Dutch pension provider APG has seen its investments in sustainable real estate and infrastructure grow €1.3bn and €900m in one year.

According to APG, which manages €482bn in pension assets, the growth is proof sustainable investments yield long-term returns with the sustainable real estate portfolio grew to €21.7bn and infrastructure to €2.3bn.

This also contributes to the objectives of pension scheme APB, APG’s largest client, who invested €58bn in business that helps meet United Nation’s sustainable development goals by 2020.

APG uses the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) to measure the sustainability performance of property investments. Together, APG and GRESB has developed GRESB Infra, a similar benchmark for infrastructure.

The €21.7bn has been invested in real estate with four or five GRESB stars, five being the full score. The investments also qualify as Sustainable Developments Investments, particularly goal 11, ‘Sustainable cities and communities’.

APG’s infrastructure investment have also been awarded the maximum BRESB Infra score.

Managing director global real assets Patrick Kanters said these investments will ensure a stable and long-term return. “APG invests in real estate infrastructure for its pension fund clients, provided our strict requirements in terms of returns, risk, costs and of course ESG criteria are met.

“In recent years we have succeeded, in close cooperation with our investment managers, in making our investments emphatically more sustainable. We will be continuing this in the years to come," he said.

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