On behalf of PME Pensioenfonds, Achmea Real Estate has purchased 517 homes and approximately 1,580 m² of commercial and community space in the SoZa project in The Hague from property developer and builder VORM. The homes are part of the redevelopment of the former Ministry of Social Affairs site on Anna van Hannoverstraat. A new urban district will be built there, comprising nearly 1,200 homes, offices and amenities.
Opponents of a more sustainable Dutch pension sector are creating a false dichotomy between financial and sustainability objectives. This division rests on an outdated view of financial value creation – one that fails to recognise today’s reality: sustainability is an essential part of a pension fund’s fiduciary duty. The truth is also that a growing number of pension funds and their participants understand and embrace this shift.
Trillions are still needed to meet UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, but impact investing still makes up a small part in institutional portfolios. Can it become the serious, mainstream allocation for institutional investors or will it remain a niche?