| 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.) | 71500 | |||||
| Please select currency | Euro (EUR) | |||||
| 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
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| Non-corporate pension or superannuation or retirement or provident fund or plan | Moderately complex | Hybrid | ||||
| 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) | 3 | 10 | 0 | 15 | ||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Private equity | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Listed real estate or property | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| Non-listed real estate or property | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Hedge funds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Commodities | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Infrastructure | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Cash | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 5 | 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.) | 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,Commodities (not included in scoring),Infrastructure,(i.) Portfolio of Strategies (ii.) Structured Credit (not included in scoring) | |||||
| 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, and planning to in 2009 | |||||
| 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.pfzw.nl/Over_PFZW/Beleggingen/Verantwoord_beleggen/Beleid/Beleid.asp' | |||||
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,Committee of the board of trustees or board of directors | |||||
| 12. Do you have a policy or approach/process that requires screening out or excluding stocks or sectors from your investment universe? | Stocks | |||||
| 13. What are your reasons for screening out or excluding stocks or sectors from your investment universe?(Please check all that apply.) | We (and/or our clients) wish to avoid supporting the companies/sectors in question based on ethical considerations and we regard buying/holding their stock as providing such support,We wish to avoid potential negative publicity surrounding the companies/sectors in question as it may reflect adversely on our brand/licence to operate,We believe that exclusion is a way in which we can influence the behaviour of companies (i.e. an element of our approach to engagement) | |||||
| 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: | PFZW's asset manager calculates the effect of the exclusions policy: weight of the index and performance of the adjusted benchmark against the unadjusted benchmarks. | |||||
| 15. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Governance, Policy, and Strategy here. | PFZW's asset manager PGGM has an overall RI policy, which is accompanied by several more specific policies: Listed Equity Ownership Policy (which covers voting, engagement and litigation), Proxy Voting Policy and Exclusions Policy. | |||||
| 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
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| 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. | For PFZW, ESG integration is taken care of by PGGM in two ways: First relevant ESG factors are incorporated into the investment decisions of internal and external investment managers. The approach here is asset class specific. For each asset class the relevant ESG factors are identified and analysed to what extent these are currently being integrated. This is followed by dialogues aiming at improvement. The second track involves targeted ESG investments; investments with a positive social and/or environmental return. Within each asset class, targeted ESG investments are identified. We report on these activities on an annual basis. | |||||
| 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.) | ||||||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | 5 | |||||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | 0 | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | 0 | |||||
| Listed real estate or property | 100 | |||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | 0 | |||||
| Infrastructure | 0 | |||||
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.)
| ||||||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | To a moderate extent | |||||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | Not applicable | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | Not applicable | |||||
| Listed real estate or property | To a moderate extent | |||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | Not applicable | |||||
| Infrastructure | Not applicable | |||||
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 moderate 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 moderate 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 moderate 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 small extent | |||||
| Integration of ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes of externally managed assets | ||||||
| 23. 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)? | ||||||
| Private equity | 5 | |||||
| Listed real estate or property | 100 | |||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | 0 | |||||
24. 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.)
| ||||||
| Private equity | To a moderate extent | |||||
| Listed real estate or property | To a moderate extent | |||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | Not applicable | |||||
25. 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.)
| To a small extent | |||||
| 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 2006 PFZW (then still named PGGM) already started with the integration of ESG issues into the long-term equities portfolio and the inclusion of suitable ESG-theme investments. In 2008, the fist project to structurally integrate ESG factors into investment decisions and evaluation of investment managers in our real estate portfolios was started. This project will be rolled out to other asset classes in 2009. Integration in the other mentioned asset classes in 2008 mainly concerned negation of ESG elements in contracts with investment managers. | |||||
| 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. | PGGM votes actively and in an informed manner on all meetings (except share blocking), by either voting by proxy or attending a meeting (in person or through appointing others to attend on our behalf). Furthermore PGGM has numerous engagement projects (both privately and publicly) which are done either by ourselves or in conjunction with other institutional investors and we have a company exclusion policy. Our Listed Equity Ownership Policy discusses our role as active equity owner. It defines our general principles and our best practices with regard to our equity ownership. PGGM will give extra attention to shareholders resolutions and ESG. ESG engagement is one of the tools that contributes to PGGM's fiduciary duty and identity. PGGM engages both with companies and markets. Subject to our Responsible Investment Policy, our engagement focuses on weapons, human rights, health, climate change and corporate governance. Companies that do not respond sufficiently to our engagement may ultimately be excluded. | |||||
| (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.) | Yes - disclosed publicly: 'http://www.pggm.nl/Images/08-2393%20Voting%20policy_tcm21-137125.pdf' | |||||
| 29. Does your (proxy) voting policy address environmental, social, and governance issues? | ||||||
| Environmental | Yes | |||||
| Social | Yes | |||||
| Governance | Yes | |||||
| 30. Who decided how to vote on ballot items on behalf of your organisation in 2008?(Please check all that apply.) | External investment manager | |||||
