Investments in AustralianSuper’s three sustainable investment options are either completely or substantially in companies from all industry sectors, which have demonstrated best practices in relation to environmental, social and governance assessment criteria.

Australian Sustainable Shares option

This option is invested in 100% Australian shares, which have been selected according to specific sustainable selection criteria. The development of the criteria and the selection of investments according to these criteria are managed on AustralianSuper’s behalf by Perpetual Investments.

• For full details of the sustainable investment process, read our factsheet Sustainable Investment
• More on Australian Sustainable Shares - including investment strategy, risk profile and past returns
• View our top 10 socially responsible investment holdings.

International Sustainable Shares option

This option is invested in 100% international shares, which have been selected according to specific sustainable selection criteria. The development of the criteria and the selection of investments according to these criteria are managed on AustralianSuper’s behalf by Dexia Asset Management, within its Sustainable Global Equity Fund.

• For full details of the sustainable investment process, read our factsheet Sustainable Investment
• More on International Sustainable Shares - including investment strategy, risk profile and past returns
• View our top 10 socially responsible investment holdings.

Sustainable Balanced option

This option has a similar asset allocation to the Balanced option. The difference is that Australian and international shares are invested in the same sustainable investment portfolios that are used for the Australian Sustainable Shares and International Sustainable Shares options. The rest of the asset allocation (to property, infrastructure, bonds and cash) is the same as our Balanced option, and no sustainable criteria are used in the selection of these assets.

• For full details of the sustainable investment process, read our factsheet Sustainable Investment
• More on Sustainable Balanced - including investment strategy, risk profile and past returns
• View our top 10 Australian and international socially responsible investment holdings.

What about AustralianSuper’s other investments?

At AustralianSuper, our duty to act in the best interest of members is critical. While appropriate environmental, social and governance investment activities will be explored, they will not be undertaken at the expense of the Trustee’s duty to members to maximise the return on their investment.

However, AustralianSuper does have an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investment policy. Some of the key points are:

• We use the services of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI) to engage with policy makers and companies with the aim to progress significant environmental, social and governance issues.
• AustralianSuper considers collaborative initiatives within the investment community to determine which are the most relevant and effective at influencing companies, brokers and fund managers to consider environmental, social and governance issues.
• We encourage listed asset managers to consider environmental, social and governance investment issues.
• Investments in unlisted assets can carry higher environmental, social and governance risks due to direct involvement with those assets. For all new investments, AustralianSuper seeks to be satisfied that environmental, social and governance risks are identified and that we have a strategy for them.
• Holding shares in a company provides the right to vote on issues at company general meetings. AustralianSuper’s objective in voting on company resolutions is to vote in a manner that will create and/or enhance company value, and/or ensure the value is fairly distributed.

For more information on our ESG policies visit our corporate governance page.