Responsible Investment

In our view, companies that effectively address Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues tend to be more attractive long-term investments. ESG factors have, therefore, long been a component of our fundamental investment analysis, and by taking an active approach to integrating ESG into our decision-making process, we are improving risk management for our clients’ portfolios. ESG is one of many fundamental risk factors that we evaluate in determining the quality and risk-return trade off of a security, helping us fully understand all the risks inherent in a company.

In 2017, we became a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI, currently known as the PRI), as part of our ongoing commitment to enhancing our ESG research process, including engaging with company management to encourage and educate them on best practices and policies. The PRI is an international network of investors who contribute to the development of a more sustainable global financial system by incorporating ESG factors into their investment decision-making and ownership practices.

We look at the following ESG factors in our analysis:

Environmental	Social	Governance
Environmental regulations Environmental asset liabilities such as asset decommissioning Emissions Use of renewables Recycling efforts Water conservation Energy efficiency	Worker health and safety Workforce composition, including diversity and part-time and/or unionized workers Remuneration and benefits Training programs Health and safety policies	Board structure, including quality of representation, diversity and independence Executive compensation

While our ESG analysis is an important part of our investment decision-making process, it does not necessarily eliminate a company from being considered for a portfolio. We can have more impact and influence on a company’s policies and procedures as equity owners and debt holders than if we exclude them from the portfolio. However, for those clients that have specific restrictions and requirements, we do manage customized portfolios that exclude certain companies for ESG reasons.

For more details, read our Responsible Investment Policy.

The PRI most recently gave FGP’s responsible investment approach higher scores than the median of our peers across every module reviewed by the PRI. Of note, our fixed income and equity incorporation modules received scores of 98% and 89%, respectively. Read more about these results below.