The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (Teachers’) has announced that it is a signatory to the United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI).
PRI is a set of six principles that reflect the view that environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues need to be appropriately considered in the investment process, as they can affect portfolio performance. The principles provide a voluntary framework by which investors can incorporate ESG issues into their decision-making and ownership practices.
Approximately 900 investment institutions and service providers, with assets under management of approximately US$25 trillion, have become signatories.
More information about the PRI Initiative is available at unpri.org.
“Our investing practices were already aligned with most of the principles, and PRI reflects the increasing importance of responsible investing to our members and potential partners,” says Jim Leech, Teachers’ president and CEO. “PRI is consistent with our core values of championing accountability and risk-consciousness.”
Teachers’ has co-produced, with the Cormana Group of Toronto, a 20-minute video documentary on the topic of responsible investing. Responsible Investing: An Evolving Story is available for viewing online at otpp.com/responsibleinvesting.
Also available on the website is a series of round-table discussions with senior members of Teachers’ investment team about key responsible investing questions and an interactive video feature that explains Teachers’ investment process.