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Socially Responsible Investment
Briefs .....
The energy infrastructure of the global economy is likely to
restructure radically in the years ahead, according to the
Barclays Capital
2007 Equity Gilt Study. The report discussed the growing demand for
energy against the recognition that the dependency on hydrocarbons
should be cut. Barclays Capital recommended that investors put climate
change policies and possible energy scarcity at the centre of their
future asset allocation process. However, while there has been a
consensus that the radical changes that will take place in relation to
energy generation and distribution could be damaging to the global
economy, Barclays Capital suggests this could in fact be highly
stimulatory.
Four Swedish national pension funds have set up an
ethics committee to review their holdings in overseas companies. The
ethical screening, to be carried out by
GES Investment Services, will
monitor the funds’ investment portfolios to identify and examine
possible violations of international norms and conventions, reviewing a
total of approximately 3,500 companies. The funds aim to conduct an active
dialogue with around 10 companies a year on human rights labour rights
and the environment. The ethical council’s first chair will be
Nadine Viel Lamare of the
AP1 fund,
and she said this collaborative process will avoid duplication of effort and
concentrate resources on the most urgent areas for improvement.
March 2007 |
