Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 59.36
Liaison Ben Dharmendra
Submission Date July 30, 2021

STARS v2.2

University of Sydney
PA-10: Sustainable Investment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.40 / 5.00 Zoe Morrison
Strategy Advisor
Strategy Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Positive sustainability investment

Total value of the investment pool:
1,369,195,290 US/Canadian $

Value of holdings in each of the following categories:
Value of holdings
Sustainable industries (e.g., renewable energy or sustainable forestry) 30,994,800 US/Canadian $
Businesses selected for exemplary sustainability performance (e.g., using criteria specified in a sustainable investment policy) 77,487,000 US/Canadian $
Sustainability investment funds (e.g., a renewable energy or impact investment fund) 12,397,920 US/Canadian $
Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) or the equivalent 0 US/Canadian $
Socially responsible mutual funds with positive screens (or the equivalent) 0 US/Canadian $
Green revolving funds 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:
$100m in sustainable international equity funds. $40m invested in companies delivering environmental solutions. $16m invested in renewables infrastructure.

Percentage of the institution's investment pool in positive sustainability investments:
8.83

Part 2. Investor engagement

Sustainable investment policy 

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

None
A copy of the sustainable investment policy:
PA10_Investment_Policy_2017.pdf

None
The sustainable investment policy:
N/A

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

A brief description of how the sustainable investment policy is applied:
The University actively engages with all its external managers on ESG issues. An annual survey tracks managers’ views and activity around a range of concerns, including climate, diversity in businesses and on Boards, voting and modern slavery.

External investment managers are asked to report on ESG matters at least annually. These reports address: (a) ESG integration; (b) discussion of material ESG issues and systemic risks, such as climate change; (c) engagement activities; (d) voting; and (e) questions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights and interest

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:
The Investment Policy 2017 describes how the University exercises its ownership rights, including share voting rights (or similar), so that they are consistent with active ownership and stewardship of the assets in which it has invested. This includes: supporting disclosure by companies of any material exposure to economic, environmental and social sustainability risks and how they manage or intend to manage those risks; respecting the rights and interests of Indigenous peoples, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; supporting engagement through collaborative governance initiatives or direct engagement with corporate entities in which the University is invested, where appropriate, on a range of ESG issues including climate change; participating, directly or through agents or collaborative engagement, in the development of policy, regulation, and standard setting.

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?:
No

Examples of how the institution has engaged with corporations in its portfolio about sustainability issues during the previous three years:
The University operates a 'manager of managers' model and so engages with its managers rather than directly with companies.

Divestment efforts and negative screens

Does the institution participate in a public divestment effort and/or have a publicly available investment policy with negative screens?:
Yes

A brief description of the divestment effort or negative screens and how they have been implemented:
The Investment Policy 2017 sets a number of objectives, including to exclude investments in entities directly involved in the primary manufacture of complete tobacco products, and in entities directly involved in the manufacture of cluster munitions. Where investments are held through a direct mandate, the investment must also incorporate ESG considerations, including the rights and interests of Indigenous peoples, and consider the overall carbon footprint intensity of the investments.

Approximate percentage of endowment that the divestment effort and/or negative screens apply to:
100

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?:
No

None
A brief description of the investor networks and/or collaborations:
The University recently lapsed membership of the Carbon Disclosure Project in preparation for joining other investor groups once its Sustainable Investment Strategy has been approved.

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable investment efforts is available:
https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2018/12/17/university-continues-to-reduce-carbon-footprint-of-listed-invest.html

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
As part of the University's new Sustainability Strategy, sustainable investment and how the University invests more responsibly and sustainably is under review.

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.