Global real estate portfolio ranks first among
its peer group for sustainability leadership
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BOSTON, Oct. 18, 2021 /CNW/ - Manulife Investment
Management today announced the results of its 2021 GRESB
Assessments for real estate and infrastructure. The GRESB
Assessments benchmark the Environmental, Social and Governance
(ESG) performance of real estate and infrastructure funds,
companies, and assets, providing investors with standardized data
to help evaluate complex sustainability issues. Manulife Investment
Management's 2021 assessment saw above average scores for both real
estate and infrastructure. The firm's global real estate portfolio
was also recognized as a GRESB Sector Leader ranking first among
its peer group in the 'diversified - office/industrial' in the
Americas category.
"We are pleased with the results of the 2021 GRESB Assessment as
we are in an excellent position with above average scores for both
real estate and infrastructure," said Christoph Schumacher, head of real assets,
Manulife Investment Management. "Sustainable management will
continue to be essential and is an expectation of investors in real
assets. Responsible stewardship is imperative to protecting and
growing the value of our assets and the GRESB ESG Benchmark helps
us maintain and improve outcomes and demonstrate our commitment to
ESG integration to clients."
In 2021, more than 2,227 real estate and infrastructure
entities, representing US$6.4
trillion in assets were covered by the GRESB Assessments and
are included in the GRESB ESG Benchmark.
"We are proud to be named a GRESB Sector Leader in a year when
global real estate participation in the assessments has increased
by 24%," said Regan Smith, head of
real estate sustainability, Manulife Investment Management. "This
is an important achievement for us as we work to transition to a
low carbon economy. It's also great to see increased participation
from our peers as improved engagement with a standardized benchmark
demonstrates the industry's desire to achieve more ESG data
transparency."
Real Estate Assessment
Manulife Investment Management
was among 1,520 property companies, REITs, funds, and developers
that participated in the GRESB Real Estate Assessment, representing
US$5.7 trillion of assets under
management. The GRESB ESG Benchmark covers nearly 117,000 assets
globally reported at the asset level. Manulife Investment
Management's real estate portfolio earned a GRESB score of 88 out
of a possible 100 points for both management and performance and a
GRESB Green Star. The strength of the firm's GRESB Assessment
for real estate this year can be partially attributed to the
following activities: usage reductions across all utilities
(energy, water, waste) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, an
increase in energy and GHG data coverage for industrial, retail and
residential portfolios, maintaining high portfolio green building
certification rates and increased number of properties tracking on
ENERGY STAR and a portfolio level physical climate risk and
resilience assessment conducted internally.
Infrastructure Assessment
Manulife Investment
Management's infrastructure funds were ranked among 149 funds
totaling US$343 billion of assets
under management. The strength of the firm's GRESB Fund Assessments
for infrastructure can be attributed to the development and
implementation of more robust ESG processes and tools, the
assessment of ESG risks and opportunities during due diligence and
post-investment, the enhancement of ESG reporting practices, and
the continued accountability of ESG across the organization and
members of the infrastructure team. Manulife Investment Management
does not submit to GRESB Infrastructure Asset Assessment for
benchmarking asset-level performance.
Manulife Investment Management global private markets
capabilities include real estate, infrastructure, timberland,
agriculture and private equity and credit totaling more than
US$53B in assets under management.
For more information on Manulife Investment Management's private
markets please click here.
About Manulife Investment Management
Manulife Investment Management is the global wealth and asset
management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. We draw on
more than a century of financial stewardship and the full resources
of our parent company to serve individuals, institutions, and
retirement plan members worldwide. Headquartered in Toronto, our leading capabilities in public
and private markets are strengthened by an investment footprint
that spans 18 geographies. We complement these capabilities by
providing access to a network of unaffiliated asset managers from
around the world. We're committed to investing responsibly across
our businesses. We develop innovative global frameworks for
sustainable investing, collaboratively engage with companies in our
securities portfolios, and maintain a high standard of stewardship
where we own and operate assets, and we believe in supporting
financial well-being through our workplace retirement plans. Today,
plan sponsors around the world rely on our retirement plan
administration and investment expertise to help their employees
plan for, save for, and live a better retirement.
As of June 30, 2021, Manulife
Investment Management's assets under management and administration,
including assets managed for Manulife's other segments, totaled CAD
$1.0 trillion (US $834 billion). Not all offerings are
available in all jurisdictions. For additional information,
please visit manulifeim.com.
About GRESB
GRESB is a mission-driven and industry-led organization
providing standardized and validated Environmental, Social and
Governance (ESG) data to financial markets. Established in 2009,
GRESB has become the leading ESG benchmark for real estate and
infrastructure investments across the world, used by 140
institutional and financial investors to inform decision-making.
For more information, visit GRESB.com
GRESB Sector Leaders are the best performers by sector and
region from across the GRESB Assessments. The entity with the top
score, as well as the entities with a score within 1 point of the
top score in a category are recognized as Sector Leaders.
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SOURCE Manulife Investment Management