offsetting of harm
The scoring design prevents positive-impact points from masking harm. Preventing harm is a prerequisite for earning recognition for positive endeavors — full stop.
Logic model structure
Activities follow a causal logic model connecting inputs, processes, outputs, and outcomes in a way that shows the pathway from action to impact.
Human rights-weighted scoring
Points are weighted based on the salience of human rights issues — directing organizations to prioritize activities that matter most, not just those that are easiest to complete.
Roadmap design
Driver activities establish prerequisites for more advanced work. Organizations cannot skip foundational steps — because in social equity, a flawed foundation does not just underperform. It can cause harm.
Impact-aligned levels
Certification levels reflect where an organization stands on the spectrum of social impact — not just how many points they have accumulated. Level means something because level is defined by what changes for people.
CRE decision-makers
Developers, owners, architects
“When people feel like they belong in a space, everything performs better — the building, the business, the community.”
The SEAM Standard gives you the framework to build for belonging, and the verified recognition to show it. Whether you are managing ESG commitments, responding to investor expectations, or building something worth being proud of.
Learn more →Operators + managers
Property managers, asset managers
“The buildings that perform best are the ones where people actually want to be.”
SEAM certification helps operators connect social practices to performance outcomes — occupancy, retention, tenant satisfaction, and community relationships. A structured, measurable framework for the work many operators are already doing.
Learn more →Social equity practitioners
Sustainability, ESG, impact teams
“SEAM gives the work language, structure, and proof — not just intention.”
For professionals leading social equity efforts inside real estate organizations, SEAM provides the rigor that makes the work credible — internally and externally. It translates commitment into a framework that can be measured, verified, and communicated.
Learn more →Ready to build for belonging?
Start where you are. The SEAM Standard is designed to meet organizations at their stage of readiness — whether that is exploring what equity means for your portfolio or pursuing full certification today.