The Perennial Better Future Team is pleased to release the third Perennial Better Future Impact Statement for 2022.
This statement outlines environmental, social & governance (ESG) highlights across the portfolio from the 2022 calendar year and outlines how our investments are helping to shape a better future, through driving positive social and environmental impact across a range of sectors with sustainability tailwinds. We also highlight Perennial’s corporate ESG achievements from 2022 and discuss our focus areas for engagement with portfolio companies looking ahead.
Having conducted over 66 dedicated ESG engagements with management teams and boards across 37 portfolio companies in 2022, we continue to witness an increase in companies’ willingness and proactiveness to discuss ESG issues, improve their ESG practices and ultimately, increase their social and environmental contribution. Topics engaged on with companies ranged from executive and board gender diversity, to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disclosures, alignment with the Paris Agreement, modern slavery and ethical supply chain.
Pleasingly, 17 female Directors were appointed to the board across 16 portfolio companies, typically following the Better Future Team’s engagement with the company. This is an increase from 10 female Directors in 2021. As at 31 December 2022, the Better Future portfolio was also 83.1% less carbon intensive (based on Scope 1 + 2 GHG emissions) compared to the ASX Small Ordinaries benchmark, and 84.9% less carbon intensive than the ASX300.
In 2023, the Better Future Team looks forward to continuing to engage with portfolio companies on material ESG issues and support them through their ESG journeys, with the goal of increasing the Better Future Strategy’s contribution to a better future.
Please find the statement here.