31. To what extent is information related to ballot items gathered and analysed before voting decisions are made?
| To a moderate extent | |||||
| 32. Do you ensure that voting is done in accordance with your voting instructions? | Yes for all | |||||
| 33. Do you inform companies of your rationale when you abstain or vote against management recommendations? | Yes for some | |||||
| 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 | 100 | 100 | ||||
| Foreign | 100 | 92 | ||||
| 35. You are classified as an Asset Owner and should not answer this question. For the listed equities that you manage, do you provide (proxy) voting services for your clients if they request them? | No Answer | |||||
| 36. How does your securities lending program address voting? | Other (please specify): 'PFZW has at least 10% of all share positions in all companies available for proxy voting' | |||||
| 37. How many shareholder resolutions related to ESG issues did you file or co-file during 2008? | ||||||
| As lead filer | ||||||
| As co-filer | 1 | |||||
| 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: | To address possible labour rights violations at Wal-Mart. | |||||
| 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 | Did not engage with companies in 2008 | |||||
| External investment manager(s) | Most important | |||||
| External engagement service provider(s) | Did not engage with companies in 2008 | |||||
| No Answer | |||||
| 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: 'http://www.pfzw.nl/Over_PFZW/Beleggingen/Beleid_en_standpunten/Beleid_en_standpunten.asp' | |||||
| 41. If you have an engagement policy or other documents that direct engagement, what do they include?(Please check all that apply.) | Expectations of companies with regards to environmental issues,Expectations of companies with regards to social issues,Expectations of companies with regards to governance issues,Approach to selecting companies for engagement | |||||
| 42. How many companies are you invested in? | 4340 | |||||
| Engagement - internal staff | ||||||
43. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. To what extent do you have a process for identifying and prioritising ESG related engagement opportunities?
| No Answer | |||||
44. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. How many portfolio companies did you engage with on ESG issues in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | ||||||
| Moderate engagement | ||||||
| Basic engagement | ||||||
| 45. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. 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 | ||||||
| Social | ||||||
| Governance | ||||||
46. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. To what extent do you set ESG engagement objectives and attempt to evaluate your engagement success?
| No Answer | |||||
| 47. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. 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.) | No Answer | |||||
48. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. 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?
| No Answer | |||||
| Engagement - external engagement service provider(s) | ||||||
49. 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 engagement service provider(s) engage with on ESG issues on your behalf in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | ||||||
| Moderate engagement | ||||||
| Basic engagement | ||||||
| 50. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. 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 | ||||||
| Social | ||||||
| Governance | ||||||
51. 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 engagement service provider(s)?
| No Answer | |||||
| Engagement - external investment manager(s) | ||||||
52. How many portfolio companies did your external investment manager(s)'s engage with on ESG issues on your behalf in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | 577 | |||||
