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How we incorporate ESG

Aligned to the values of our investors

Our Commitment to ESG 

 

We consider Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) factors when making investment decisions for all the strategies we manage. When we include these factors alongside traditional financial metrics, we are able to think more broadly about risk, and make more prudent investment decisions. In other words, it is in the best interests of our clients to integrate ESG into our process.

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Through our in-depth credit research, RPIA is in regular communication with the management teams of the issuers in which we invest. We use this platform as a way to champion ESG analysis, discussing with companies the importance of ESG-related disclosures and the risks that we see from an ESG perspective.

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“There are three very simple reasons why we take ESG seriously - to minimize risk, to improve the quality of our returns, and to fulfill our duty to our investors” – Mike Quinn, Principal & Senior Advisor    

We have also partnered with an institutional investor to design a strategy that targets specific ESG outcomes and in this case, an Environmental outcome. This strategy aims to outperform the relevant benchmark while avoiding certain industry sectors and having a lower carbon intensity. We will continue to partner with our clients to develop innovative investment solutions that help them achieve the ESG outcomes that they care most about.

To demonstrate and formalize our commitment to ESG, RPIA became a signatory to UN Principles for Responsible Investment in August 2018. This solidified our commitment to incorporate ESG factors in our investment process, to engage bond issuers on ESG matters, and to advance ESG through peer collaboration and public action.
Download our ESG Policy

Read our 2021 Sustainability Report

Market Insights

Putting the 'G' Back in ESG

The Importance of ESG Engagement by Fixed Income Investors
The recent failure of ESG darling, SVB, prompted an important discussion on the importance of making governance considerations a priority. Fixed income investors have growing influence to engage with issuers and strengthen governance practices. In this paper, we include a detailed example of our own engagement practices.

DEI Beyond the Abbreviation

Leveraging diversity and promoting inclusion
A culture of inclusion is key to retaining talent in this competitive job market and several studies have persuasively argued that diversity in a team leads to better performance. Many firms are proactively looking to broaden the diversity of their teams with this goal in mind. In this article, we revisit why inclusion matters and suggest ways for managers to foster more inclusive environments.

The Great Wealth Transfer: The Future is Female

Understanding the incoming wave of female investors
For years, businesses have been discussing the changes in consumer behaviour as younger generations become decision-makers; the same is true for wealth and investment management. We are in the midst of the largest wealth transfer in history – by 2030, American women will likely control $30 trillion of inherited financial assets from baby boomers. What does this mean for those helping families manage their wealth?

RPIA Develops a Bespoke Fossil Fuel Exclusion Strategy for Institutional Investors

Introducing RP Broad Corporate Bond (Fossil Fuel Exclusion)
We are pleased to announce the launch of our new strategy, RP Broad Corporate Bond (Fossil Fuel Exclusion), designed in partnership with our client, University of Toronto Asset Management (UTAM), and in collaboration with FTSE Russell. Learn more about the strategy and how the first-of-its-kind screening approach was developed!
 

RPIA is a signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, and as part of our commitment, we consider Environmental, Social & Governance (“ESG”) factors as part of our firm-level activities, including our investment management process. ESG integration into our investment management process is supplemental to our core investment research and analysis functions and is conducted in accordance with relevant offering documents. ESG-related inputs into our investment process may vary between different funds and strategies, is subject to internal policies, and may be revised as a result of external market and economic factors, as well as strategic investment management decisions, suitability of investments, and/or the stated investment objectives and strategies of the relevant RPIA managed portfolios. ESG integration into an investment process may introduce certain ESG-related risks and does not predict or imply positive future investment returns.