Growth Fund as at 30 September 2024
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU?
The Temperature Alignment is the temperature scenario that the portfolio is currently in line with, based on its current carbon footprint. It's currently applied only on the equity component (including listed infrastructure) of the portfolio.
The temperature alignment is calculated from its carbon emissions and the current carbon budgets associated with three globally acknowledged climate scenarios: 1.5°C, 2.0°C, and 4.0°C. These scenarios have been adopted by international climate science bodies. For more information click here.
In order for the planet to avoid a catastrophic climate crisis, global warming needs to be limited to between 1.5°C and 2°C. The current temperature alignment of the portfolio is relatively higher, at 3.2°C, however this reflects the portfolio's exposure to companies that are in the process of transitioning to a low carbon world. Of note, the portfolio's current temperature alignment is lower than the MSCI All Country World Index (MSCI ACWI). This is a global equity index we use for benchmarking that tracks the performance of large and mid-sized companies in 47 countries, covering about 85% of the global investible share market.
Portfolio Carbon Intensity is a measure of carbon dioxide equivalents emitted by a portfolio per $1 million of assets under management. It's currently applied only on the equity component (including listed infrastructure) of the portfolio. The metric allows us to look directly at the carbon impact of the equity part of the portfolio and to compare that with market indexes, such as the MSCI ACWI. For more information click here.
The portfolio currently has a much lower carbon intensity than the MSCI ACWI.
The contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) looks at how much of the portfolio is aligned with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), based on annual sales of the underlying companies. It's currently applied only on the equity component (including listed infrastructure) of the portfolio.
The SDGs are a set of 17 goals established by the United Nations in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development We believe that all SDGs are important for a better and sustainable future, so we look at the portfolio's contribution to all 17 SDGs (see final column of the table above). However, we are most interested in how well the portfolio is aligned to the four SDGs that can positively impact the climate and environment. In our view, these are SDG 7,9, 11, and 13, and represent our focus SDGs. For more information click here.
Currently, 69.3% of the portfolio's sales are contributing to sustainability goals, which is above the MSCI ACWI. The portfolio is also making a positive contribution to the four focus SDGs.