Geneva, 4 December 2018: Today, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) publicly launched Aligning Retirement Assets Toolkit #1 - The responsible retirement plan opportunity to help companies understand how retirement plans are governed and operated, as well as how social and environmental responsibility might be considered in different plan structures and contexts.
Responsible investing, which involves taking a broader perspective on environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities compared to traditional investment approaches, has been shown to potentially lead to positive investment outcomes over the long-term.
A growing number of companies have been evaluating how to integrate responsible investment approaches into the retirement plans they offer. However, developing and implementing an effective and durable responsible retirement plan requires both dedication and a careful, thoughtful approach.
Since its launch in mid-2018, WBCSD’s “Aligning Retirement Assets” (ARA) project has been working to help make the responsible investment process as straightforward and transparent as possible by dispelling myths and empowering engaged employees to better understand their possible options to begin saving for retirement responsibly.
The project’s collaboration partners – including Allianz Global Investors, BlackRock, Legal & General Investment Management, Mercer, Natixis and the Principles for Responsible Investment – also contribute best practices and innovative thinking on ESG, while helping to educate member companies on incorporating responsible strategies in their retirement plans.
The project is planning to release a second Toolkit to will provide a more “tactical” approach to responsible retirement plans, with a strong emphasis on helping interested individuals start to have conversations with the right people internally.
