Responsible investing

Environmental, social and governance issues have the potential to affect the performance of the Plan’s investment portfolios and as such, responsible investing is something we take very seriously. In 2010, OPTrust made significant progress in the implementation of its Statement of Responsible Investing Principles (SRIP), which the Board approved in 2009. The SRIP, which applies to all of OPTrust’s assets, is an expression of our support for high standards of corporate governance, our strong record of shareholder voting and our continuing efforts to promote the integration of environmental, social and governance factors into the management of each of our investment portfolios.

In 2010, OPTrust become a signatory to the United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Investing (PRI). As a signatory we both commit to a best practices framework for responsible investing and are able to access a global network of organizations to share information and collaborate on engagement activities.

OPTrust also joined the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), an international initiative that conducts an annual survey of thousands of the world’s largest companies regarding their greenhouse gas emissions and climate change strategies. The companies’ responses and CDP reports assist OPTrust in evaluating investment risks and opportunities related to climate change.