Initiatives and partnerships for socially responsible investing

In an ongoing effort to affect change through socially responsible investing, Ethical Funds, often through its parent company NEI Investments, works with like-minded organizations to advance the cause of better environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices.

A sample of the organizations we work with include:

Boreal Leadership Council (BLC)

BLC is a multi-stakeholder collaboration that supports the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework - a national vision of balanced protection for ecological and cultural assets with responsible economic development across Canada’s 1.4-billion-acre Boreal Forest. As the first financial institution to endorse the vision and as a member of BLC, NEI Investments promotes the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework to Canadian companies and policy-makers.

Canadian Coalition for Good Governance (CCGG)

The mission of the CCGG is to represent Canadian institutional shareholders in promoting corporate governance practices at the companies they invest in. NEI Investments is one of 47 members that collectively manage approximately $2 trillion¹ in assets.

Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)

Representing over 550 institutional investors and over $70 trillion¹ in assets under management, CDP pushes companies to improve disclosure on their response to the challenges of climate change. NEI Investments was one of the first to sign onto the project.

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is the world’s most widely-used sustainability reporting framework. NEI Investments follows the GRI framework in its own CSR reporting and encourages companies in its funds to follow the framework in their own reporting. It also supports GRI as an Organizational Stakeholder.

Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI)

Representing more than 870 signatories with some $25 trillion¹ in assets, the United Nations-sponsored PRI aims to help global investors improve long-term returns by integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) analysis into investment decision-making and ownership practices. NEI Investments is an active member of PRI.

Social Investment Organization (SIO)

SIO is the national non-profit association for the responsible investment industry in Canada. Ethical Funds is a Sustaining Member and is represented on the SIO Board of Directors.

¹Assets under management cited are in U.S. dollars.