FairPensions campaigns for major institutional investors to adopt
Responsible Investment: using shareholder power
to hold companies to account.

Your pension may be buying more than you think

While growing a nest egg for your retirement, your pension savings could also be paying for environmental destruction, illegal arms sales or the exploitation of workers. That's because the money you pay into your pension fund each month may be invested in businesses with irresponsible practices.

FairPensions runs the campaign for Responsible Investment. We believe that pension providers should listen to the views of members - it's your money after all - and take the trouble to watch what companies are getting up to around the world. Where malpractice is identified, you'll want to know that action to stop it will be taken.

LATEST NEWS

FairPensions: European Commission must do more to back Responsible Investment

In its response to the European Commission's Green Paper on corporate governance in financial institutions, FairPensions expresses support for common European standards on voting disclosure and investor stewardship, and urges the Commission to ensure that financial institutions take full account of environmental, social and governance risks.

Read the response here

Norway's €1.1bn BP hit prompts further fears for UK pension funds

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In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global has announced a loss of €1.1bn on its 1.75% stake in oil giant BP, prompting further fears for the impact on UK pension funds.

In our response to Pensions Minister Steve Webb, FairPensions argues that the Deepwater disaster is a ‘canary in the mine', illustrating the potential consequences of a neglect of environmental, social and governance risks which we have found to be pervasive in the investment and pensions industry.

FairPensions launches 'Protecting our Best Interests', a microsite devoted to covering our series of seminars on the shifting conceptualisation and interpretation of fiduciary duty. This is an ongoing project, run in conjunction with the Cass Business School and supported financially by the Nuffield Foundation.

The case for mandatory carbon reporting

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In an open letter to government ministers co-ordinated by the Aldersgate Group, FairPensions argues that a clearer, stronger signal is needed now for the introduction of mandatory carbon reporting in the UK that is consistent with international standards.

In a world first, Australia's Climate Institute has launched a Climate Advocacy Fund to promote constructive company engagement and shareholder resolutions to influence Australia's biggest companies to better manage climate change risk.

"... it's not BP, or not BP alone, which has damaged the pensions of the millions of people whose retirement funds are invested in the company; it's the fund holders now attacking it for deploying the dangerous strategies they endorsed."

Round up: Tar Sands Shareholder Resolutions

Thanks to thousands of you taking action, Shell's AGM saw 1 in 10 shareholders backing or abstaining on our tar sands resolution, just weeks after investors controlling £10 billion in BP's stock also refused to back management on tar sands. Read on for campaign and media highlights.