Mike Appleby, investment manager at the group, said it also had an advisory committee, which helped it “ensure we are informed about sustainability issues and they have oversight of all our holdings”.
“They can (and have) challenged the investment team where they feel clarification or justification is required for a given investment,” he adds.
Growing awareness
The PRI’s Mr Gindre says there is a rising groundswell in the industry of acceptance of ESG. He cites the fact investment bank Morgan Stanley recently produced a brochure on the topic entitled ‘Embedding Sustainability into Valuation’ shows the topic is becoming more prominent at the highest levels of investment.
The bank, as well as rival Barclays, have ESG index funds too. Advisers may also be aware of another example, the Vanguard FTSE Social Index fund, which invests in stocks screened for certain social, human rights, and environmental criteria.
The PRI will also be better positioned next year to help advisers gauge how fund groups are performing in terms of sustainable and ethical policies.
From June next year, PRI signatories will be able to publish their scores from the body, something which was agreed by the PRI board to encourage more transparency of information.
At present, signatory assessment reports, which are carried out annually, can be found on the PRI website so advisers can read their answers to a whole host of questions.
Some, including Robeco, have taken the decision to publish their score from the PRI, something other groups may do if they are particularly proud of it.
Whether advisers embrace sustainable investment already or still find it a minefield, the proverbial juggernaut is coming.
As the PRI’s Mr Gindre highlights, major investors such as the heirs to the Rockerfeller oil fortune and pledged to disinvest from fossil fuels and California’s pension scheme has also suggested it may soon not invest in companies which do not assess their impact on the climate.
“It is something this only started in the past two years but it is accelerating,” Mr Gindre says. “Looking at it, it is great, but we still have a long way to go.”
bradley.gerrard@ft.com
