Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva plc (‘Aviva’) has signed up to the Montreal Carbon Pledge. Launched by the Principles for Responsible Investment, the pledge is a commitment to measuring and publically disclosing the carbon footprint of investment portfolios on an annual basis.
As part of the pledge, signatories agree to publish their carbon footprint annually on their website, annual report, sustainability report, responsible investment report or other publicly visible client/beneficiary reporting channel by
1 December 2015. Signatories must also inform the PRI of the proportion of assets under management that have been measured. Aviva Investors intends to pilot carbon foot-printing on a sample of equity portfolios. A decision to expand the scope will be made following a review of the findings and client feedback.
In July, Aviva launched its strategic response which set out five carbon pillars – integrating climate risks into investment decisions, investment in low carbon infrastructure, supporting strong policy action on climate change, active stewardship on climate risk and divesting where necessary.
Euan Munro, Chief Executive, Aviva Investors, said:
“As institutional investors, we firmly believe that we have a duty to act in the best long-term interests of our beneficiaries. As a business, we are clear that there are long-term investment risks associated with climate change.
“By signing up to this pledge, we are pleased to be one of the largest asset managers supporting this initiative as part of our overall strategy of calling for industry and government action on climate change. We support greater transparency on carbon risk, however good quality carbon foot-printing relies on good quality carbon data. There are still significant gaps in disclosure which is why we will also continue to advocate for better data to support this.”
Fiona Reynolds, managing director of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) said:
“We are delighted to welcome Aviva Investors to the group of over 70 investors who have signed the Montreal Carbon Pledge. Aviva has a long and established track record in looking at ESG issues. By signing the Pledge, they have added another achievement to their already impressive responsible investment credentials.”
More information on the pledge can be found here: http://montrealpledge.org/
Further details of Aviva’s response can be found here: http://www.aviva.com/media/thought-leadership/climate-change-value-risk-investment-and-avivas-strategic-response/
ENDS
For more information contact:
Steve Ainger
Aviva Investors Media Relations
+44 (0)20 7809 8452
Grant Bather
Aviva Investors Media Relations
+44 (0)20 7809 6252
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About Aviva Investors
Aviva Investors is the global asset management business of Aviva plc. The business delivers investment management solutions, services and client-driven performance to clients worldwide. Aviva Investors operates in 15 countries in Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and the United Kingdom with assets under management of £263 billion as at 30 June 2015.
About Aviva
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