ADIT ranked best in world for ESG
AMP Capital's diversified infrastructure fund (ADIT) has been ranked as the number one global infrastructure fund for its environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance by international ESG body, GRESB Infrastructure.
GRESB was an organisation that assessed ESG performance of real assets around the world. AMP Capital was a co-founding member of the body and also worked with other institutions to develop the global standard, the fund manager said.
GRESB's inaugural 2016 infrastructure report contained submissions from 51 funds and 134 infrastructure assets, across 53 countries.
ADIT was rated the best in the world with an average GRESB score of 55, while it was also the only infrastructure fund to receive a score above 50, AMP Capital said.
The ranking was made up of ADIT's underlying assets that included Melbourne Airport, Interlink (Sydney's M5 motorway) and Powerco in New Zealand.
AMP Capital's head of Australia and New Zealand infrastructure equity funds, Michael Cummings said: "Institutional investors increasingly want to invest in infrastructure funds and assets that have strong ESG credentials as they provide a positive correlation with comprehensive risk management policies and sustainable financial performance".
Over 50 per cent of global investors now also considered ESG as a key component to investing in infrastructure, he said. That was also a higher percentage than any other asset class.
"We believe ADIT's world-beating ESG performance will make it a compelling prospect for infrastructure investors in Australia and also Asia where the fund is attracting interest from pension funds and other institutional investors," Cummings said.
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