The recent federal election highlighted interest in climate change, as well as the potential impacts on communities and the population, with the issue No. 1 or 2 in priority for most voters. Climate change is one of a broader set of environmental, social and governance issues percolating through the investment world right now. ESG, or […]
Globally, 10 per cent of mining companies’ tailings dams have experienced stability issues, according to an analysis by a group of global institutional investors representing US$13.5 trillion in assets. The investor group, which includes pension funds and other institutional investors led by the Church of England Pensions Board and the Council of Ethics of the […]
Canadian institutional investors want their portfolio companies to reduce their reliance on single-use plastics, according to a new opinion survey by the Responsible Investment Association. The majority (81 per cent) of respondents said they believe it’s important for their portfolio companies to reduce plastic waste, while 75 per cent said they’d like to invest in […]
Institutional investors should narrow in on the importance of human capital as an environmental, social and governance issue. “We know that ESG is about trying to balance the real world with the numbers,” says Sudhir Roc-Sennett, head of ESG at Vontobel Asset Management’s Quality Growth Boutique. So far, financial analysts have been relatively ill-equipped to measure a […]
The guiding document outlining best practices for fiduciaries practicing corporate engagement is in for a major update. As of January 2020, the U.K. Stewardship Code will include new expectations on how those investing on behalf of savers and pensioners integrate the activities of investment and stewardship, including on environmental, social and governance issues. The code, as […]
While an angle on environmentalism can be applied to virtually every asset class, when it comes to bonds, it’s not easy being green. More specifically, there’s no real standardization for what constitutes a green bond, says Colin Purdie, chief investment officer for credit at Aviva Investors. Super-national organizations, such as the World Bank, pushed forward the creation of […]
Canada’s fledgling cannabis companies should implement strong governance protocols and show they’re attempting to address material environmental and social risks to grow their base of institutional investors. Speaking on Friday at a panel discussion on cannabis companies and governance practices nearly a year after legalization, Michelle de Cordova, a principal at ESG Global Advisors Inc., […]
The majority (85 per cent) of global investment professionals said responsible investing is at least somewhat important to their organization, up from 68 per cent in 2018, according to a new survey by Aon. The survey found this growth occurred across all geographic regions and institutional investor types, including corporate pension plans, public pensions, defined […]
When considering environmental, social and governance issues, asset managers are less convinced that social factors drive returns, according to a survey by Netherlands-based NN Investment Partners. Among the European asset managers surveyed, just 15 per cent said social factors are something they can harness to generate returns. This compares to 40 per cent that said the same […]
As environmental, social and governance issues are increasingly recognized as material factors when considering investments and amid growing stakeholder pressure, many options are available for pension plans looking to incorporate ESG into their portfolios. “Historically, you saw a lot more on the ethical investing end of things — so exclusions, negative screens,” said Eli Angen, […]