We are delighted to share that at this years Pensions for Purpose Annual Symposium & Awards Wiltshire Pension Fund won BEST BIODIVERSITY STATEMENT!
The report effectively explains their climate change management, with clear, concise insights and good presentation of their net-zero journey and future goals. It highlights their carbon footprint analysis, justifying the majority comes from their EM portfolio and detailing their engagement with top emitters. They advocate for divestment from companies with weak commitments and emphasize that carbon credits should not replace internal efforts."
- Judges Comments
We were also thrilled to receive Highly Commended Certificates for:
- BEST CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY
- BEST PLACE-BASED IMPACT for our 2024 Affordable Housing Impact Report (PDF, 871 KB)(opens new window)
Our submission for the winning award was our Biodiversity Statement, contained within our recently published Climate and Nature Report, which also outlines our journey to net-zero, how we are doing, engagement activities, case studies and more!
Biodiversity is rapidly gaining attention as an area that investors should be considering. The World Economic Forum's Risk Report 2024 puts "Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse" as the 3rd biggest economic risk facing the world over the next 10 years. Our net zero by 2050 target and wider investment beliefs mean that this is an area where we need to take action.
We approach biodiversity risk in the following ways:
- UNDERSTANDING OUR EXPOSURE TO RISKS
- INVESTING IN OPPORTUNITIES
- STEWARDSHIP AND ENGAGEMENT
We analysed our holdings as at 31 December 2023 to identify our exposure to equity holdings in high-impact sectors (specifically agriculture, food & drink, and construction). Our total exposure to high-impact sectors amounted to £83m (just over 7% of our total equity holdings), across 125 companies! Most of this was in the food & drink sectors (c.60% of £83m)
To help us understand our exposure more, we have put our investments under the microscope and investigated themes such as regenerative agriculture and deforestation. To learn more take a look at our case studies in the below Climate and Nature Report!
2024 WPF Climate and Nature Report (PDF, 5 MB)(opens new window)
As part of our research, we relied on the fantastic report and company database published by FAIRR, of which WPF is a member. FAIRR is an investor network that raises awareness of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities in the global food sector.
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