| Organisational Overview | ||||||
| Organisational Overview This section captures information that helps determine if some of the subsequent questions are required and also plays a role in benchmarking. Please make sure you provide accurate answers. This is also one of the more challenging sections as it may require gathering information from multiple sources. We suggest you collect all this information before progressing to other parts of the questionnaire. | ||||||
| 1. What were your organisation's total assets under management as of the most recent count (in millions)? (Estimating to the nearest hundred million as of December 31 2008 would be preferable - although the most recent available count would be sufficient. If your currency is not listed, please select 'other' and indicate your currency or convert to United States dollars.) | 9000 | |||||
| Please select currency | Australian dollar (AUD) | |||||
| 1a. If 'Other' was selected, please specify the other currency here | No Answer | |||||
2. Please pick the one category and level of complexity that best describes your organisation (if your organisation is a pension fund, please also select your pension type). This information may be used to provide you with the best possible benchmarking. Complexity
| ||||||
| Property fund manager | Moderately complex | |||||
| 2a. If 'Other' was selected, please specify the other category here | No answer | |||||
| 3. Please provide an approximation of your average asset mix for 2008 or your asset mix as of the most recent count (in percent):(+/- 5% is sufficient. The sum of all the fields must be 100%) | ||||||
Active | Passive | Active | Passive | |||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Private equity | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Listed real estate or property | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Non-listed real estate or property | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Hedge funds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Commodities | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Infrastructure | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Cash | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Governance, Policy and Strategy | ||||||
| Governance, Policy and StrategyQuestions 5 through 15 are about the governance and oversight of your organisation's responsible investment activities and the associated policies and strategy. This section will be scored separately from the six Principles."Policy" in this section may refer to one overall RI policy or multiple policies that address various elements of RI. | ||||||
| 5. Do you have a policy that makes specific reference to responsible investment (RI) or environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues? | Yes | |||||
| 6. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, which of the following Principles does it address?(Please check all that apply.) | Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes.,Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices.,Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest.,Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry.,Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles.,Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | |||||
| 7. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, which of the following asset classes does it apply to?(Please check all that apply.) | Non-listed real estate or property | |||||
| 8. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, when was your policy last reviewed? | Within the last 3 years | |||||
| 9. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, has it been disclosed publicly?(If answering yes, please indicate how this statement can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering no, please explain why not.) | Yes: 'http://www.investa.com.au/sustainability/' | |||||
10. To what extent has your approach to responsible investment been translated into a plan of action as reflected in business planning, strategic planning, or similar internal management processes?
| To a large extent | |||||
| 11. Who within your organisation has responsibilities related to RI implementation?(Please check all that apply.) | Board of trustees or board of directors,Chief Executive Officer or Chief Investment Officer or equivalent,Other senior management,Middle management,RI or ESG specialist | |||||
| 12. Do you have a policy or approach/process that requires screening out or excluding stocks or sectors from your investment universe? | We do not screen or exclude stocks or sectors | |||||
| 13. What are your reasons for screening out or excluding stocks or sectors from your investment universe?(Please check all that apply.) | No Answer | |||||
| 14. Please describe how your organisation assesses if there is a link between your RI activities and the performance (risk and return) of your investments: | No Answer | |||||
| 15. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Governance, Policy, and Strategy here. | No Answer | |||||
| Principle 1 | ||||||
Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes.For the purposes of this questionnaire, integration is the consideration of ESG issues alongside traditional financial measures, based on the belief that ESG issues can affect the performance (risk and/or return) of investment portfolios (to varying degrees across companies, sectors, regions, asset classes and through time). Please note that the view that ESG issues can influence investment returns may be based either on
| ||||||
| 16. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle.This question and similar questions relating to each of the other Principles are being asked for three reasons. The first reason is to gather details regarding signatory implementation for inclusion in the PRI annual report on progress. The second reason is to capture activities not captured directly by questions in the Reporting and Assessment Tool. The third reason is to provide context and details to support verification calls. | Investa has had a sophisticated sustainability platform since 2002. Over the last seven years Investa has set ambitious goals for improving environmental, social and economic outcomes in managing our commercial office portfolio and more recently in our developments, both land developments and built form. Investa's approach and results are well documented on our website www.investa.com.au/sustainability Investa's experience has shown that performance on ESG issues can correlate with improved financial and operational outcomes. Recently we have been analysing and documenting our experience in implementing sustainability and the positive outcomes for the business and we would welcome the opportunity to share this research with the PRI. | |||||
