Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 73.90
Liaison Connie Norton
Submission Date Oct. 5, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Simon Fraser University
PA-9: Sustainable Investment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.84 / 4.00 Alison Blair
Associate Vice-President Finance
Office of the Vice-President, Finance and Administration
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Option 1: Positive Sustainability Investment 

Does the institution wish to pursue Option 1 (positive sustainability investment)?:
Yes

Total value of the investment pool:
785,000,000 US/Canadian $

Value of holdings in each of the following categories:
Value of Holdings
Sustainable industries (e.g. renewable energy or sustainable forestry) 0 US/Canadian $
Businesses selected for exemplary sustainability performance (e.g. using criteria specified in a sustainable investment policy) 0 US/Canadian $
Sustainability investment funds (e.g. a renewable energy or impact investment fund) 2,000,000 US/Canadian $
Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) or the equivalent 9,000,000 US/Canadian $
Socially responsible mutual funds with positive screens (or the equivalent) 10,000,000 US/Canadian $
Green revolving loan funds that are funded from the endowment 0 US/Canadian $

If any of the above is greater than zero, provide:

A brief description of the companies, funds, and/or institutions referenced above:
SFU's sustainable investment holdings are balanced across global private equity clean technology funds, global sustainable equity funds as well as fossil fuel free global and US equity managers.

Percentage of the institution's investment pool in positive sustainability investments:
2.68

Option 2: Investor Engagement 

Does the institution wish to pursue Option 2 (investor engagement)?:
Yes

Sustainable Investment Policy 

Does the institution have a publicly available sustainable investment policy?:
Yes

None
A copy of the sustainable investment policy:
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None
The sustainable investment policy:
SFU's Responsible Investment Policy (B10.16) is available online on SFU's Policy Gazette page: http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/board/B10-16.html

None
Does the institution use its sustainable investment policy to select and guide investment managers?:
Yes

None
A brief description of how the policy is applied, including recent examples:
This Policy identifies the University’s approach to incorporating ESG into its investment decisions and applies to all Endowment Funds and Non-Endowment Funds. Following a community request for institutional divestment SFU amended this policy to incorporate section 5.5 Divestment to address and consider submissions of a serious nature where the University’s social responsibility as an investor is questioned by applying ESG screening criteria. Furthermore, SFU had committed to reduce the carbon footprint of its investments by 30% by 2030.

Proxy Voting 

Has the institution engaged in proxy voting, either by its CIR or other committee or through the use of guidelines, to promote sustainability during the previous three years?:
Yes

None
A copy of the proxy voting guidelines or proxy record:
---

None
A brief description of how managers are adhering to proxy voting guidelines:
SFU delegates proxy voting to external investment managers.

Shareholder Resolutions 

Has the institution filed or co-filed one or more shareholder resolutions that address sustainability or submitted one or more letters about social or environmental responsibility to a company in which it holds investments during the previous three years?:
Yes

None
Examples of how the institution has engaged with corporations in its portfolio about sustainability issues during the previous three years:
SFU's investment managers have filed shareholder resolutions on behalf of pooled investors and engaged corporations on behalf of pooled investors.

Negative Screens / Divestment Efforts 

Does the institution have a publicly available investment policy with negative screens?:
No

None
A brief description of the negative screens and how they have been implemented:
No direct investment in tobacco manufacturers.

None
Approximate percentage of the endowment that the negative screens apply to:
5

Investor Networks 

Does the institution engage in policy advocacy by participating in investor networks and/or engage in inter-organizational collaborations to share best practices?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the investor networks and/or collaborations:
The University is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI)

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.