BOSTON COMMON JOINS GLOBAL INVESTORS IN SIGNING MONTREAL CARBON PLEDGE AHEAD OF COP21 CLIMATE TALKS
Over 115 investors representing $8 trillion in assets commit to the Pledge.
BOSTON – World leaders meet in Paris this week for the COP21 climate talks, ahead of which, Boston Common Asset Management joined over 115 investors in signing the Montreal Carbon Pledge, a commitment to publicly disclose the carbon footprint of their investment portfolios. Boston Common was an early signatory and serves as an ambassador for the Pledge.
The Pledge, launched in September 2014, is supported by the Principles for Responsible Investment and sets out to attract commitments from portfolios totaling US$3 trillion in time for COP21. It has since garnered over $8 trillion in assets under management from investors across Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore and South Africa.
Measuring the carbon footprint of investment portfolios helps investors quantify and manage climate-related risks and opportunities. By signing the Pledge, Boston Common is publicly demonstrating its commitment to support the transition to a low-carbon economy.
“The carbon audit results will further inform our investment decision-making process and climate-related shareowner engagement,” said Lauren Compere, Managing Director at Boston Common Asset Management. “Our Active Ownership strategy includes engaging the largest financiers of carbon- intensive industries to leverage their role in the transition to a low-carbon future, as well as engaging portfolio companies with the highest GHG emissions on resource efficiency investments at the operational level.”
The Montreal Carbon Pledge augments Boston Common’s longstanding, firm-level practice of carbon offsetting with South Pole Carbon, which has preserved 1,610 hectares of rainforest in Peru and sequestered 100,000 tons of CO2 as of 2015.
About Boston Common Asset Management
Boston Common Asset Management is an experienced investment manager dedicated to the pursuit of financial return and social change. We invest over $1.9 billion on behalf of institutional and individual investors – exclusively offering sustainable and responsible investment options. Each of our strategies intentionally integrates in-depth research into company specific Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices. We combine this research with rigorous financial analysis to build diversified portfolios of high-quality, socially responsible companies. As shareowners, we urge our portfolio companies to improve transparency, accountability, and attention to ESG issues. We are proud to have built a strong investment record and believe we have meaningfully improved corporate practices globally through our engagement.