| Moderate engagement | 5 | |||||
| Basic engagement | 21 | |||||
| 53. 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 | 33 | |||||
| Social | 18 | |||||
| Governance | 33 | |||||
54. To what extent do you contribute to and assess the ESG engagement activities of your external investment manager(s)?
| To a moderate extent | |||||
| 55. 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? | Yes, for all of our external investment managers | |||||
| Engagement - final comments | ||||||
| 56. What ESG issues were addressed in your or your service providers' engagement initiatives? (Please check all that apply.) | Activities in conflict zones,Benefits and compensation,Bribery/corruption,Climate change,Environment,Governance,Health,Health and safety,HIV/AIDS,Human rights,Labour issues,Other (please specify): 'Ecosystems, Sustainability management and reporting' | |||||
| 57. What measures do you or your external service provider(s) use to assess the impact and success of engagement? | Our external manager PGGM has developed a process to identify and assess the success of their engagement efforts and will be fully implementing this process as of 2009. Crucial starting point for this process are the engagement goals and objectives as defined in their engagement plans. They define engagement results as changes that can be observed within the organization they engage with in relation to their engagement goal(s) that can be associated with their engagement efforts. A quarterly internal assessment process, which includes peer review and board level approval, is in place to establish engagement results that PGGM includes in their reporting to PFZW and in external reporting. PGGM's engagement overlay provider F&C monitors the effectiveness of the company engagement that it conducts on behalf of its clients. Change within companies can result from a complex interplay of social and business forces including investor intervention. | |||||
| 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. | In addition to individual company engagement, we see an increasing importance of what we call best practice engagement, i.e. reaching out to groups of companies, for example in a particular sector with a view to stimulate them to adopt a certain best practice or adhere to a voluntary code. Similarly, we see an increasing importance of regulatory engagement, i.e. engaging regulators to influence the development of regulation with regard to ESG-issues. For both activities, seeking close cooperation with other investors, e.g. through the UN PRI engagement clearinghouse, is an important means for making these initiatives more effective. | |||||
| 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. | Demand for appropriate disclosure is part of part engagement activities that we specifically ssigned to our asset manager. It is normally one of the first issues when starting a dialogue. Disclosure can also be an issue in the voting activities of our asset manager. We actively monitor and vote on ESG related shareholder proposals, which often concern disclosure. | |||||
| 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.) | External investment manager(s),External investment manager(s) collaboratively with other investors | |||||
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.)
| ||||||
| Listed equity (developed market) | To a large extent | |||||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | To a large extent | |||||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | Not at all | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | Not at all | |||||
| Private equity | Not at all | |||||
| Listed real estate or property | Not at all | |||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | Not at all | |||||
| Infrastructure | Not at all | |||||
| 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),Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) | |||||
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. | Our investment manager PGGM was one of the initiating parties of the so called PRI Seoul initiative'. In this project, the UN Global Compact was brought to the attention to 9000 companies globally, with the aim of convincing these companies to commit to the Global Compact. Furthermore PGGM has been actively involved in the creation of the Investor Statement on Climate Change (issued by the members of the IIGCC) and the shaping of the new Dutch Corporate Governance Code ( Code Frijns ). All these initiatives call for greater disclosure from both issuers as well as institutional investors themselves and therefore seamlessly fit our beliefs and the spirit of the third Principle. | |||||
| 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. | ESG issues and acceptance of the Principles are always considered when dealing with other parties in the investment industry: from investment managers to voting agents and brokers. The challenge is to always find the relevant and material aspects. | |||||
| 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, some of the time | |||||
| Incentive structure (internally managed) | Not applicable | |||||
| Incentive structure (externally managed) | Not applicable | |||||
| Contractual relationships with external investment managers | Yes, some of the time | |||||
| Contractual relationships with other investment related service providers | Not applicable | |||||
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. You are classified as an Asset Owner and should not answer this question. To what extent did you encourage your institutional clients to become PRI signatories or consider RI/ESG factors in 2008?
| No Answer | |||||
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? | No | |||||
| 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) | 0 | |||||
| 73B. what proportion of your total investment research budget is allocated to ESG research (in percent)? | 0 | |||||
74. To what extent do you identify ESG issues and suggest them to brokers or other investment research providers for research?
