More ESG news – Page 31

  • News

    DWP: Government will not dictate schemes’ ESG investments

    2020-02-25T00:00:00Z

    The government insists it is not intervening in pension scheme investment strategies with a climate change amendment to the pension schemes bill introduced earlier this month.

  • News

    Nest joins campaign for Barclays fossil fuel divestment

    2020-02-24T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Master trust Nest has joined a group of institutional investors urging Barclays to publish a plan to gradually phase out its financing of fossil fuel companies.

  • Fergus Moffatt
    Opinion

    Government's latest green push should come as no surprise

    2020-02-21T00:00:00Z

    The government’s decision last week to table a series of crucial amendments to the pension schemes bill shows the Department for Work and Pensions is paving the way to mandatory climate reporting for UK pension schemes. 

  • Podcasts

    Podcast: Regulator should take ‘softly-softly’ approach to DC consolidation

    2020-02-19T00:00:00Z

    Podcast: The Pensions Regulator should take a “softly-softly” approach to defined contribution consolidation, similar to what happened with master trusts during the authorisation process, where subtle conversations occurred and schemes decided to exit in an orderly manner, according to Adrian Boulding, director of policy at Now Pensions. He and Rosalind Connor, partner at Arc Pensions Law, discuss the response from the watchdog to its consultation of the future of trusteeship and governance, among other topics.

  • News

    TPR ordered to set out climate change strategy

    2020-02-19T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The government is expecting the Pensions Regulator to publish a strategy for dealing with the financial risks arising from climate change, among other requirements to integrate the Green Finance Strategy into its activities.

  • News

    ESG amendments to give govt ‘unprecedented new powers’

    2020-02-12T00:00:00Z

    The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association has warned that government bodies will have “unprecedented new powers” to interfere in pension scheme investment strategies if an amendment to the pension schemes bill is passed.

  • Opinion

    Pension funds must be a positive part of regenerative capitalism

    2020-02-11T00:00:00Z

    Pension fund trustees, and particularly their investment consultants, are among the most influential decision-makers when it comes to the deployment of capital in the UK and beyond.

  • Wind turbines, sunset
    News

    What are the risks of flouting ESG statement rules?

    2020-02-10T00:00:00Z

    Analysis: A report into trustees’ first efforts on the new statements of investment principles has yielded damning results. But what can regulators, or even members, actually do about it?

  • News

    Kent Council fund initiates revamp of its ESG policies

    2020-02-10T00:00:00Z

    Kent County Council is sprucing up its responsible ownership pension policy as climate concerns become mainstream.

  • News

    TPR promises more regulatory action on ESG

    2020-02-10T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Pensions Regulator has promised more action on pension schemes’ environmental, social and governance practices, rejecting accusations that it is a laggard in this area among UK regulators.

  • Opinion

    The bar is getting higher for ESG considerations

    2020-02-04T00:00:00Z

    The investment community’s sense of purpose, at least as imposed by regulators, has come on a long way since greed was good on Wall Street. 

  • Opinion

    Positive momentum behind responsible investment

    2020-02-03T00:00:00Z

    Data Crunch: Despite daily news coverage, regulatory developments and a growing consensus that environmental, social and governance factors affect investment returns, many trustees struggle to engage with responsible investment practices. 

  • News

    Climate disclosure guidance for schemes expected in March

    2020-01-28T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Department for Work and Pensions is set to issue guidance in March to trustees on reporting the impact of their investments on climate change, pensions and financial inclusion minister Guy Opperman has confirmed.

  • News

    Brunel lays down gauntlet with ESG policy

    2020-01-27T00:00:00Z

    The Brunel Pension Partnership has issued a radical challenge on climate change to its asset managers and peers, as the local authority pool attempts to reduce the carbon intensity of its equity portfolios by 7 per cent year on year.

  • News

    Three in five savers want pensions screened for tobacco investments

    2020-01-27T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Scheme members want more information about which companies their pensions are invested in, with 60 per cent calling for an active screening approach towards tobacco companies, according to new research.

  • Angus Peters
    Opinion

    New year, new attitude to ESG compliance?

    2020-01-15T00:00:00Z

    Happy New Year, the world is burning. While readers will doubtless have tried to take a step back from work as the second-hottest year in recorded history came to a close, it will have been tougher to disregard footage of Australia’s south-east being engulfed in flames.

  • News

    Professionals say regulation creating unnecessary costs

    2020-01-14T00:00:00Z

    On the go: A survey of pensions professionals has uncovered concerns about the added cost burden placed on schemes by increasingly strict regulation.

  • News

    Landmark vegan case could disrupt pensions industry

    2020-01-09T00:00:00Z

    A landmark ruling finding that veganism is a philosophical belief will have a wider impact in the pensions industry, experts say, but warn trustees to avoid making knee-jerk changes to their schemes.

  • News

    One third of investment firms lacking on systematic ESG analysis

    2020-01-09T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Nearly a third of investment managers do not consider environmental, social and governance factors systematically across all asset classes, despite claims from the majority that they invest responsibly, according to a report from LCP.

  • Getty Images
    News

    Local schemes urge Barclays to stop financing fossil fuel companies

    2020-01-07T00:00:00Z

    Several local government pension schemes are asking Barclays to publish a plan to gradually phase out its financing of fossil fuel companies, as the bank has provided more than $85bn (£65bn) to such companies since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015.