| Integration of ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes of internally managed assets | ||||||
| 17. For what percentage of your internal assets under active management do you integrate RI/ESG issues into your internal investment decision-making processes (in percent)?(+/- 5% is sufficient.) | ||||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | 100 | |||||
18. To what extent have you integrated RI/ESG issues into your internal active investment decision-making processes?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| ||||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | To a large extent | |||||
19. When forming investment views, to what extent does your organisation gather and analyse ESG information, including, where applicable, information obtained from engagement activities?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| To a large extent | |||||
20. To what extent do portfolio managers or others making investment decisions in your organisation apply the ESG information and analysis available to them when constructing and managing portfolios?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| To a large extent | |||||
21. To what extent do you have a process for improving the effectiveness of research and portfolio management processes with regards to ESG factors?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| To a large extent | |||||
22. To what extent do you have a process for assessing and improving internal investment staff competency to incorporate RI/ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| To a large extent | |||||
| Integration of ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes of externally managed assets | ||||||
| 23. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q3 regarding the use of active external investment management. For what percentage of your external assets under management are RI/ESG issues integrated into the investment decision-making processes of your external investment managers (in percent, +/- 5% is sufficient)? | ||||||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | ||||||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | ||||||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | ||||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | ||||||
| Private equity | ||||||
| Listed real estate or property | ||||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | ||||||
| Hedge funds | ||||||
| Infrastructure | ||||||
24. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q3 regarding the use of active external investment management. To what extent have RI/ESG issues been integrated into the investment decision-making processes of your external investment managers?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q23.)
| ||||||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | No Answer | |||||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | No Answer | |||||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | No Answer | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | No Answer | |||||
| Private equity | No Answer | |||||
| Listed real estate or property | No Answer | |||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | No Answer | |||||
| Hedge funds | No Answer | |||||
| Infrastructure | No Answer | |||||
25. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q3 regarding the use of active external investment management. To what extent do you consider the capabilities of external investment managers to incorporate RI/ESG issues when searching for, selecting and retaining your external investment managers?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q23.)
| No Answer | |||||
| Integration - final comments | ||||||
| 26. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 1 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 1 that have not been captured by the questions above. | In 2007 Investa Funds Management became the first Australian property fund manager to receive SRI (Sustainable Responsible Investment) Certification for its two principal funds: Investa Diversified Office Fund (IDOF) and Investa Commercial Property Fund (ICPF). To achieve this Certification, Investa had to meet the strict disclosure requirements of the world's only SRI Certification Program which was launched in Australia in 2005 by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA). Investa had to demonstrate how our funds apply a systematic methodology for taking environmental, social, ethical and labour standards into account in the selection and management of buildings. | |||||
| Principle 2 | ||||||
| Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices. | ||||||
| 27. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | Investa's sustainability policy (available online at www.investa.com.au/sustainability) sets the framework for incorporating ESG issues across Investa's business. Investa's approach to acquiring assets has been to analyse their potential for improvements across a range of environmental metrics (such as energy and water use). Our practices are then to manage our assets to reduce their environmental impact. Please see our website for more details. | |||||
| (Proxy) voting - applies only to listed equity (developed markets), listed equity (emerging markets) and listed real estate or property. | ||||||
| 28. Do you have a (proxy) voting policy?(If 'Yes - disclosed publicly', please indicate how your (proxy) voting policy can be obtained- a URL would be sufficient. If answering no, please explain why not.) | No Answer | |||||
| 29. Does your (proxy) voting policy address environmental, social, and governance issues? | ||||||
| Environmental | No Answer | |||||
| Social | No Answer | |||||
| Governance | No Answer | |||||
| 30. Who decided how to vote on ballot items on behalf of your organisation in 2008?(Please check all that apply.) | No Answer | |||||
