Amsterdam, March 27, 2020, CET: 02:00 (JST: 10.00): GRESB is pleased to announce that Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), the world’s largest pension fund, has joined GRESB as an Investor Member. The goal of the collaboration is to enhance environmental, social and governance (ESG) management practices in the real asset sector.
GRESB is excited to partner with GPIF, holder of the largest pool of retirement savings in the world,” said Sander Paul van Tongeren, Co-founder and Managing Director at GRESB. “GRESB is led globally by our institutional Investor Members and we are excited by GPIF’s commitment to encourage the disclosure of ESG information and promote a constructive dialogue with investment managers.”
Leading asset owners such as GPIF now require their managers to create long-term value by considering environmental and social impacts in their strategy and day-to-day operations. As a result of this weight of institutional capital, we are seeing increased disclosure and action on material ESG issues in the Asian real asset sector,” adds Ruben Langbroek, Head of Asia Pacific at GRESB.
GPIF is the largest public fund investor in Japan and a major proponent of responsible investment and stewardship principles. Their commitment also explains why Japan has the highest GRESB participation rate in any Asian country. ESG benchmarking tools allow asset owners to more effectively engage with their investments and drive positive outcomes where they are mostly needed.” Langbroek concludes.
About Government Pension Investment Fund
As a Japanese public pension fund, Government Pension Investment Fund manages the reserve fund for beneficiaries with the mission of securing long-term returns with minimal risk. With approximately USD 1.4 trillion currently under management and a globally diversified portfolio, GPIF outsources 100 percent of equity and most of its bond investment to external asset managers. As a universal owner, GPIF is committed to making the capital market sustainable by integrating ESG factors into investment and expecting sustainable returns with a long-term horizon.
About GRESB
Mission-driven and investor-led, GRESB is the environmental, social and governance (ESG) benchmark for real assets. We work in collaboration with the industry to provide standardized and validated ESG data to the capital markets. The 2019 real estate benchmark covers more than 1,000 property companies, real estate investment trusts (REITs), funds, and developers. Our coverage for infrastructure includes 500 infrastructure funds and assets. Combined, GRESB represents USD 4.5 trillion in real asset value. More than 100 institutional and financial investors use GRESB data and benchmarks to monitor their investments, engage with their managers, and make decisions that lead to a more sustainable real asset industry. Learn more at gresb.com
Media Contacts at GRESB
Claudia Gonella, Marketing & Communications Director, Amsterdam
Ruben Langbroek, Head of Asia Pacific, Sydney