Canada’s largest public pension funds are showing modest improvements on climate action but are moving too slowly overall, according to a new report by a climate advocacy group. The progress report from Shift Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health found four of the 11 pension plans it examined still don’t have emissions reduction targets […]
Responsible investing can drive stronger risk-adjusted returns and is increasingly being seen as a tool for prudent risk management, but defined contribution plan sponsors must understand target-date fund managers’ varying approaches to implementing environmental, social and governance factors into these funds. DC plan sponsors have myriad challenges to address when considering ESG investing options, including […]
As greater numbers of defined contribution pension plan members ask for environmental, social and governance-friendly investment options, plan sponsors will need to grapple with how to implement these solutions into their target-date funds. “From some studies that we’ve done, there’s definitely investor demand,” said Michael Greenberg, senior vice-president and portfolio manager at Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions, […]
A resolution passed by the trustees of the Florida State Board of Administration with the approval of Governor Ron DeSantis is barring state pension fund managers from making fiduciary decisions based on environmental, social and governance criteria. “As used in this section, ‘pecuniary factor’ means a factor that the board prudently determines is expected to […]
The Shareholder Association for Research and Education is setting out new guidance for institutional investors on corporate votes regarding sustainability reporting. In its model proxy voting guidelines, the Shareholder Association for Research and Education provides Canadian institutional investors with a set of generic proxy voting rules designed to be easily tailored for individual organizations. “[The […]
Morningstar Inc. is appointing Tom Kuh as its first global head of environmental, social and governance strategy. In the newly created role, Kuh will be responsible for advancing the Chicago-based financial services firm’s strategy to accelerate growth while harnessing its broad ESG strengths. He’ll report to Rolf Agather, head of research and product. Read: Mark Carney […]
A growing number of institutional investors are pledging to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in their portfolios by 2050, according to a new survey by Cerulli Associates. Nearly a third of asset managers (31 per cent) and institutional asset owners (32 per cent) said they’ve made a formal commitment to a net-zero goal, while another 21 per […]
Broad support for regulating environmental, social and governance-themed investments in Canada has left the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission playing catch-up with its northern neighbour, says Katie Pries (pictured), president and chief executive officer of Northern Trust Canada. “While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is working through its regulatory plans for ESG investing, Canada […]
The Chartered Financial Analyst Institute’s draft voluntary environmental, social and governance disclosure standards are vulnerable to greenwashing, warns the Investment Funds Institute of Canada. In an open letter to the CFA regarding its drafted voluntary regulations, the IFIC is criticizing the proposed standards’ failure to define what does and doesn’t qualify as an ESG investment. […]
Environmental, social and governance factors are an important dimension of fundamental analysis, said Jenn-Hui Tan, global head of stewardship and sustainable investing at Fidelity International, when speaking at the Canadian Investment Review’s Investment Innovation Conference in November. Traditional fundamental analysis captures topics including financial performance, the pricing power of a company, its competitive advantages, the […]