How we evaluate products
Responsible Investment strategies, processes, practices and disclosures are assessed against the eight criteria for product certification in the Responsible Investment Standard and accompanying Guidance and Assessment Notes.
What this symbol means
General certification: This Symbol signifies that a product or service offers an investment style that takes into account environmental, social, governance or ethical considerations, and that it adheres to the operational and disclosure practices required under the Responsible Investment Certification Program for the category of Product.
<span class="text-size-xxsmall">The content on this webpage is provided by Responsible Investment Association Australasia Ltd (ACN 641 046 666, AFSL 554110). For more information refer to our Financial Services Guide. Certain content provided may constitute a summary or extract from the offer document of a financial product. Any general advice has been provided without reference to your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. If the advice relates to the acquisition of a particular financial product for which an offer document (such as a product disclosure document) is available, you should obtain the offer document relating to the particular financial product and consider it before making any decision whether to acquire the product. Past performance does not necessarily indicate a financial products’ future performance. To obtain information tailored to your situation, contact a financial adviser.</span>
Themes & Issues
Society
Environment
<span class="text-size-xxsmall">For RIAA’s definitions of the themes included and issues avoided, please view this guide. Product-specific exclusion criteria and practices may vary. You can find these by referring directly to the product provider.</span>
Overview
Description
The index comprises securities listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) that are included in the FTSE Australia 300 Index but excludes securities of companies based on the following criteria:
▪ The index excludes companies that have a specified level of business involvement in fossil fuels, nuclear power, alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, gambling, adult entertainment or weapons. The index provider specifies activities, revenue or ownership thresholds or Industry Classification Benchmark (ICB) Subsector classifications for each business segment that lead to exclusion and these can vary from one business segment to another.
▪ The index excludes companies that the index provider determines are involved in controversial conduct because they do not meet certain labour, human rights, environmental or anti-corruption standards as defined by the United Nations Global Compact Principles.
You should read the further detail in respect of these screens, located in the ‘Labour standards and environmental, social and ethical considerations’ section below. For further information about the index, including details of the screens and applicable revenue and ownership thresholds for each business segment, please refer to www.vanguard.com.au/FTSE_Global_Choice_Index_Series_Ground_Rules.
The index is calculated on a before tax basis. The index applies exclusionary screening and will therefore perform differently than the broad market as certain companies are removed, resulting in different weights to sectors and factors. Diversification requirements are applied at each review to restrict the proportion of the index invested in any one industry to +/- 5% of the industry weights of the FTSE Australia 300 Index, subject to any limitation issues resulting from the exclusionary screening.