Martin Currie Global Portfolio | ESG

Martin Currie is a leading proponent of ESG as an essential element of the investment management process and the Board fully supports our manager’s approach. Active engagement not only helps to improve the investee managements’ behaviours but also supports the performance of the portfolio by deepening the investment manager’s understanding of companies.

Martin Currie has retained its triple A+ rating for Strategy and Governance, Incorporation and Active Ownership, the three categories in the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment ('UNPRI') rating which places it among the very best of investment managers.

Further, Morningstar, the investment research adviser, has awarded your Company not only a five-star rating for its performance, but the:

• maximum ‘Five Globes’ for sustainability, the only investment trust in the AIC Global sector to have achieved this accolade and placing it in the
• top 2% of the over 6,700 funds around the world categorised by Morningstar as Global Equity Large Cap.

Martin Currie recently published an electronic magazine 'Trusted' and we encourage you to download a copy of this.

ESG-specific updates are regularly released and all up-to-date details of current ESG initiatives are available on our website at martincurrieglobal.com. Please subscribe to our monthly email which will keep you abreast of announcements and updates. 

Link: Why investing in sustainable companies makes sense.

REASON 1

Holder of highest Morningstar Sustainability Rating™

Martin Currie Global Portfolio Trust is the only trust in the AIC Global Sector to hold the highest possible Morningstar Sustainability Rating™. This recognises our commitment to mitigate the risks our investors face in the ESG space.

The trust is also in the top 2% of all the 6,747 products categorised by Morningstar as Global Equity Large Cap.*

These world-class ratings recognise the high standards and pioneering in-depth analysis undertaken as part of our stock selection process.

REASON 2

PRI rating (triple A+) for 4 years in a row

Martin Currie is a specialist investment management company and an industry leader in ESG and Stewardship issues.

We have been awarded the highest level PRI rating (triple A+) for four years in a row, placing us at the pinnacle of the asset management industry.

We are at the top 9% worldwide for the standards of active ownership – meaning the way ESG is embedded into our process is amongst the best in the world. Source: Martin Currie annual Stewardship Report 2020

REASON 3

Low carbon footprint

The trust has been awarded a low carbon designation and accounts for a fraction of the emissions of the benchmark index

An index tends to include companies based on their size so can include high polluters or companies judged to have a detrimental impact on society that you may not wish to support. Our active management approach is more selective.  

REASON 4

Over 50 ESG assessments on every company

We evaluate, measure and score over 50 individual criteria for every company that we research. This provides a consistent and systematic analysis across sectors and countries, and gives us an insight into a company’s ESG credentials.

Our depth of research is an integral part of our investment process - not lip-service or a bolt-on - and we choose not to target specific ESG outcomes. We are continually enhancing our assessments to reflect new issues to ensure our market leading approach continues to evolve.

REASON 5

High-conviction, long-term investors

We analyse companies to identify long-term growth drivers and focus on sustainable value creation.

And we don’t dogmatically exclude sectors. Why? Because a brilliant, disruptive, company with an exciting and sustainable growth model may emerge in a space where we previously have not found value.

As active investors handpicking 25-40 companies for the portfolio, we can concentrate on businesses or sectors we believe offer the most sustainable growth over the long term.

REASON 6

Social factors – rated best in sector

We are already rated the best in the sector for Social factors* but this is an area we have recently been focusing on - and is of major importance to our team.

We have introduced a second layer of 18 measures to underpin our analysis into Exploitation risk, which is one of our criteria. We spend time looking at issues relating to: labour rights, human rights, working conditions (accidents, fatalities, safety), age & gender exploitation.

* © 2021 Morningstar. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results

Read the first edition of Trusted – where we lift the lid on the crucial role of sustainability in our investments. Get up to speed with the three key ESG themes for 2021, read our manager Q&A, find out why cybersecurity is such an important issue and walk the ESG ‘Value Chain’.

"Not only is the Martin Currie Global Portfolio Trust the holder of the highest Morningstar Sustainability Rating™ – recognition of the high standards and in-depth analysis undertaken as part of its stock selection process – it has also been awarded a Morningstar low-carbon designation and has been rated the best in the sector by Morningstar for considering ‘Social’ factors.*

It shows that for the Martin Currie Global Portfolio Trust, investing with a sustainable growth focus is more than just a ‘new-fangled’ label, it’s a fundamental part of  its investment philosophy."

Gillian Watson, Chairman, Martin Currie Global Portfolio Trust

The Company and investment manager believe that good ESG practices are a fundamental component of a high quality company. A review of ESG practices will typically include shareholder rights, accounting standards, remuneration, board structure, supply chain, data protection, pollution/hazardous waste policies, water usage and climate change policies. The investment manager’s ESG analysis may influence key financial assumptions such as cost of capital, revenues or costs and thus the estimate of a company’s intrinsic value. These are discussed in greater detail on page 7 of the Annual Report 2021.

A poor governance, environmental or social track record for a company can indicate wider sustainability issues and could lessen the attractiveness of the investment. ESG issues are integral to the Company’s investment philosophy, and the approach taken by the investment manager has been rewarded with the highest possible rating (A+) from the UNPRI across its three key criteria and is a ‘tier 1‘ signatory of the UK Stewardship Code 2012 issued by the UK Financial Reporting Council (FRC).