The responsible investing landscape is rapidly evolving and it’s more relevant than ever to incorporate environmental, social, governance (ESG) considerations into investment philosophies, according to Legg Mason which celebrates a decade of corporate social responsibility reporting.
The firm stressed that a critical component of CSR was always socially responsible investing in which ESG factors were examined alongside financial factors in the investment decision-making process.
Legg Mason has approximately $183 billion of long-term assets under management (AUM) invested in strategies that utilize ESG factors, up 15 per cent over the previous year.
Additionally, nine Legg Mason affiliates were United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) signatories, with ClearBridge Investments, Clarion Partners and Martin Currie all receiving A+ overall PRI scores as well as above-average scores for each of the respective required modules, it said.
David Sheasby, Head of Stewardship & ESG at affiliate Martin Currie, said: “The ESG landscape is rapidly evolving, and the PRI has been instrumental in raising awareness about responsible investing. It’s more relevant than ever to incorporate ESG considerations into our investment philosophies and contribute to the development of a more sustainable global financial system.”
