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FINANCIAL AFFAIRS

Responsible Investing

McMaster University’s invested asset pools each use a responsible investment strategy aligned with the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing. Our strategy involves the incorporation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations in investment manager selection, monitoring, and asset allocation decisions.

We have a responsibility to consider the social, environmental, and economics of the goods and services we purchase.

Sustainable Procurement

Factors considered under ESG

Each asset pool has a policy and procedure set by an oversight committee. The governance model including performance, strategies to address risks and opportunities, and climate-related metrics and targets are reported annually following the Task Force Recommendations for Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (“TCFD”), endorsed by Government of Canada.

Environmental considerations

How a company evaluates its operational impact and stewardship on physical natural resources and wild animal life. These factors include a company’s impact on climate change, including greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, deforestation, changing land use, air, water, natural resource depletion, waste management; along with impacts on animal habitat, and ocean acidification.

Social considerations

How a company evaluates risks associated with human capital through business relationships and agile practices. Factors include a company’s policies and approaches on human rights, labour standards, employment equity, diversity, child, slave and bonded labour, workplace health and safety, freedom of association and freedom of expression, human capital management, employee relations, community impact, activities in conflict zones, health and assess to medicine, consumer protections, and relation to controversial weapons. Further, where applicable, social factors extend to a company’s position on animal use and/or testing, and how animals are bred or used in food supply chains.

Governance considerations

How a company evaluates operational risks associated with corporate behaviours. These factors include effective disclosures that are relevant, complete, transparent, accurate, and consistent that provide details about a company’s board structure, director nomination processes, composition, size, executive pay, shareholder voting rights, diversity skills, independence, stakeholder rights, business ethics, anti-bribery policies, corruption involvement, tax avoidance activity, internal controls, cyber-security, and conflict of interest policies. This area includes a company’s position on sustainability plans and integration of those plans into employee performance assessments and compensation.