SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Callan, a leading institutional investment consulting firm, announced today it has become a signatory of the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). The PRI is recognized as the leading global network for investors committed to integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into their investment decision-making.
“Becoming a signatory underscores our commitments to a long-term investment perspective and investor education,” said ESG Practice Leader Anna West. “ESG considerations complement Callan’s consulting philosophy, which fuses historical and market context with innovation to create custom strategies for our clients. We’re thrilled to join this global network of industry leaders as many of our clients look to ESG factors to help safeguard assets and align their portfolios with long-term value creation.”
Callan joins a network of over 2,200 signatories who have agreed to put into practice the six principles. The signatories collectively report over $80 trillion in assets under management.
“The science of applying ESG factors to the institutional investment process is still very much in its infancy,” said CEO and Chief Research Officer Greg Allen. “We’re excited to work with other PRI signatories to develop a better understanding of the relationship between sustainability considerations and long-term risk-adjusted returns.”
Through research, education, and dialogue, Callan has been contributing to the investment industry conversation around ESG issues for many years. Its annual ESG survey gauges U.S. investor interest and implementation, while additional surveys, white papers, and blog posts explore the nuances of ESG considerations in defined contribution plans, defined benefit plans, endowments, foundations, and other institutional asset pools.
According to its ESG survey, 43% of U.S. institutional investors incorporated ESG factors into their investment decision-making process in 2018. The percentage is the highest recorded in the survey’s history—and nearly doubled since the survey’s launch in 2013 (22%). Commissioned and conducted by Callan, the ESG Survey features the responses of 89 unique U.S. institutional funds.
“We are very pleased to welcome Callan to the PRI,” said CEO Fiona Reynolds. “We applaud their commitment to highlighting ESG metrics as part of the investment decision-making process, and look forward to working with them in the coming months.”
About Callan
Callan was founded as an employee-owned investment consulting firm in 1973. Ever since, we have empowered institutional clients with creative, customized investment solutions backed by proprietary research, exclusive data, and ongoing education. Today, Callan advises on more than $2 trillion in total fund sponsor assets, which makes it among the largest independently owned investment consulting firms in the U.S. Callan uses a client-focused consulting model to serve pension and defined contribution plan sponsors, endowments, foundations, independent investment advisers, investment managers, and other asset owners. Callan has six offices throughout the U.S. Learn more at www.callan.com.
About the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)
The United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) initiative is an international network of investors working together to put the six principles for responsible investment into practice. Its goal is to understand the implications of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues for investors and support signatories to incorporate these issues into their investment decision making and ownership practices. In implementing the principles, signatories contribute to the development of a more sustainable global financial system. Visit www.unpri.org.