Why we have committed to net zero
Aiming to achieve competitive long-term outcomes
Our core commitment is to aim to deliver superior investment results and exceptional service for our clients. Through our research partnership with Woodwell Climate Research Center, we have come to appreciate that the physical consequences of climate change will be felt sooner and be more disruptive than markets expect. As policymakers and markets increasingly recognize and respond to this, the transition to a low-carbon economy is likely to gain momentum. As a result, we believe actively considering transition-risk management at the company and portfolio levels can help us deliver better financial outcomes for our clients.
Companies will face many climate-transition-related challenges
To remain competitive, companies need to address transition risks that may affect asset valuations and risk profiles. New regulations and shifting consumer preferences away from high-emitting companies may lead to rising expenses and falling margins from carbon taxes, litigation fees, capital costs, and loss of business. We believe a credible decarbonization strategy will help attract stakeholders seeking to reallocate capital toward companies embracing the low-carbon transition.
About our NZAM commitment
As a signatory to NZAM, we commit to:
- Set an interim target for the proportion of assets to be managed in line with the attainment of net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner
- Review our interim target at least every five years, with a view to ratcheting up the proportion of AUM covered until 100% of assets are included1
Importantly, the initiative “acknowledge[s] that the scope for asset man- agers to invest for net zero and to meet the commitments set forth above depends on the mandates agreed upon with clients and clients’ and man- agers’ regulatory environments. These commitments are made in the expectation that governments will follow through on their own commitments to ensure the objectives of the Paris Agreement are met, including increasing the ambition of their Nationally Determined Contributions, and in the context of our legal duties to clients and unless otherwise prohibited by applicable law.”2
The net-zero tool kit
There are several tools that portfolio management teams can use — individually or in combination — to manage transition risk and thereby reduce portfolio emissions over time. Notably, we do not mandate blanket exclusions of sectors, industries, or regions for portfolios committed to net zero. Any portfolio-level exclusions are implemented at our clients’ request. We prefer to research and meet with companies to evaluate the investment opportunity and risks, including assessing climate readiness.
Constructive dialogue
We believe constructive dialogue with companies is our most powerful tool to achieve better investment outcomes. These discussions can help companies appreciate the potentially wide-ranging effects of the low-carbon transition on security valuations. Company meetings help investors better understand a business’s emission footprint and transition-risk-management approach. To the extent that transition risk is material to the issuer, we aim to highlight this risk and encourage risk mitigation.
While an issuer’s exposure to transition risk cannot be captured in a single figure, emissions are quantifiable and comparable across industries. This data enables portfolio management teams to prioritize potential transition risks. Using the emissions footprint as a guide for potential risks associated with emissions sources, we can ask companies about their climate risk mitigation strategies to better understand their readiness for the low-carbon transition. The scope of these discussions varies by company and may include such topics as:
- Enhanced disclosures including footprinting
- Implications of transition-related policies on operations and business model
- Consideration of adoption of emissions reduction targets for transition-risk management
- Assessment of capital expenditures required to meet such targets
As more company management teams appreciate the contribution of a robust transition-risk-management strategy to long-term success, the investable universe of climate-ready companies is likely to expand. These dialogues take one of several forms, involve interacting with different company representatives, and typically continue over multiyear periods. For example, our equity, credit, and ESG analysts, with support from the Climate Research Team, host meetings focused on transition-risk research and assessment. In other cases, climate transition may be one of several topics in a broader discussion with senior management or a board member. These meetings are open to any internal portfolio management team with interest in this issue. Additionally, written communications supplement these interactions to keep investment teams apprised of interim progress.
We are able to report on this activity, along with portfolio-level metrics, so clients can monitor our progress. We may communicate with company leaders in person and through several stewardship methods, such as writing letters and voting proxies.
Investing in climate transition leaders, improvers, and solutions providers
Investment teams can also adjust portfolio holdings. For example, a team may reduce exposure to a company that it believes lacks a credible transition plan and thus may underperform its peers. As consistent with its philosophy and process, a portfolio management team may also increase exposure to climate-transition leaders that the team believes may outperform peers over time. These may include carbon-efficient companies with existing cost advantages, those that generate revenue from products or services that reduce their customers’ emissions, or those whose active decarbonization progress improvement may be underappreciated by the market.
Investing in climate solutions is critical to achieving net-zero emissions globally by 2050. Unfortunately, this approach is difficult to measure at scale with respect to quantifying avoided emissions for a wide array of products. Companies offering climate-mitigation solutions, such as utilities and industrials, tend to have high Scopes 1 and 2 emissions but low Scope 3 emissions, as emissions from the use of their products are relatively small. Investment strategies focused on these sectors tend to have higher emissions profiles relative to diversified strategies, given the current challenges in measuring Scope 3 emissions. Due in part to this data gap and rising demand from consumers seeking to lower their own carbon footprint, we believe these companies have underappreciated tailwinds to revenue growth. Standards for measuring downstream Scope 3 emissions are being developed, which should help investors and clients accurately assess and price in the demand for climate solutions.
Sell discipline
Over time, a portfolio management team’s fundamental view of a company’s long-term competitiveness may shift based on insights gleaned from conversations with the board and management team. This change in assessment may result in a reduced or eliminated position (Figure 1). The decision to sell could be temporary; a company that remains in the opportunity set may become eligible for reinvestment by demonstrating meaningful progress on risk management.