Commodities and related investments
Background
The aim of the commodities and related investments work stream is to develop resources to support the implementation of the PRI within this asset class. Academic and practitioner discussion regarding ESG integration in this area is ongoing. Accordingly, the PRI Secretariat is looking for examples of the existing responsible investment policies and practices of signatories.
An initial focus of the work stream will be on responsible investment in farmland, and more information on our plans in this area is provided below.
2011 working groups
Farmland Working Group
Increased investor interest in Farmland has thrown up challenges of marketplace transparency and investor accountability, as well as concerns over the environmental and social impact of increased investment flows.
The PRI has established a Farmland Working Group to address these concerns and to support investors in integrating environmental, social and governance considerations in their farmland investments. The working group has created and developed the Principles for Responsible Investment in Farmland.
Background and history to the development of the Farmland Principles
View the Farmland Principles
Media release detailing the launch
To endorse the Principles for Responsible Investment in Farmland, please contact christina.olivecrona@ap2.se.
Publicly available resources
In January 2011, Swiss investment consulting and research company onValues published a report entitled ‘Responsible investment in commodities: The issues at stake and a potential role for institutional investors’. This report was the result of a collaboration between onValues, PRI, the UN Global Compact and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. It summarises findings from a research project focussing on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues involved in different types of commodities investments.
Signatory-only resources
‘Agri-Investing for the Long Term’ Conference, 17 June 2011
The PRI and OnValues co-hosted this event on 17 June 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland. A range of recommendations and voluntary guidelines for different types of investments including soft commodities, farmland and listed equities were presented and discussed. Read the event report. The agenda for the conference is provided on the Signatory extranet, along with an "agricultural overview" presentation distributed to all participants to present the major drivers of investment outcomes.
Webinar