| To a large extent | |||||
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. | A significant activity relating to Principle 4 is our investment manager's dialogue with their Private Equity managers to structurally take ESG issues and the PRI into consideration in its investment process, which resulted in an integrated approach at that manager, including a the start of a dedicated manager and an active role in the private equity community which is now actively addressing the issue of responsible investment. | |||||
| 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. | Our investment manager PGGM is active in formal and informal organisations of institutional investors and ad hoc collaborations. They strive to work closely with likeminded institutional investors and at the same time approach professional investors who are open to become more active in RI. PGGM and PFZW are more than willing to assist and/or advise institutional investors on specific issues if needed. | |||||
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 large extent | |||||
| Principle 2 | To a large extent | |||||
| Principle 3 | To a large extent | |||||
| Principle 4 | To a large 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,Joined a collaborative engagement led by another signatory that was posted to the Clearinghouse,Led a collaborative engagement and posted it to the Clearinghouse,Planning to log in in 2009 | |||||
| 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.) | Carbon Disclosure Project,Council of Institutional Investors (CII),Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI),Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC),International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN),Other (please specify): 'Eumedion',Other (please specify): 'Asian Corporate Governance Association',Other (please specify): 'PRI' | |||||
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:
| ||||||
| Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) | To a large extent | Investor Statement on a Global Agreement for Climate Change | ||||
| 1st Other specify from Q80 | To a large extent | Code Frijns | ||||
| 3rd Other specify from Q80 | To a large extent | Seoul initiative | ||||
| 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. | Working with professional likeminded institutional investors is an important focus area for us, enabling the parties to share knowledge and workload. | |||||
| 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. | PFZW mandates PGGM as its exclusive asset manager. (PGGM is also a PRI signatory). PGGM publishes an extensive and detailed annual report (Dutch and English version) for professionals (both hard copy and on website). Is also publishes a resume for the press and other interested parties. Furthermore, on its website it discloses quaternary reports on voting and engagement (URLs on first request of PRI, due to changes in the website the URLs may change). PGGM organizes seminars to promote ESG for the Netherlands investment community, such as the side event of the PRI Board Meeting in March 2009 in Amsterdam. PGGM coworkers frequently present PGGM's policies and activities on ESG investment to diverse audiences. | |||||
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: 'http://www.pfzw.nl/Over_PFZW/Beleggingen/Verantwoord_beleggen/Beleid/Beleid.asp' | |||||
| 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.) | Disclosed publicly: 'http://vds.issproxy.com/SearchPage.php?CustomerID=2531',All votes,Guidance explaining some votes,Disclosed continuously (soon after votes are cast) | |||||
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: 'http://www.pggm.nl/Over_PGGM/Investments/Verantwoord_Beleggen/Stemmen_en_Engagement/Stemmen_en_Engagement.asp#0' | |||||
| 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 | http://www.pggm.nl/Over_PGGM/Investments/Publicaties/Stemmen_en_Engagement/Stemmen_en_Engagement.asp#0 | ||||
| Principle 4 | Yes - to clients or beneficiaries and the public | http://www.pggm.nl/Over_PGGM/Investments/Publicaties/Stemmen_en_Engagement/Stemmen_en_Engagement.asp#0 | ||||
| Principle 5 | Yes - to clients or beneficiaries and the public | http://www.pggm.nl/Over_PGGM/Investments/Publicaties/Stemmen_en_Engagement/Stemmen_en_Engagement.asp#0 | ||||
| 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,We will send a URL to the PRI Secretariat which will link to the responsible investment section of our website (which will include a partial response to this reporting and assessment tool) | |||||
| 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. | None | |||||
| Closing Comments | ||||||
| 90. Please describe the benefits you have enjoyed as a result of signing the PRI: | Global awareness of the importance of ESG within the investment community. | |||||
| 91. What has your organisation changed as a direct result of becoming a PRI signatory? | No Answer | |||||
| 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. | No. If anything, it has resulted in more focussed attention to material non-financial indicators in our investment process, both from a risk and an opportunities perspective. In 2008 the responsible Investment team of our investment manager PGGM grew from 5 to 7 persons and will grow to 8 in 2009. | |||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 2. | ||||||
| 3. | ||||||
| 94. What are your top three PRI-related goals/priorities for 2009? | ||||||
| 1. | Expand incorporation of ESG issues into investment analysis and decisions throughout the portfolio. (Principle 1) | |||||
| 2. | ||||||
| 3. | ||||||
| 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. | First project to structurally start incorporating ESG issues into investment analysis and decisions. Focussed on real estate, to be expanded to other asset classes. | |||||
| 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. | Introduction of Quarterly reports on our voting and engagement activities | |||||
| 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. | incorporation of ESG issues into investment analysis and decisions in our listed equity portfolios. These portfolios are enhances index portfolios, leaving little room for fundamental research/decision making. We started a project in order to find ways of mechanically implement certain ESG issues into the portfolio, through a rule based solution in the existing model. This proved to be a real challenge. Currently only our exclusions, engagement and voting policy is implemented in our Beta portfolio. | |||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 1 | |||||
| Least difficult | Principle 4 | |||||