31. To what extent is information related to ballot items gathered and analysed before voting decisions are made?
| No Answer | |||||
| 32. Do you ensure that voting is done in accordance with your voting instructions? | No Answer | |||||
| 33. Do you inform companies of your rationale when you abstain or vote against management recommendations? | No Answer | |||||
| 34. Please indicate how many resolutions you could have voted on and how many resolutions you did vote on in 2008:(include abstentions as votes where votes against are not possible, use the last available one year period if information for 2008 is not available or too difficult to gather, approximate numbers are acceptable. If you are unable to provide the exact number please provide an approximation of the percentage by entering 10 in the 'Resolutions could have voted on' column and your estimate in the 'Resolutions voted on' column. So if you voted on about 70% of the possible resolutions you would enter 7 in the 'Resolutions voted on' column. If you are not sure, please enter a 1 in all four fields.) | ||||||
| Domestic | ||||||
| Foreign | ||||||
| 35. For the listed equities that you manage, do you provide (proxy) voting services for your clients if they request them? | No | |||||
| 36. How does your securities lending program address voting? | No Answer | |||||
| 37. How many shareholder resolutions related to ESG issues did you file or co-file during 2008? | ||||||
| As lead filer | ||||||
| As co-filer | ||||||
| Planning to be lead filer in 2009 | ||||||
| Planning to be co-filer in 2009 | ||||||
| 38. Please explain why you did or did not file or co-file any shareholder resolutions related to RI/ESG issues during 2008: | Note: Investa is a private company and is owned by funds under management of Morgan Stanley Real Estate. | |||||
| Engagement - general | ||||||
| 39. Who engaged with companies to seek ESG improvements in 2008?Please rank who engaged with companies according to their importance within your overall active ownership activities. You can only select Most, Second, Third and Fourth most important once each. Only the method you rank as 'Most important' will be scored for benchmarking purposes. If you wish to request that your other methods of engagement also be scored, please complete all the relevant sections and email the PRI at assessment@unpri.org when you submit your response. | ||||||
| Internal staff | Most important | |||||
| External engagement service provider(s) | Second most important | |||||
| Third most important | |||||
| 40. Do you have a written engagement policy or other documents that direct engagement?(If 'Yes - disclosed publicly', please indicate how your policy can be obtained- a URL would be sufficient.) | Yes - disclosed publicly: 'See our website for background on how we engage with staff, service providers and government to make ESG improvements.' | |||||
| 41. If you have an engagement policy or other documents that direct engagement, what do they include?(Please check all that apply.) | General high level policy to support direction of agents to engage with companies,Indication of what markets it applies to,Expectations of companies with regards to environmental issues,Expectations of companies with regards to social issues,Expectations of companies with regards to governance issues,Other (please specify): 'Note: our 'companies' are the real estate assets that we own. There is full integrated management of these assets to maximise ESG outcomes.' | |||||
| 42. How many companies are you invested in? | 88 | |||||
| Engagement - internal staff | ||||||
43. To what extent do you have a process for identifying and prioritising ESG related engagement opportunities?
| To a large extent | |||||
44. How many portfolio companies did you engage with on ESG issues in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | 88 | |||||
| Moderate engagement | 0 | |||||
| Basic engagement | 0 | |||||
| 45. What proportion of your engagements addressed environmental, social or governance issues (in percent)?(One engagement may address more than one issue, so the three percentages need not add to 100%. For example, if you only had one engagement and it addressed environmental and governance issues then the answer would be 100% for environmental and 100% for governance.) | ||||||
| Environmental | 100 | |||||
| Social | 100 | |||||
| Governance | 0 | |||||
46. To what extent do you set ESG engagement objectives and attempt to evaluate your engagement success?
| To a large extent | |||||
| 47. What percentage of engagements that ended in 2008 were deemed successful (in percent)?(Engagement success: a considerable part of objectives or milestones that were set when the engagement commenced were achieved.) | 90 | |||||
48. To what extent do you have a process for assessing and improving staff competency to act as active owners and incorporate ESG issues into ownership practices?
| To a large extent | |||||
| Engagement - external engagement service provider(s) | ||||||
49. How many portfolio companies did your external engagement service provider(s) engage with on ESG issues on your behalf in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | 88 | |||||
| Moderate engagement | 0 | |||||
| Basic engagement | 0 | |||||
| 50. What proportion of your external engagement service provider(s)'s engagements on your behalf addressed environmental, social or governance issues (in percent)?(One engagement may address more than one issue, so the three percentages need not add to 100%. For example, if you only had one engagement and it addressed environmental and governance issues then the answer would be 100% for environmental and 100% for governance.) | ||||||
| Environmental | 100 | |||||
| Social | 100 | |||||
| Governance | 0 | |||||
51. To what extent do you contribute to and assess the ESG engagement activities of your external engagement service provider(s)?
