Aspen signs up to UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment

Aspen Insurance Holdings has announced that it has become a signatory of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI).

The PRI is a global network of over 5,000 organisations that are committed to integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into their investment decision-making and ownership policies. The PRI is also supported by the United Nations.

Members of the PRI all abide by the network’s six key principles:

• We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes.
• We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices.
• We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest.
• We will promote acceptance and implementation of the principles within the investment industry.
• We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the principles.
• We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the principles.

“The six Principles for Responsible Investment align closely with Aspen’s ESG strategy and will provide an important framework for factoring in ESG issues into our investment analyses, processes, policies and practices for those asset classes where we are able to do so,” said Aspen group chief investment officer Aileen Mathieson.

Aspen has been taking steps towards becoming a transparent and environmentally-conscious insurer in recent years.

In 2020, Aspen joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) initiative, a voluntary leadership platform for the development and disclosure of responsible business practices. According to the company, a key part of Aspen’s ESG strategy is to align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and participate in the UNGC initiative.

Aspen has also become a voluntary signatory to the UN Principles of Sustainable Insurance (PSI) last year.

“We look forward to growing investor interest in practicing responsible investment in support of a more sustainable society and are excited to be partnering with the PRI and other signatories to enhance their effectiveness in implementing the Principles,” said Mathieson.