ESG

RIAA’s member ‘drop-in’ session provided members with an update on the annual planning cycle, including an insight into our strategy and priority work plans. RIAA’s CEO and executive team gave an update on the progress RIAA has made in the past 12 months, and an insight into our strategic thinking on how we deliver on our mission in this current context.

Excluding defence companies has long been common practice for responsible investors. At a minimum, most negatively screened ‘ethical’ funds exclude the controversial weapons banned under international law: for example, chemical weapons and cluster bombs.

In our June Impact Management & Measurement Community of Practice workshop, we explored what constitutes leading practice in impact reporting, hearing from Bluemark Tideline’s Christina Leijonhufvud on their recent Raising the Bar study.

The Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) is ramping up its operations and presence in Aotearoa New Zealand as the demand for ethical and sustainable finance products and providers reaches new heights. RIAA’s Executive Manager for Membership and Engagement, Dean Hegarty, has returned to New Zealand from Australia, with a deeper focus on supporting RIAA members across the country and growing the membership base. “From large asset owners to community foundations; from asset managers to financial advisers, we are the largest network of people and organisations engaged in sustainable finance, and already have an active base of over 80 investors in New Zealand committed to responsible investment and harnessing capital to help deliver improved social and environmental outcomes. This has grown 63% in the last 18 months alone, and the appetite and opportunity across the industry shows no signs of abating. “The desire to expand and deepen practice is common across our membership, as demonstrated by strong participation in events and our working groups covering issues as diverse as human rights, financial advice, nature, First Nations’ Peoples rights and impact management and measurement, along with the demand for certification.”

What do consumers really think about responsible investment? What is on retail investors’ minds as they are choosing an investment product? And which issues do they care most about?

For an investor to effectively manage impact and know what kind of contribution they are making through their capital allocation,

RIAA’s From Values to Riches study gauges consumer awareness, practices, and attitudes towards ethical and responsible investments in Australia.

Twenty years ago, FTSE introduced a new kind of equity index amidst considerable public scepticism. The FTSE4Good index series, launched in 2001, used transparent metrics of ESG performance to select its constituents, incentivising companies to improve their sustainability practices. RIAA speaks to FTSE Russell’s Helena Fung, Head of Sustainable Investment, APAC about the evolution of the sustainability index.