Dublin, Ireland, 16 November 2020 — ESG Ireland® is pleased to welcome BlackRock as a new member of the ESG Ireland® community, committed to working towards a more secure future.

Vincent McCarthy, Founder, ESG Ireland®, said: “It is great to welcome BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, as the newest member of ESG Ireland®.  As a firm, BlackRock continue to reiterate their commitment to sustainability, and I look forward to working with them on closing the knowledge gap around ESG and responsible investing.

Over the course of the last 30 years, from being founded in 1988, BlackRock has been transformed into the world’s largest asset manager. The fact that they have recently made ‘sustainability as their new standard for investing’ is a promising and noteworthy development. The hope is that over the next 30 years we see a transformation of a similar scale, whereby responsible investing is the standard across the world.

Adele Spillane, Head of the institutional business in Ireland, said:

“We’re delighted to be joining ESG Ireland as a member to help contribute on thought leadership, education and the latest developments on sustainable investing. We believe sustainability will lead to better risk adjusted performance for our clients, which is why sustainability is central to the way we invest, manage risk, and execute our stewardship responsibilities.

This is why we are committed to:

• integrating ESG insights and data into the investment processes for all our discretionary portfolios by the end of 2020 (we’re 86% of the way there);
• expanding our sustainability investment offering to provide clients with more options to screen, invest in ESG broadly or thematically, or invest in impact (we have $127b in dedicated sustainable strategies representing over 160 funds now and a further $547b that incorporate screens); and
• providing more transparency into our investment stewardship activities around sustainability.”

About BlackRock

BlackRock’s purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology, our clients turn to us for the solutions they need when planning for their most important goals. As of September 30, 2020, the firm managed approximately €6.65 trillion in assets on behalf of investors worldwide.

For additional information on BlackRock, please visit www.blackrock.com/corporate | Twitter: @blackrock | Blog: www.blackrockblog.com | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/blackrock.

About ESG Ireland®

ESG Ireland® is an independent knowledge centre focused on delivering thought leadership, education, and the latest developments on the integration of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors into responsible decision-making frameworks, to assist companies, trustees, investors, and all stakeholders. ESG Ireland® has been established to be part of the solution for a more secure future; we believe the best way to achieve this is through collaboration with all stakeholders, to promote a greater sharing of perspectives.

While the broader theme of sustainability has garnered more attention recently, a big knowledge gap exists around the practical application of ESG and responsible investment among companies. trustees, pension scheme members, investors, and other stakeholders. This is something we aim to address. Taking a responsible approach to capital allocation and investing is not about sacrificing returns, it is about delivering more sustainable returns over the long term and in turn securing the future.

To learn more about ESG Ireland membership and to join this collaborative effort, contact: membership@ESG.ie