ESG

How are responsible investments performing? Speakers will highlight recent data and analysis on how responsible investments, funds and companies have performed over recent period of turbulence.

In a time of massive market disruption brought on by the global COVID-19 pandemic, it would be fair to ask how ESG investors have performed compared to the rest of the market.

As the globe comes to grips with the COVID-19 pandemic, the world of responsible investment and sustainable finance has been readying itself for crises such as this over some time.

Recent extreme weather events in Australia have led the nation to pay closer attention to where its money is being invested, with 86% of Australians expecting their savings and super to be invested responsibly and ethically, according to new research commissioned by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA). The study, finds that in the wake of the devastating bushfires, 3 in 4 Australians would consider moving their banking and superannuation to an alternative provider that invests responsibly and ethically, and that environmental issues (80%) are of greatest concern when investing their money. “This consumer sentiment mirrors the continuing growth of the sector with nearly half ($980 billion) of Australia’s assets under management now being invested through responsible investing” said RIAA CEO Simon O’Connor.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the RI Australia 2020 conference scheduled for the 17th – 18th March 2020 was postponed to a one day event on the 27th November 2020.

Hear from leading ESG experts from ISS ESG, MSCI, Sustainalytics and FTSE Russell on the big ESG themes for the coming year.

Australian super funds that comprehensively engage in responsible investment are outperforming their peers over one, three and five-year time frames, a new report from the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) has found. The report also shows that in the face of rising public concern and increasing financial materiality of climate change, the consideration of climate risk by super fund boards continues to grow, but there remains room for improvement. This third edition of the Responsible Investment Super Study 2019 presents the results of an annual survey of Australia’s 57 largest superannuation fundsi – accounting for $1.75 trillion in assets under management. “This year’s report shows that Australia’s largest superannuation funds – including industry, retail, corporate and public sector funds – are ramping up their engagement in responsible investing to drive superior financial performance, reduce risk, and deliver better outcomes for their members and beneficiaries,” said Simon O’Connor, CEO of RIAA. 81% of Australia’s largest super funds are committed to responsible investment (up from 70% in 2016), and 72% report annually on responsible investment activity (up from 44% in 2016), highlighting how responsible investing is increasingly being embedded within Australian investment markets.

There’s been much debate recently around the appropriateness of investors targeting Australian businesses to protect our environment, to lift standards of human rights, and superannuation funds exercising their ownership on issues such as climate change.

More than 8 in 10 New Zealanders (83%) expect their KiwiSaver or other investments to be invested responsibly and ethically, new research commissioned by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) and Mindful Money has revealed. This compares with 7 in 10 New Zealanders (72%) in 2018. In an important signal to New Zealand’s KiwiSaver, banking and wealth management sectors, 2 in 3 New Zealanders would consider switching their KiwiSaver or other investments to another provider if their current fund engaged in activities inconsistent with their values. The NZ-wide polling, conducted by Colmar-Brunton in September, shows consumer demand for responsible and ethical investment is on the rise, as the responsible investment industry continues to grow in size and influence. “The rising consumer sentiment around ethical investing is reflected by the continuing growth in the responsible investment sector in NZ” said RIAA’s CEO Simon O’Connor. “The challenge lies with fund managers to develop and provide consumers with suitable products which match their interests, concerns and values.” Mindful Money’s founder and CEO, Barry Coates said “The survey shows that New Zealanders want to avoid investing in companies that do not reflect their values – human rights violations and labour rights abuses top the list. Now, for the first time, investors can see where their funds are invested by using the Fund Checker on Mindful Money’s website.”

10 October 2019: Ethical Investment Week: The Second Wave of Sustainability This ‘first wave’ of the ‘Sustainability Revolution’ has demonstrated how government policy and economics can drive dramatic changes in relatively short periods of time and rapidly reshape global industries. In this webinar we will briefly discuss the ‘second wave’ of the Sustainability Revolution that will inevitably flow from increasingly serious and ambitious attempts to address global sustainability issues including climate change and beyond. Legislators and regulators around the world are already framing the scope of these changes which will be far broader and more disruptive.