Union Investment, an investment management company, declared that it would not include fossil investments in sustainability funds and slowly restrict them to conventional funds.
The company published this decision as part of guidelines for responsible investment on their website.
The investment company expects that the pricing for CO₂ emissions will make “climate-damaging mining and electricity generation from coal unprofitable” in the future.
Due to this prediction, the company seeks to exit all investments in coal producers by 2025. This decision protects its investors from possible losses.
Since 2020, Union Investment has excluded investments in companies deriving more than 5% of their revenue from thermal coal mining.
Also read: Koehler Group decarbonizes CFPP, switches to biomass
Building on this commitment, the company will stop financing electricity generation from coal in the medium term.
This transition is part of Union Investment’s broader strategy to protect investors from potential losses associated with climate-damaging investments and contribute to global climate targets.
Union Investment has initiated a proactive dialogue with electricity suppliers in its investment portfolio to ascertain their plans for achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
Investments in companies relying heavily on thermal coal, accounting for more than 25% of their energy or revenue, are also being phased out.
The company plans to eliminate investments in coal-fired power generation by 2035.
The company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) committee will monitor decisions regarding divestment from securities of electricity suppliers that fail to demonstrate a credible climate strategy.
Also read: Allspring Global Investments introduces climate-focused global equity fund
These divestment measures extend across Union Investment’s actively managed mutual funds and selected real estate funds, with a commitment to avoiding transactions and new leases involving excluded companies wherever legally possible.
Investments in companies relying heavily on thermal coal, accounting for more than 25% of their energy or revenue, are also being phased out.
The company plans to eliminate investments in coal-fired power generation by 2035.
Union Investment’s voting rights policy will align with these goals by withholding support for significant oil or gas production expansions.
To remain part of the investment portfolio by 2030, companies must demonstrate a credible strategy aligned with a net-zero emissions pathway by 2050.
From 2050 onward, companies involved in substantial oil and gas production must achieve complete climate neutrality, with limited allowances for carbon removal technologies.