Touting itself as a certified carbon neutral fund, CareSuper has been pressed on its commitment to net zero emissions, which the fund says it is ‘working’ on.
Speaking at the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI) conference, Julie Lander, CareSuper chief executive, said: “Let’s just say we’re working on it very, very fast and I’m sure you’ll hear something soon.
“But another thing CareSuper did was get carbon neutral accreditation through the Government’s Climate Active initiative.
“We wanted our commitment to be just not about investments – which is hugely important – but to emphasise to our members as an organisation we are committed to being carbon neutral in an operational sense.
“We’ve had that for three years and were one of the first funds to do that, which was a significant commitment we made.”
When asked whether her members understood the difference between divestment versus engagement, Lander said the fund had to explain the nuances of the process.
“The challenge is as investors, we want to transform investments at a faster pace than reality,” Lander said.
“Therefore, sometimes we have to be patient and educate our members that it’s not just a line in the sand.”
The $9 billion fund is backing agriculture investor GO.FARM, with its capital already directed towards enhancing two key assets.
Brighter Super is considerably scaling down the investment options it offers members in order to reduce costs.
Amid a challenging market environment, three super fund CIOs have warned against ‘jumping at shadows’.
The professional body is calling for the annual performance test to transition to a two-metric test, so it better aligns with the overarching duty of super fund trustees to act in the best financial interests of their members.
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