RESPONSIBLE INVESTORS
Environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) principles have been integral to Everberg’s corporate strategy since our founding. We are committed to responsible investing practices that involve all stakeholders and incorporate them into everything we do. Now, more than ever, fulfilling that obligation requires the firm to also consider responsibility to a wider range of stakeholders in our portfolio and communities. Our strategy prioritizes people, enforces sustainability across our portfolio, and incorporates diverse and democratic business governance. To help inform governance framework, Everberg follows relevant industry guidelines for responsible investment. Consistent with fiduciary responsibilities, Everberg is a Signatory to the UN Principles of Responsible Investment (“PRI”) (view Signatory Commitment). At Everberg ESG integration is overseen by the Investment Committee, Chief Compliance Officer, and other key investment team members.
Since the launch of the PRI in 2006, the preamble to the Principles has stated: “We recognize that applying these Principles may better align investors with broader objectives of society.” Never have these “broader objectives of society” been more clearly defined than in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (“UN SDGs”). The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by all UN Member States in 2015 and provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future, through global partnership in achieving the 17 SDGs. We make the following investment case for the SDGs’ relevance to responsible investors as this guides our approach to thematic investing opportunities:
The SDG Investment Case UN PRI
In addition, at the investment level, Everberg is guided by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board’s (“SASB”) identification of financially material sustainability issues, and Everberg applies this materiality lens across all activities. SASB’s industry-specific standards are a powerful tool for informing our review of ESG issues. They help us focus our attention on the material issues, which makes our responsible investment approach more efficient and effective. Please reference Everberg’s Engagement Policy for additional information about our portfolio company diligence and engagement initiatives.
