Evli celebrates ten years as a signatory of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI). Since signing the UN PRI in June 2010, Evli has been committed to implementing the UN PRI’s six principles and has annually reported to the organization on the responsibility of its investments.
"The integration of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria has always been important for us, and Evli’s portfolio managers have, for many years, taken ESG-related issues into account when making investment decisions," says Maunu Lehtimäki, CEO of Evli Bank.
Also in 2010, Evli became a member of Finsif (Finland's Sustainable Investment Forum). These commitments have had an important impact in shaping and developing Evli's Principles for Responsible Investment, which were first published in 2016 and have been regularly updated thereafter. The following year, Evli was the first Finnish fund management company to publish ESG reports on all of its funds.
During these ten years, Evli has taken part in several initiatives as a member of the UN PRI.
"In 2018, for example, we participated for the first time in the UN PRI led engagement in the oil and gas sector, which aims to improve the management of transition risks that are associated with climate change," says Outi Helenius, Head of Sustainability at Evli.
“At Evli, we believe that investor cooperation is needed in order to effectively engage with companies,” Helenius continues.
On several occasions, Evli has also taken a stand on responsible investment, including the Climate Action 100+ initiative, CDP-coordinated investor letters directed at companies that pose the greatest risks for climate change, the Investor Statement on Deforestation and Forest Fires in the Amazon and, in 2020, by joining with other investors in calling for the creation of a biodiversity impact measurement framework.
In taking even further steps forward, Evli decided in 2017 to systematically exclude controversial weapons from its investments and, more recently, to broaden its exclusion criteria to tobacco manufacturers, producers of adult entertainment, and companies practicing controversial lending. Finally, after publishing its Principles for Climate Change in 2019, Evli made Responsibility one of its strategic focus areas for the years to come. Among the first actions implemented in the new strategic framework, Evli is reshaping its ESG reports and will launch new responsibility funds.
Read more:
Evli’s responsible investing >
Evli’s Principles of Climate Change >
UN PRI’s six Principles for Responsible Investment >
Additional information:
Outi Helenius, Head of Sustainability, Evli Bank Plc, tel. +358 40 720 6859, outi.helenius@evli.com
