PLSA launches ‘made simple’ guide for pension schemes building a robust ESG investment structure | Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association
PLSA launches ‘made simple’ guide for pension schemes building a robust ESG investment structure

PLSA launches ‘made simple’ guide for pension schemes building a robust ESG investment structure

18 May 2016, Press Release

The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has launched a new Made Simple Guide on Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) (developed by BNP Paribas Securities Services) at the PLSA’s Local Authority Conference 2016 in Gloucestershire.  

Commenting on the launch of the Made Simple Guide, Lesley Williams, Chair, Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, said:

“The PLSA’s Made Simple series of guides aims to explain investment approaches and how they can work for pension schemes.

“There is a growing body of evidence showing that integrating environmental, social and governance considerations into investment decisions can have a positive impact on risk-adjusted returns, particularly over the long-term time horizons applicable to pension funds’ investments. So this isn’t about going greener but about achieving better outcomes.

“This guide on ESG, developed by BNP Paribas Securities Services, is a valuable addition to the series with simple explanations and practical help for pension schemes considering integrating ESG factors into their investment decision-making framework, and I’d like to thank BNP Paribas Securities Services for their contribution.”

Sid Newby, UK head of sales, pensions, BNP Paribas Securities Services, co-author of the Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Made Simple Guide, commented:

“Rather than viewing ESG as an optional extra or as something which can detract from performance, there is a growing realisation that having a deeper understanding of these factors can complement existing investment processes and even help generate positive returns over time.

“This guide, developed together with the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, aims to clarify and simplify the subject and to sketch out a foundation on which pension funds might be able to build a strong ESG investment structure. It aims to offer a practical approach to integrating ESG into the investment decision-making process, not least by outlining the building blocks of ESG analytics such as data and scoring.”

PDF versions of this Made Simple Guide will be available to download FREE from the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association website. Printed copies are also available and can be ordered online at www.plsa.co.uk (£18 for members and £35 for non-members).

The Made Simple Guide was launched at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association’s Local Authority Conference in Gloucestershire on Tuesday 17 May 2016.

Photographs from the Made Simple Guide launch can be downloaded here.

-ENDS-

 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Other recent made simple guides include topics such as multi asset credit, systematic investing, diversified growth funds and foreign exchange.

THE PENSIONS AND LIFETIME SAVINGS ASSOCIATION

We’re the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, the national association with a ninety-year history of helping pension professionals run better pension schemes. With the support of over 1,300 pension schemes and over 400 supporting businesses, we are the voice for pensions and lifetime savings in Westminster, Whitehall and Brussels.

Our purpose is simple: to help everyone to achieve a better income in retirement. We work to get more money into retirement savings, to get more value out of those savings and to build the confidence and understanding of savers.

ABOUT BNP PARIBAS SECURITIES SERVICES (www.securities.bnpparibas.com)

BNP Paribas Securities Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the BNP Paribas Group, is a leading global custodian and securities services provider backed by the strength of the BNP Paribas Group. It provides multi asset post trade and asset servicing solutions for institutional participants in the investment cycle, from the buy-side and sell-side to corporates and issuers. Covering over 100 markets, offices in 34 countries, the BNP Paribas network is one of the most extensive in the industry. We bring together local insight and a global network to enable clients to maximize their market and investment opportunities worldwide.

Key figures as of 31 December 2015: USD 8.8 trillion in assets under custody, USD 2.1 trillion in assets under administration, 10,381 funds administered and over 9,500 employees.

MEDIA CONTACTS FOR THE PENSIONS AND LIFETIME SAVINGS ASSOCIATION:

Lucy Grubb, Head of Media and PR, Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association
T: 020 7601 1726, M: 07713 073 023, E: [email protected]

Eleanor Carric, PR Manager, Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association
T: 020 7601 1718, M: 07825 171 446, E: [email protected]

Kathryn Mortimer, Press Officer, Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association
T: 020 7601 1748, M: 07901 007 713, E: [email protected]

MEDIA CONTACTS FOR BNP PARIBAS SECURITIES SERVICES:

Simon Danaher, Media Relations Officer, BNP Paribas Securities Services
T: 02075959108, M: 07469 403832 E: [email protected]

Caroline Lumley, Head of External Communications, BNP Paribas Securities Services
T: 0207 4104650 E: [email protected]