The University of Edinburgh's commitment to responsible investment has been recognised by the institution being included in the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment's 2019 Leaders' Group. Image In 2013, the University of Edinburgh became the first university in Europe to sign the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), an internationally-recognised initiative seeking to build a more sustainable financial system. Signatories commit to following six Principles for Responsible Investment and report annually to the PRI on their progress, who issue signatories with a scorecard and benchmarking against past performance, peer performance, and industry standards. PRI Leaders' Group 2019 In September 2019, the PRI announced its Leaders' Group 2019, a collection of 47 PRI signatories who demonstrate both a breadth of responsible investment excellence and that excel specifically in this year’s theme: selection, appointment and monitoring of external managers. The University of Edinburgh is the only FHE in the group, and one of nine organisations in the UK named in the group. Find out more about the PRI Leaders' Group 2019 As part of our 10-year Blueprint for responsible investment, the PRI committed to showcasing leadership and increasing accountability, with a view to raising standards of responsible investment amongst all our signatories. I sincerely hope that the Leaders’ Group can be an inspiration and a source of knowledge for other asset owners wishing to learn more about how they can ensure that their external investment managers align with their RI beliefs. Fiona ReynoldsCEO, Principles for Responsible Investment University commitment to responsible investment Responsible investment is an approach to investing that aims to incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into investment decisions, to better manage risk and generate sustainable, long-term returns. Examples of factors include climate change, working conditions in supply chains, and board diversity and structure. In 2013, the University of Edinburgh became the first university in Europe to sign the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, an internationally-recognised initiative seeking to build a more sustainable financial system. In 2018, the University announced it would complete its transition out of fossil fuel investments within three years. By 2021, it will be the largest university endowment in the UK to be free of fossil fuel investment. University will transition out of fossil fuel investment by 2021 In August 2019, the University received an overall score of A, its highest ever score. University scores "straight As" in 2019 Responsible Investment report Find out more Responsible investment at the University of Edinburgh Read a summary of responsible investments in academic year 2017/18 Publication date 10 Sep, 2019