| Not applicable | |||||
| Engagement - external investment manager(s) | ||||||
52. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. How many portfolio companies did your external investment manager(s)'s engage with on ESG issues on your behalf in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | ||||||
| Moderate engagement | ||||||
| Basic engagement | ||||||
| 53. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. What proportion of your external investment manager(s)'s engagements on your behalf addressed environmental, social or governance issues (in percent)? (One engagement may address more than one issue, so the three percentages need not add to 100%. For example, if you only had one engagement and it addressed environmental and governance issues then the answer would be 100% for environmental and 100% for governance.) | ||||||
| Environmental | ||||||
| Social | ||||||
| Governance | ||||||
54. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. To what extent do you contribute to and assess the ESG engagement activities of your external investment manager(s)?
| No Answer | |||||
| 55. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. Did you consider the capabilities of external investment managers to engage with companies on ESG issues on your behalf when searching for, selecting and retaining your investment managers? | No Answer | |||||
| Engagement - final comments | ||||||
| 56. What ESG issues were addressed in your or your service providers' engagement initiatives? (Please check all that apply.) | Other (please specify): 'Did not use external service providers' | |||||
| 57. What measures do you or your external service provider(s) use to assess the impact and success of engagement? | Our impacts and successes are measured against targets set out in our sustainability reports - see www.investa.com.au/sustainability | |||||
| 58. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 2 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 2 that have not been captured by the questions above. | Note that the 88 'companies' referred to here are the 88 assets which Investa manages and where we act to implement our sustainability policy and initiatives (49 commercial office assets and 39 develoment sites). Therefore the issue of governance is not applicable for our service providers (which are the commerical office and development groups within Investa). | |||||
| Principle 3 | ||||||
| Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest. | ||||||
| 59. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | Investa Property Group is owned by funds under management of Morgan Stanley Real Estate. Investa in turn owns approximately 49 major commercial and industrial assets and 39 commercial, industrial and residential development projects. For all of these assets we disclose environment and social issues and performance in our annual sustainability report. In particular, we disclose NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating System) Energy, Water and Waste ratings for our commercial office assets - see the Appendix of our Sustainability Report. | |||||
| 60. Who asked investee companies (or other investment entities) to provide information about their ESG policies, practices or performance in 2008?(Please check all that apply.) | Internal staff,External investment manager(s) collaboratively with other investors,Other (please specify): 'contractors and consultants' | |||||
61. To what extent did you or your external engagement service provider(s) or your external investment manager(s) have a dialogue with investee companies (or other investment entities) regarding the production of standardized reporting about their ESG policies, practices or performance in 2008?('Standardized' could also include systematic reporting in areas where standardized reporting has not yet emerged.)
| ||||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | To a large extent | |||||
| 62. What formats of reporting on ESG issue policies, practices or performance have been requested? Please check all that apply. | Standalone corporate social responsibility or sustainability reporting,Global Reporting Initiative (GRI),Other (please specify): 'Regular asset by asset reporting' | |||||
63. To what extent did you or your external engagement service provider(s) or your external investment manager(s) seek information from companies regarding their practices related to norms, standards, codes of conduct or international initiatives related to ESG issues in 2008?
| To a large extent | |||||
| 64. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 3 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 3 that have not been captured by the questions above. | We have an extensive preferred supplier questionnaire where we ask suppliers and contractors to disclose their ESG performance. | |||||
| Principle 4 | ||||||
| Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. | ||||||
| 65. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | We promote our membership of the PRI and the principles to the property industry, the broader investment industry and our tenants through our communications such as our website, our print publications and our public presentations. We are active observers of the UNEP PI's Property Working Group. (more here?) | |||||
| 66. Did you consider RI/ESG requirements when searching for and selecting service providers in 2008 when applicable? | ||||||
| Investment consultant | Not applicable | |||||
| Proxy voting service provider | Not applicable | |||||
| External overlay service provider | Not applicable | |||||
| Investment research provider | Not applicable | |||||
| 67. Have you included RI/ESG elements in the following? | ||||||
| Investment monitoring | Yes, all of the time | |||||
| Incentive structure (internally managed) | Yes, all of the time | |||||
| Incentive structure (externally managed) | Not applicable | |||||
| Contractual relationships with external investment managers | Not applicable | |||||
| Contractual relationships with other investment related service providers | Yes, all of the time | |||||
68. To what extent did you encourage your eligible service providers to become PRI signatories or consider RI/ESG factors in 2008?(Service providers include but are not limited to: external investment managers, investment consultants, proxy voting service providers, external engagement service providers, and investment research providers.)
