Why climate matters
Climate events could pose a significant environmental and financial risk to our investments. That’s why we actively manage climate risks and opportunities across our investment options. We do this by engaging with the boards and management of our largest 50 Australian investments on their climate commitments and reporting. We also invest in companies that are supporting the transition to net-zero carbon emissions and those taking steps to thrive in a low carbon world.1
Our climate commitment
We endorse the Paris Agreement, an international treaty that aims to limit global warming to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels. As part of this support, we’re committed to the goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions in our investment portfolio by 2050.
Read our full Climate report or download the summary (PDF, 1.29MB) to learn more about how we drive change.
Key facts#
48
of our largest 50 Australian investments have Paris-aligned operational targets.
100%
of our wholly owned direct property portfolio is carbon neutral.2
$17b
invested across three sustainable and environmental branded options.3
#As at 30 June 2024
What does net zero mean?
Net zero is achieved when the amount of greenhouse gas being generated by an activity is balanced by the managed removal of the same amount of gas over a specific period.
In other words, whatever greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere are also effectively removed.
How we’re addressing climate change
1. We factor ESG risks and opportunities into our investment decisions
Some examples are:
- excluding companies with reported revenues greater than 10% deriving from the exploration and/or production of thermal coal.4
- shadow carbon price analysis undertaken for our largest 50 Australian investments5 and largest 50 international listed equities.
- setting a carbon neutral emissions target for wholly owned direct property and a net-zero emissions target for direct infrastructure.
2. We engage with our largest 50 Australian investments on their net-zero goals
As an active investor, we engage with our major investments, and we vote our shares at company meetings. Part of our engagement may include providing feedback on a company’s decarbonisation pathway and/or encouraging credible climate action plans.
3. We give members the choice of three sustainable and environmental branded investment options 3
- In addition to our standard investment options, we offer two sustainable branded investment options that limit exposure to certain industries including companies that derive more than 10% of reported revenue from the exploration and/or production of fossil fuels. See the How we invest your money document for more information.
- Our Global Environmental Opportunities option invests in companies selected on the basis of environmental considerations. See the How we invest your money document for more information.
Articles
As a long-term, responsible investor, we take an active interest in the quality of our investments. Learn more about our approach and the types of factors that are important to us.
We’re always looking for quality investment opportunities to help our members grow their retirement savings, here we share details of our latest investment with the Macquarie Green Energy and Climate Opportunities Fund.
In 2024, we continued to engage with our largest Australian investments on climate change and encourage the transition to a low carbon economy.
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Things you need to know
1 Please consider our How we invest your money document for more information on how we invest.
2 Wholly owned property portfolio is Climate Active Carbon Neutral Certified for the 2022-23 financial year, with 2023-24 currently underway. This excludes assets that are held for development or are not wholly owned by UniSuper
3 Sustainable and environmental investing means different things to different people. Different products have different investment criteria. Read our sustainable and environmental branded options page and How we invest your money document to find out what sustainable and environmental investing means to us and what our investment options invest in.
4 We may retain an interest in companies that have more than 10% of their reported revenues associated with thermal coal exploration and/or production but are well progressed in the sale or wind-down of those mines as we consider them to comply with the restriction. As at 30 June 2024, we did not hold any interests in companies that had more than 10% of their reported revenues from the exploration and/or production of thermal coal.
5 These include our largest holdings in ASX-listed companies and unlisted assets with Australian-based operations.