Responsible Investment Association Australia (RIAA) has approved two Legg Mason investments funds, the Legg Mason Martin Currie Ethical Income Fund and the Legg Mason Martin Currie Ethical Values with Income Fund – as certified responsible investments.
RIAA, which is the peak industry body representing responsible, ethical and impact investors across Australia and New Zealand, launched in 2005 its Responsible Investment Certification Program aimed at helping investors to navigate towards investment options and financial advice that better match their investment beliefs and personal values.
The Martin Currie funds combined proprietary bottom-up environmental, social, governance (ESG) research with investments restrictions to help avoid companies, sectors and industries that did not meet certain ethical criteria based on ethical values.
Legg Mason Australia’s managing director, Andy Sowerby, said: “We believe that environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are very important to a growing group of our clients. We also believe that they are critical to a long-term investment process designed to deliver attractive risk-adjusted client returns.”
He also stressed the importance of a long-term relationship with RIAA and its approvals for these two funds.
“This is an evolving area of investment and the RIAA play an important role to help consumers. When an investor sees the RIAA Certification Symbol for an investment product, they have assurance that it has met standardised responsible investment criteria,” he added.
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