The Carbon War Room released a study finding a link between the sustainability of buildings and the stock market performance of real estate investment trusts (REITs).

The study, commissioned by Carbon War Room to the University of Cambridge, is titled The Financial Rewards of Sustainability: A Global Performance Study of Real the Estate Investment Trusts.

REITs own and frequently operate income-producing real estate – and represent an increasing focus of energy-efficiency and renewable energy stakeholders. Modeled after mutual funds, REITs allow anyone to invest in portfolios of large-scale properties and typically offer high yields, providing investors with regular income streams, diversification, and long-term capital appreciation.

For the purpose of this study, the University of Cambridge used a dataset provided by GRESB. The data comes from the GRESB Survey of more than 442 detailed sustainability ratings for global REITs, from the period 2011–2014. The 2014 GRESB Survey covered 56,000 buildings with an aggregate value of USD $2.1 trillion.

Read the study here.