There are private initiatives that focus on informing and developing sustainable real estate projects. One of the private initiatives that has emerged in Sweden in recent years is the issuance of green bonds, which aims to support the expansion of sustainable investments and act as an attractive tool for both issuers and investors, where the listed real estate industry has played a key role in the development (e.g., the Swedish real estate company Vasakronan issued and listed its first green bond in 2013 and, subsequently, retail companies such as H&M have done the same). Although green bonds have existed globally for over a decade, they are still not standardized in Sweden, and there is no universal definition of a "green" bond. Instead, the available guidelines for green bond issuers consist of voluntary frameworks, leading to different methodologies and regulations between issuers, arrangers and investors. The Green Bond Principle and the Climate Bond Standards are examples of voluntary guidelines that promote transparency and integrity in the green bond market by clarifying the process and requirements of green bond issuance.

Commercial leases

The Swedish Energy Agency, together with different representatives for landlords, tenants and authorities, has funded a project that is led by the industry association, the Swedish Property Federation (Sw. Fastighetsägarna). The project was introduced in 2011, and mainly focuses on developing a standard agreement for green leases to be used by its members. The standard agreement states the minimum demands for green lease agreements. There are also optional commitments for both landlords and tenants. The standard green lease agreement is optional to use, aims to increase the use of environmentally friendly premises, and underlines, for instance, the positive effects of gaining the acknowledgment of customers, employees and distributors. There are a number of landlords that have implemented, or who have had their own green lease agreements influenced by, the standard green lease agreement.

Construction

The Swedish construction industry has developed an information system (BASTA) that aims to spread information on sustainability, particularly on chemicals used in the construction industry.