The advantage of being sustainable

A recent research conducted by the University of Cambridge reveals a very strong relationship between the sustainability of buildings and their financial performance.

This survey was commissioned by the Carbon War Room – a non-profit organization that supports the adoption of business solutions to reduce carbon emissions and develop a low-carbon economy – to the University of Cambridge, which used the GRESB standard (Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark) and acquired data from 56000 buildings with an aggregate value of $ 2.1 trillion.

GRESB is a standard used to assign a score for sustainability to real estate investment trusts (REITs), by rating sustainability performance through the analysis of seven aspects: management, policy and disclosure, risks and opportunities, monitoring and environmental management systems, performance indicators, building certifications, stakeholders engagement.

The research revealed that buildings with a higher GRESB score perform much better than buildings with lower GRESB scores, not only in terms of environment sustainability but also in terms of financial benefits, with higher returns on assets and equity.

As Jose Maria Figueres, chair of the board for Carbon War Room The message has never been clearer […] what’s good for the environment is good for business.

 

To learn more about the research: