Newton Announces Interim Targets as part of the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative

NEW YORK, June 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Newton Investment Management Group (Newton), part of BNY Mellon Investment Management, has published its targets towards the goal of achieving net zero emissions across its investment portfolios in the context of its commitment to the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative. 

Newton has been a long-standing supporter of the Paris Agreement on climate change and believes that it is critical that its financed emissions (the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the investments it makes on behalf of its clients) are addressed through transition plans. It has therefore aligned itself with the Science Based Targets initiative approach which involves a commitment to an interim target of 50% of financed emissions covered by credible transition plans by 2030, and 100% of its financed emissions covered by 2040.

While Newton's final target of having 100% of its financed emissions covered by credible transition plans by 2040 necessarily implies that all of its global assets under management (AUM) will be committed to net zero emissions by that point, currently 67% of its AUM (as distinct from financed emissions) are subject to the initiative.¹ Cash, derivatives, sovereign bonds and certain quantitative solutions within the multi-asset area are excluded until better data and methodologies emerge to address them. Importantly, the firm will focus on ensuring that financed emissions (rather than simply AUM) are covered by net-zero plans.

Commenting on the targets, Euan Munro, Chief Executive Officer at Newton Investment Management, said: "Failure to address climate change will have direct impacts on communities, livelihoods, peace and stability and quality of life, as well as far-reaching implications for people's investments and savings. A healthy and vibrant world is ultimately a world in which investment goals can better be achieved, and in that context net zero is a vital commitment for us."

Therese Niklasson, Global Head of Sustainable Investment at Newton Investment Management, added: "We contribute to meeting the net zero challenge by engaging with clients and the issuers of our portfolio holdings, while taking an investment-led approach in aiming to allocate increasingly to those companies and regions that are demonstrating a commitment to real-world decarbonization. Achieving net zero involves the whole Newton investment team, including our executive leadership, with our investment-led approach at the heart of everything we do."

As an active manager, Newton's focus in setting its targets has been to ensure it invests with purpose and aligns those targets with three core points:

1. Decarbonization must take place in the real world. Climate risk is a real-world problem, and we will not seek artificial 'decarbonization' through changes to asset allocation decisions. Our investment-led focus is on regional and corporate transition plans which result in real-world decarbonization that addresses the climate-change jeopardy faced by all stakeholders. Portfolio decarbonization is not the same as investing for decarbonization.
   
   
   
2. Engagement around companies' transition plans. This means using Newton's role as an active manager to establish and manage a focused and effective engagement program to ensure that companies' plans are credible and achievable, not just scientifically robust. In Newton's engagement activity, it will recognize that there are varying regional and industry pathways to net zero, and that neither the transition to net zero nor portfolio decarbonization is linear in nature. Newton seeks to prioritize engagements with high-emitting companies as they will be the ones whose transition to net zero will be most difficult (but of most significance in achieving the net zero goal).
   
   
   
3. Investment should be made in solution providers. There are myriad new investment opportunities aligned with delivering a successful energy transition. Newton already has investments in several solution providers linked to the transition.

Progress on the net zero targets will be monitored through Newton's newly formed sustainability committee, whose membership comprises senior individuals (including executive committee members) from across the business, and will be published in its annual Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures report, in addition to other formal reporting platforms. The approach will adapt and develop over time as science, policy responses and management approaches evolve.

Unless otherwise specified herein, all information sources by BNY Mellon as of June 8, 2022. This material is issued by Newton Investment Management, a part of BNY Mellon Investment Management, to members of the press and media and the information contained herein should not be construed as investment advice or a recommendation of any investment manager or strategy. Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, words or phrases generally written in the future tense and/or preceded by words such as "will," "may," "could," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "seek," "target," or other similar words are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon current beliefs and expectations and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from any future results or outcomes expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. 

"Newton Investment Management Group" is a corporate brand which refers to the following group of affiliated companies: Newton Investment Management Limited (NIM) and Newton Investment Management North America LLC (NIMNA). In the United Kingdom, NIM is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority ('FCA'), 12 Endeavour Square, London, E20 1JN, in the conduct of investment business. Registered in England no. 01371973. NIM and NIMNA are both registered as investment advisors with the Securities & Exchange Commission ('SEC') to offer investment advisory services in the United States. NIM and NIMNA's investment businesses in the United States is described in Form ADV, Part 1 and 2, which can be obtained from the SEC.gov website or obtained upon request. Both firms are indirect subsidiaries of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation ("BNY Mellon").

Newton Investment Management Group provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advice to institutional clients, including US and global pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, central banks, endowments, foundations, insurance companies, registered mutual funds, other pooled investment vehicles and other institutions. Its current office locations include London, Boston, New York and San Francisco.

Assets under management estimated as $130.9bn USD / £99.4bn GBP as at 31 March 2022, including combined assets managed by Newton Investment Management Limited and Newton Investment Management North America LLC. In addition, AUM for Newton Investment Management Group includes assets of bank-maintained collective investment funds for which NIM or NIMNA has been appointed sub-advisor, where Newton Investment Management Group personnel act as dual officers of affiliated companies and assets of wrap fee account(s) for which Newton Investment Management Group provides sub-advisory services to the primary manager of the wrap program.

News and other information about Newton is available at www.newtonim.com and via Twitter: @NewtonIM

BNY Mellon Investment Management is one of the world's largest asset managers, with $2.3 trillion in assets under management as of March 31, 2022. Through an investor-first approach, BNY Mellon Investment Management brings to clients the best of both worlds: specialist expertise from eight investment firms offering solutions across every major asset class, backed by the strength, stability, and global presence of BNY Mellon. Additional information on BNY Mellon Investment Management is available on www.bnymellonim.com.

BNY Mellon Investment Management is a division of BNY Mellon, which has $45.5 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration as of March 31, 2022. BNY Mellon can act as a single point of contact for clients looking to create, trade, hold, manage, service, distribute or restructure investments. BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK). Additional information is available on www.bnymellon.com. Follow us on Twitter @BNYMellon or visit our newsroom at www.bnymellon.com/newsroom for the latest company news.

¹ Global AUM refers to the combined assets under management of Newton Investment Management Ltd and Newton Investment Management North America LLC

Contact: 
Courtney Woolston
(212) 635-6027    
[email protected] 

SOURCE BNY Mellon Investment Management