| To a large extent | |||||
69. To what extent did you encourage your institutional clients to become PRI signatories or consider RI/ESG factors in 2008?
| Not applicable | |||||
70. To what extent did you encourage peer organisations to become PRI signatories or consider RI/ESG factors in 2008?
| To a large extent | |||||
| 71. Have you revisited any relationships with service providers in light of RI/ESG issue-related capabilities? | Yes | |||||
| 72. Does your broker evaluation process (which determines how you allocate commissions to brokers) include an ESG component and/or do you have a budget to pay for ESG broker research? | Not applicable | |||||
| 73A. What is your total investment research budget (including brokerage commissions intended to recognize research, in the same currency used in Q1) | 800000 | |||||
| 73B. what proportion of your total investment research budget is allocated to ESG research (in percent)? | 100 | |||||
74. To what extent do you identify ESG issues and suggest them to brokers or other investment research providers for research?
| Not applicable | |||||
75. To what extent did you engage in dialogue, lobbying or initiatives pertaining to government policy and/or industry regulations (for example, stock exchanges or accounting standards) related to RI/ESG issues in 2008?
| To a large extent | |||||
| 76. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 4 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 4 that have not been captured by the questions above. | In 2008, staff made over 50 presentations to external organisations on sustainability, safety and environmental subjects. This included interactive Green Lease Guide training conducted for leasing agents and Commercial Office staff to build mutual understanding. Investa staff also engaged with industry and professional bodies such as the Green Building Council of Australia and Property Council of Australia, and with research and teaching initiatives such as the University of Sydney's Low Energy High Rise project, and courses taught through the University of Western Sydney's Urban Research Program. Investa is well known throughout the Australian Property industry for championing sustainability. | |||||
| Principle 5 | ||||||
| Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles. | ||||||
| 77. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | Investa is well known throughout the Australian Property industry for championing sustainability and we promoted the PRI Principles in our interactions described in question 76. We would welcome the opportunity to engage further with the PRI on promoting sustainability in the real estate sector, for example through the soon-to-be launched Investa Sustainability Institute. | |||||
78. To what extent did you collaborate with other investors to improve your effectiveness in implementing each of the following Principles?
| ||||||
| Principle 1 | To a moderate extent | |||||
| Principle 2 | To a moderate extent | |||||
| Principle 3 | To a moderate extent | |||||
| Principle 4 | To a moderate extent | |||||
| 79. How did you use the PRI Engagement Clearinghouse in 2008?(Please check all that apply.) | Logged in during 2008 to use the Clearinghouse as a learning tool or to keep up to date on ongoing engagements | |||||
| 80. Did you participate in any of the following RI/ESG issue-related collaborations and/or associations? For those not listed, please use the "other" field:(Please check all that apply.) | United Nations Environmental Program Finance Initiative (UNEP FI),Other (please specify): 'Property Council of Australia Sustainability Roundtable',Other (please specify): 'Property Council of Australia NSW Sustainable Development Committee' | |||||
81. Please indicate the three RI/ESG issue-related collaborative engagement initiatives and/or industry associations that you participated in most extensively and indicate how you did so:
| ||||||
| United Nations Environmental Program Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) | To a moderate extent | We are an active observer of the UNEP FI Property Working Group and have contributed to their publications. | ||||
| 1st Other specify from Q80 | To a large extent | We are an active member of the Property Council of Australia's Sustainability Roundtable, including contributing to their policy formulation and publications. | ||||
| 2nd Other specify from Q80 | To a large extent | We chair the Property Council of Australia NSW Sustainable Development Committee which addresses property and sustainability issues in Sydney (where most of our activity is located). | ||||
| 82. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 5 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 5 that have not been captured by the questions above. | No Answer | |||||
| Principle 6 | ||||||
| Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | ||||||
| 83. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | Investa produces a Sustainability Report every year which details our actions and progress on meeting ESG goals. In addition, we regularly update our website to report on our activities and progress on sustainability (including the PRI principles). In 2008, we developed a Diploma of Investa Sustainability in Practice to educate our staff about sustainability and responsible investment, including the principles. | |||||
84. To what extent did you disclose (privately and/or publicly) your approach to incorporating ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes in 2008?(If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.)
