More ESG news – Page 40
-
News
How fiduciaries can get a handle on climate change
News analysis: Disclosures on fossil fuel investments by local authority schemes have demonstrated the tension between managing the material risks of climate change and upholding fiduciary duty to members.
-
Features
Lancashire drops bonds in favour of equity, credit and infrastructure
While everyone acknowledges the incredibly high price of gilts in the current environment, which is wreaking havoc with pension scheme funding levels, few have taken the controversial move of getting rid of their allocation to bonds altogether.
-
OpinionHow smaller schemes can flex their shareholder muscles
Pension scheme trustees have long faced criticism for a lack of stewardship over their investments.
-
News
Environment Agency fund shares five-point ESG selection test
Environment Agency Pension Fund has detailed the five-point criteria it uses to assess managers for its responsible investments, as it awards £180m to a global sustainable equity mandate.
-
NewsPiP captures £131m for solar investment
The Pensions Infrastructure Platform has closed the first round of financing for its solar photovoltaics fund, as schemes continue to weigh the benefits of less familiar alternative assets such as renewable energy.
-
OpinionNAPF: Why employees are a marker of companies' long-term success
‘Our people are our greatest asset’: how often have you heard this familiar corporate mantra?
-
News
Falkirk targets social housing with £30m investment
Falkirk Council Pension Fund is joining the ranks of local authorities investing in social housing, with a £30m allocation, as experts debate the strengths of the asset class.
-
News
Carbon-conscious schemes rally for strategic climate change response
Low-carbon pension funds have called on other asset owners to seek opportunities in real assets and emerging markets to mitigate the risks of climate change.
-
News
Corporate governance tops Unilever ESG agenda
Data analysis: Close to half of Unilever Pension Fund’s engagement activity in 2014 centred on corporate governance as wider trends emphasise environmental issues, calling into question the terms used when reporting such activity.
-
OpinionEditorial: Education and catastrophe
The disconnect between the UK equity markets and long-term investors’ objectives that led to 2011’s Kay review provided both sides with some key recommendations to improve this relationship.
-
News
Is your scheme an active owner?
Any other business: Carbon emissions, tax avoidance and executive remuneration are key political issues. But they also matter to many shareholders, who see them as touchstones to the long-term strength of the companies in which they invest.
-
OpinionEditorial: Making yourself heard
Once again, the country’s leading pension funds have stood up for responsible investment, and pressure is building on asset managers to be more forthcoming in their reporting on the matter.
-
News
Leading DB funds target responsible investment disconnect
The UK’s largest pension funds have put pressure on fund managers to make the case for their responsible investment strategies, publishing a guide intended to “break down the information barriers” between schemes and managers.
-
News
Berkshire makes co-investments to profit from food supply chain
The Royal County of Berkshire Pension Fund has announced investments in the global food and water supply chain, with a private equity mandate investing in two US start-ups driving sustainable consumption.
-
Opinion
How to adjust your ESG strategy following the Law Commission report
Pension fund trustees are often accused of taking the view that their fiduciary duty is to maximise financial return over the short term, without consideration for longer-term factors that may affect risk-and-return, such as environmental, social, or corporate governance.
-
News
How stewardship has moved up the scheme investment agenda
As many as four out of five UK pension funds now screen their managers for stewardship activity as part of the selection process, demonstrating the growth in environmental, social and governance considerations among institutional investors.
-
News
Taskforce recommends social impact investment for DC
Defined contribution pension schemes should offer members the option to include social impact investments in their portfolio, a government-led taskforce has said, but consultants foresee barriers to take-up.
-
News
Nest sizes up green technology as it sharpens ESG focus
Nest is looking to benefit from a low-carbon economy through investments in green technology, in a triennial update of its investment beliefs announced today.
-
Opinion
The Law Commission has spoken, but barriers remain to ESG growth
Last month the Law Commission published a report on fiduciary duty in financial services, which clarified that trustees are allowed to consider environmental, social and governance issues in their investment decisions.
-
Features
Isle of Wight fund mulls ethical investment policy after council reclaims public health role
Isle of Wight Pension Fund is considering setting its own policy on social, environmental and ethical factors to be considered when making investment decisions, after the council took back responsibility for public health.