Responsible investing

Read about the approach to responsible investing that guides the decisions of the College Pension Board of Trustees and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation.

Responsible investing plays an important role in the management of funds for BC's College Pension Plan. Companies that do a good job of managing environmental, social and governance matters are believed to have less risk and perform better financially over the longer term.

British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI), the plan's investment manager, is a founding signatory to the United Nations–supported Principles for Responsible Investment, an international network of investors working together to put responsible investing principles into practice. These investment principles are founded on the belief that an economically efficient and sustainable global financial system is a necessity for creating long-term value.

BCI, with the support of the board, embraces responsible investing through three core activities:

• Integrating environmental, social and governance factors into investment analysis and decision making
• Being an active owner
• Being an active participant in the capital markets

BCI ranks among the top-performing investment managers globally in using the principles for responsible investment. BCI collaborates with other investors and organizations such as the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) and the International Corporate Governance Network.

In 2016, BCI expanded its role in responsible investing by joining and serving as a steering committee member of the 30% Club Canada, an organization that advocates for companies to enhance gender diversity. BCI is also a member of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, whose mandate is to promote standards of sustainability reporting.