| To a large extent: 'ESG issues are integrated into our investment decisions from acquisition through to active ownership and divestment.' | |||||
| 85. How did you disclose your (proxy) voting record in 2008?(Please select all that apply. If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.) | No Answer | |||||
86. To what extent did you disclose (privately and/or publicly) your RI/ESG issue-related engagement activities, results and progress in 2008?(If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.)
| To a large extent: 'See our online sustainability report' | |||||
| 87. Did you disclose (privately and/or publicly) RI/ESG activities, results and progress related to Principle 3, Principle 4 or Principle 5 in 2008?(If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.) | ||||||
| Principle 3 | Yes - to clients or beneficiaries and the public | www.investa.com.au/sustainability | ||||
| Principle 4 | Yes - to clients or beneficiaries and the public | www.investa.com.au/sustainability | ||||
| Principle 5 | Yes - to clients or beneficiaries and the public | www.investa.com.au/sustainability | ||||
| 88. How would you like to publish your responses to this PRI Reporting and Assessment tool?(Please check all that apply.) | Please automatically publish our responses to the reporting and assessment tool in full on the PRI website | |||||
| 89. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 6 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 6 that have not been captured by the questions above. | No Answer | |||||
| Closing Comments | ||||||
| 90. Please describe the benefits you have enjoyed as a result of signing the PRI: | Primary benefit has been through association. We have attended one property-focussed webinar and found it very useful. | |||||
| 91. What has your organisation changed as a direct result of becoming a PRI signatory? | PRI has made our organisation think more carefully about sustainability as an investment issue. It has long been embedded in our operations functions, we are now tying it to the investment side more effectively. | |||||
| 92. Did the financial market turmoil of 2008 cause you to change your approach to the consideration of ESG factors or active ownership? If it did, please explain how. | It has encouraged us to critically evaluate the effectiveness of our property level initiatives over the past 5 years. We have shifted from technology (capital investment) focus to behaviour (non-technical) focus and early indications are this is enhancing our performance (further reducing environmental impact from property and improving tenant satisfaction). | |||||
| 93. What are the top three activities the PRI Secretariat could undertake to enhance and encourage further implementation of the PRI by current and prospective signatories? | ||||||
| 1. | Introduce a performance benchmarking element. | |||||
| 2. | Suggest signatories set targets for specific ESG outcomes and report against them (e.g. along the lines of good sustainability reporters). | |||||
| 3. | Differentiate membership according to demonstrated commitment and success. | |||||
| 94. What are your top three PRI-related goals/priorities for 2009? | ||||||
| 1. | Establish a Sustainability Institute to conduct action research illustrating the effectiveness of various techniques associated with Responsible Property Investment. | |||||
| 2. | Disseminate the findings of Investa applied research to an international audience of property investors and operators. | |||||
| 3. | Redefine the way we market office accommodation and property investment funds to highlight the relationship between excellent ESG outcomes and enhanced commercial returns. | |||||
| 95. What were your most significant achievements in 2008 in relation to your implementation of Principles? | ||||||
| Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes. | We proved the impact of implementing our ESG policies would lead to a 2.5% p.a. outperformance compared to a conventional portfolio of equivalent commercial property assets over a 10 year period. | |||||
| Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices. | Continued our ongoing reductions in property environmental impacts and established a link between energy reductions and improved occupant comfort conditions in commercial buildings. | |||||
| Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest. | Improved property level reporting. | |||||
| Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. | We only did this indirectly by promoting discussion about the issues. We made >50 public presentations on ESG issues in 2008. | |||||
| Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles. | We were actively involved in industry associations including Property Council of Australia sustainability committees. | |||||
| Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | ||||||
| 96. What were your biggest barriers in 2008 with relation to your implementation of the Principles? | ||||||
| Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes. | In a pressure environment it is difficult for staff to think about these issues at the most appropriate time. | |||||
| Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices. | ||||||
| Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest. | ||||||
| Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. | Investors have obviously been challenged by the financial crisis. | |||||
| Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles. | ||||||
| Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | In response to stakeholder feedback (including from investment clients), our sustainability report is structured on operational lines (environment, society, employees) and provides detailed property-level information. As such the investment story was not directly addressed. Indirectly, however, a reader can find information that addresses all of the Principles. | |||||
| 97. Please indicate which principle you find the most difficult to implement and the principle you find the least difficult to implement: | ||||||
| Most difficult | Principle 2 | |||||
| Least difficult | Principle 4 | |||||