Fifty-six percent of corporate pension funds surveyed have a socially responsible investment (SRI) policy in place today and about a quarter of those without a policy intend to have one on the coming year.
A greater majority feel that environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors affect the long-term performance and their integration into investment decisions is part of investors’ fiduciary duty, Eurosif’s 2011 Corporate Pension Funds & Sustainable Investment Study shows.
Equities, bonds and real estate are the most popular asset classes in the implementation of SRI policies.
The survey, which had 169 respondents from 12 EU Member States, also found that 60% consider that ESG factors affect pension funds’ long-term performance.
Similarly, 66% of respondents feel that having an SRI policy is part of their fiduciary duty.
François Passant, Eurosif’s executive director, said: “For the first time on this scale, it has been shown that the inclusion of ESG factors in the investment philosophies of European pension funds is, overall becoming mainstream with such high percentages of European pension funds already having or planning to have an SRI policy in place.
Eurosif – the European Sustainable Investment Forum – is a pan-European network and think-tank of national sustainable investment forums whose mission is to develop sustainability through European Financial Markets. It represents assets totaling over €1 trillion through its Member Affiliates.
©2011 funds europe
