University publishes shareholdings as part of Socially Responsible Investment Policy

Following the announcement in May of significant changes to its Socially Responsible Investment Policy (SRIP), The University of Manchester has published a quarterly snapshot of investment shareholdings on the corporate website for the first time.

The publication is one aspect of a significantly revised policy which sees the University change its relationship with its Investment Managers to allow it to pursue an ethical investment approach, whilst minimising any potential negative impact on its investment returns.

The revised policy was drawn up following a review which took into account the views of staff and students. It was agreed by the Board of Governors on 3 May 2017

The key features of the policy are:

• A requirement for Investment Managers to incorporate environmental, social and governance factors into their selection criteria when deciding where to invest.
• Identifying and promoting low or zero-carbon investments where available without detrimental impact to investment risk and returns.
• Divesting in shares in companies which do not respond positively to concerns about their practices or are deemed to be in breach of acceptable standards or ethical or environmental practice.
• Engaging more proactively with Investment Managers to ensure that the new policy is being put into practice.
• Committing to publish a quarterly snapshot of investment shareholdings on the corporate website, giving an enhanced level of transparency to investment decision-making

The full policy can be found is available for download and the investment statements can be found on the University’s documents site.