The CFA Institute is calling out the lack of clarity and standardization around environmental, social and governance investment products. In a consultation paper, the organization proposed its own set of standards, welcoming industry stakeholders to weigh in. As interest in ESG products continues to grow from both retail and institutional investors, confusion remains about the […]
Over the last several years, a small group of faculty members at the University of British Columbia has been calling on its pension plan’s board of trustees to consider divesting from fossil fuels. As support for divestment grew, the board of the UBC faculty pension plan, which is defined contribution, agreed to assess whether there […]
The University of Toronto Asset Management Corp. has received its highest scores in the United Nations’ principles for responsible investing’s annual assessment of its approach to responsible investing. It received A+ marks in all six categories evaluated by the PRI, scoring above the median in each. The UTAM became a signatory to the PRI in […]
The British Columbia Investment Management Corp., the AustralianSuper and two Dutch pension funds — APG and PGGM — are jointly establishing a responsible investing platform. The sustainable development investments asset owner platform, which will be available through distribution partner Qontigo, features standard and artificial intelligence-driven data that enables investors to assess companies on their contribution […]
Mercer is appointing Monika Freyman as Canadian head of responsible investment and David Fanger in the same role for the U.S. In the roles, Freyman and Fanger will lead the delivery of sustainable investment advisory and solutions services to institutional investors. “David and Monika each bring decades of institutional knowledge and passion for social and environmental […]
The OPSEU Pension Trust has published its latest responsible investing report, highlighting a number of initiatives it’s undertaken in the past year. In 2019, the pension fund expanded its holdings in green bonds with a $100-million investment in such issuances from the Ontario government. It also received an A+ rating from the United Nations’ principles […]
The OPSEU Pension Trust has released a responsible investing report, highlighting a number of sustainability initiatives it has undertaken in the past year. In 2019, the pension fund expanded its holdings in green bonds with an $100-million investment in Ontario government green bonds. It also received an A+ rating from the Principles for Responsible Investment […]
When the dust settles from the coronavirus pandemic, what environmental, social and governance lessons will shine through? A recent blog post by Fiona Reynolds, chief executive officer of the Principles for Responsible Investment, pointed to differences between this crisis and the crisis of 2008. “While there are certainly parallels with the global financial crisis just […]
If climate change represents one of the largest systemic risks the global economy has ever faced, dealing with its ramifications is going to move a lot of money. The world’s youth have taken to the streets calling on their governments for massive, co-ordinated policy change, but it hasn’t yet manifested. Any piecemeal regulatory shifts suffer […]
There is nothing like a deadline to focus the mind. Asset owners and managers who are signatories of the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investments have just five weeks left to complete their annual report on their environmental, social and governance metrics, with the filing deadline being March 31. The challenge in the 2020 report […]