Partnerships

The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)

CDP is an independent not for profit organisation that has steadily built up the world’s largest database on corporate climate change related data via an annual survey that has taken place every year since 2000. Over 2,500 organisations now disclose their carbon emissions and climate change strategies via CDP on behalf of 534 institutional investors, holding $64 trillion in assets under management.

CDP Water Disclosure Project

CDP Water Disclosure provides water-related data from the world’s largest water-intensive corporations collating data on water use, strategies, and risks and opportunities from companies on behalf of 354 investors representing US$43 trillion in assets. The survey is now in its third year with 190 companies responding in 2011.

The Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI)

The Investor Statement on Transparency in the Extractives Sector is supported by 80 institutional investors, holding in excess of $16 trillion in assets under management. The EITI was established in 2000 as a global standard for fiscal transparency in the oil, gas and mineral extractives sectors. Representing a coalition of companies, governments and civil society, the EITI exists to promote good governance, whereby the exploitation of these resources can generate revenue to foster growth, reduce poverty and help eliminate corruption. The EITI supports improved governance in resource-rich countries through the verification and publication of company payments and government revenues from oil, gas and mining.

The Forest Footprint Disclosure Project

The Forest Footprint Disclosure Project is an initiative backed by 36 institutional investors holding $4 trillion in assets under management, and created to help investors identify how corporate activities and supply chains can contribute towards deforestation. Participating companies are asked to disclose how their operations impact forests worldwide, and how they are managing these impacts responsibly. The disclosure information is reported annually, enabling investors to identify the sustainable businesses of the future, as well possible risks related to a company’s forest footprint.

The Access to Medicine Index

The Access to Medicine Index is an initiative supported by 17 institutional investors holding $2 trillion in assets under management, designed to help inform pharmaceutical companies, investors, governments, academics, non-governmental organisations and wider society with independent, impartial and reliable information on individual pharmaceutical companies’ efforts to improve global access to medicines. Access to medicine is a basic social and cultural right, yet each year millions of people die due to preventable and treatable diseases, whilst others suffer due to neglected diseases that could be eliminated if only poor communities had ready access to medicine. The Investor Statement acknowledges the important role pharmaceutical companies can play in affording access to medicine, and calls upon all players in the sector fully to disclose the risks and opportunities that can build value and enhance reputation over time.
We are members of ClimateWise and UKSIF.

ClimateWise

ClimateWise is the outcome of leading insurers deciding to work together to respond to the myriad risks and opportunities presented by climate change. Launched in 2007, ClimateWise is facilitated by the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership and works in accordance with a set of principles including: taking a lead in risk analysis, informing public policy making, supporting climate awareness amongst customers, incorporating climate change into investment strategies and reducing the environmental impact of individual businesses.

UK Sustainable Investment and Finance

UK Sustainable Investment and Finance is the industry body representing practitioners operating within sustainable finance. UKSIF promotes responsible investment and other forms of finance that support sustainable economic development, enhances quality of life and safeguards the environment. They also seek to ensure that individual and institutional investors can reflect their values in their investments by facilitating public policy and corporate discussions with investors. UKSIF is the lead organisation responsible for organising and promoting National Ethical Investment Week, which we are co-sponsoring in 2010.

In addition, our in house SRI research is helped and informed by Risk Metrics, which provides our ESG analysis and data, and the Institutional Voting Information Service, provided by the ABI to support UK proxy voting decisions.

The Institutional Voting Information Service

The IVIS is the proxy voting research arm of the Association of British Insurers (ABI). Providing colour coded individual company reports on the FTSE All Share, IVIS presents all the information investors need to allow them to decide how to vote at forthcoming company meetings. This service relates to the UK only.

The European SRI Transparency Code

Officially launched in November 2004 with support from the European Commission, the European SRI Transparency Code aims to create more clarity on the principles and processes of SRI mutual funds. This is to help investors make more informed choices, to encourage best practice among fund managers. The European Sustainable Investment Forum (Eurosif) is leading this multi-stakeholder process.

As of January 2011, there were 400 SRI funds signed up for the European SRI Transparency Code including the four Ecclesiastical Amity Funds.

Glass Lewis & Co

Glass, Lewis & Co. is the leading independent corporate governance proxy voting firm, serving institutional investors that collectively manage more than $17 trillion in assets. Founded in 2003, Glass Lewis is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Sydney. In 2007 Glass Lewis became an independent wholly-owned subsidiary of Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board. We appointed Glass Lewis in February 2011 to be our overseas (ex-UK) proxy voting partner.

Sustainalytics

Sustainalytics is a leading global provider of environmental, social and governance (ESG) research and analysis, with nearly 20 years experience in the Responsible Investment (RI) and Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) markets. Providing comprehensive company, sector and industry research analysis, Sustainalytics has been appointed principal research environment, social and governance (ESG) research provider to Ecclesiastical Investment Management.