All sustainable investment articles – Page 3
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NewsSavers stick to default funds despite ESG concerns
On the go: Despite savers showing an interest in investing their pensions responsibly, only one in five workplace scheme members have converted their investments into green funds, research has shown.
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NewsNest and UBS divest from ‘unresponsive’ energy companies
On the go: Asset manager UBS has jettisoned “unresponsive” energy companies from its suite of climate-aware funds, including one it manages on behalf of Nest.
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NewsPodcast: Fiduciary trumps politics if divesting from ‘illegal Israeli settlements’
Podcast: Local Government Pension Schemes looking to divest from Israel should do so on grounds of sustainability and fiduciary responsibility, not because of politics and personal morality, says Richard Butcher, managing director of PTL. He is joined by Ian Neale, Aries Insight co-founder, to discuss divestment, defined benefit funding and ageing populations.
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NewsLondon CIV launches passive equity Paris-aligned fund
On the go: London CIV, which oversees around £26bn on behalf of 32 London Local Government Pension Scheme funds worth a collective £45bn, has launched its Passive Equity Progressive Paris Aligned Fund.
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NewsAsset owners need to address fast-fashion environmental impact
Fast fashion has transformed the ready-to-wear industry, but with consumers making a saving, how is the environment footing the bill?
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NewsLGPS urged to divest from ‘Israeli settlement economy’
Canadian Professor Michael Lynk, who works with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, has requested that the Local Government Pension Scheme funds divest from any holding that may be linked to contested Israeli settlements.
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NewsBrendan McCafferty appointed as Nest chair
On the go: Pensions minister Guy Opperman has announced that Brendan McCafferty has been appointed as chair of the National Employment Savings Trust for a five-year term.
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NewsCOP26 sees 12% uptick in net zero commitments
More than half (52 per cent) of insurers and 50 per cent of pension funds have committed to making their portfolios net zero by 2050, up 12 per cent from last year, according to a new report from Aviva Investors.
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NewsCoffey: Pensions a ‘superpower’ to combat climate change
On the go: The full power of pensions needs to be used to reduce climate risk in savers’ portfolios and help push the UK towards achieving net zero in the future, work and pensions secretary Thérèse Coffey has urged.
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NewsUSS directors sued over climate inaction and breaches of duty
Two university lecturers, backed by a number of branches of the University and College Union, have filed a wide-ranging legal action against the directors of the Universities Superannuation Scheme, accusing them of multiple failings with respect to the controversial 2020 valuation, and of inaction around climate change commitments.
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NewsESG factors more important to investors than financial metrics
ESG spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, including a survey showing institutional investors believe ESG is more important than financial metrics when it comes to evaluating a company’s long-term attractiveness, and more signatories to the Make My Money Matter charter.
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NewsBig funds invest £128bn in fossil fuels, LCP urges net-zero action
ESG spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, including research by Friends of the Earth that found the UK’s largest pension funds have no “credible plan” to divest the £128bn currently held in fossil fuels, and a call from LCP for defined contribution schemes to take meaningful action on net-zero ambitions.
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NewsGreen finance roadmap still missing key details
The government has published its “roadmap to sustainable investing”, laying out a number of new reporting requirements. However, some experts have warned that the plan does not go far enough to make a real difference.
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NewsExperts warn against major pension tax changes this autumn
The government’s attempts to source billions of pounds in spending by altering pensions taxation are unlikely to be successful, although the Autumn Budget is unlikely to produce major announcements in this area, experts have said.
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NewsOpperman lauds ‘transformational’ climate requirements
Pensions minister Guy Opperman has lauded the government’s “utterly transformational” approach to climate reporting requirements, while promising legislation on “simpler statements” and the “statements season” in the near future.
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NewsPPF 7800 surplus jumps £25bn in September
On the go: The latest update of the PPF 7800 Index shows the aggregate surplus of the 5,318 defined benefit schemes measured jumped by more than £25bn to £108.8bn at the end of September, up from £83.2bn at the end of August.
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News‘Greenium’ concerns remain around second green gilts issuance
On the go: The second issuance of the government’s green gilts is expected on October 18. While the first issuance was significantly oversubscribed, concerns about the “greenium” have deterred some pension schemes from investing.
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NewsPodcast: Mandating net zero could ‘cut straight through’ fiduciary duties
Podcast: The government mandating default funds be aligned with ‘net zero’ would be a way around concerns about fiduciary responsibility, but there are questions about what this would mean in practice. Stuart O’Brien, partner at Sackers, and Gareth Stears, pensions technical consultant at Aries Insight, discuss environmental, social and governance issues, social housing, and the Pensions Regulator’s controversial criminal powers.
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NewsGovernments should consider green investing incentives, says IMF
Policymakers should consider providing a financial incentive for sustainable funds as existing capital is “too limited in size and scope” to have a major impact on climate change, the International Monetary Fund has warned.
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NewsTfL, Avon Pension Fund and Phoenix Group commit to net zero
ESG spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, with the Transport for London Pension Fund committing to net-zero carbon emissions by 2045, Avon Pension Fund shifting £780m into a Paris-aligned benchmark, and Phoenix Group setting a carbon emission-reduction target of 50 per cent by 2030.