Sustainable, Responsible &/or ESG Policy:

Investment Philosophy

The underlying investment philosophy is to deliver a range of cost-effective, risk-managed solutions, to enhance long-term performance and encourage a positive contribution to broader social and environmental issues. The world faces material and ever-growing challenges largely stemming from living on a planet with growing populations and depleting natural resources. Consequentially, the world faces problems including poverty, inequality, and climate change. With such challenges come solutions, and if we can identify and invest in quality businesses embracing and addressing these challenges then we believe there lies an opportunity for robust long-term risk/reward payoff.

We believe that active asset allocation is another key driver of returns at a portfolio level. The team will actively manage asset class exposures on a strategic and tactical basis. The portfolios are diversified at all times across asset classes, timeframes, geographies and investment styles.

• Positive focus: The fund seeks to invest in companies making a positive contribution towards a more sustainable world
• Sustainability framework: We focus on companies whose products and services contribute substantially to addressing global sustainability challenges. The Sustainable Development goals provide a framework for disclosure
• Conduct is key: We also consider business conduct, in the belief that how companies manage operational and strategic issues day to day is an important indicator of long-term sustainability and stakeholder value creation
• Engagement: We will also consider companies that have the potential and ambition to make a significantly positive contribution in the future, and are on a clear pathway to doing so

Process:

Investment Process

The Funds’ portfolio construction process follows the philosophy of the Asset Allocation team. We use both quantitative and qualitative analysis at each stage, with strategic and tactical decision making in terms of allocation to assets, strategies, currencies and risk management. In general terms, quantitative input is used in both bottom-up and top-down processes; because rigorous and sophisticated models can reflect the true long- and short-term drivers of financial markets, and instill consistency and discipline into each stage of the investment process. From a top-down perspective, in sourcing and selecting our qualitative inputs, we draw heavily on the work of our strategists and asset class experts in order to have as broad and deep an opportunity set as possible. From a bottom-up perspective, screening is often used, and financial modelling is critical, but decisions are primarily based on qualitative assessment of the fund managers’ analysis.

Asset Allocation

Asset allocation is determined based on a three-step process of strategic asset allocation, security selection and tactical asset allocation. This is underpinned by risk management at each stage, as well as at the portfolio level.

Strategic asset allocation

A quantitative optimisation process forms the starting point for determining the weightings across nine sub-asset classes on a quarterly basis. The optimiser is calibrated to deliver the best return potential, given specific levels of volatility, over the mid to long term for each fund.

Inputs for the optimiser include historical volatility, correlation, and pragmatic return expectations. The results from the optimiser are then reviewed by the Asset Allocation team and adjustments made accordingly. Having determined the optimal level from a quantitative and qualitative perspective, the strategic allocation is then populated through direct holdings, securities, collective investment schemes or passive instruments.

Security selection

We have a wealth of experience when it comes to responsible investing, dating back to 1984. These Responsible Investment capabilities cover both equities and fixed income. As such the Asset Allocation team are able to select investment teams, for the Sustainable Universal portfolios, that have a demonstrable track record over multiple decades of delivering returns above benchmarks, whilst incorporating sustainability and/or ethical criteria. As the portfolios are typically comprised of direct securities, we are able to, and actively do, engage with all the companies in the portfolios to ensure that they continue to improve their environmental, social and governance footprint through time.

Tactical asset allocation

On a more frequent basis – typically every month – the tactical positions are reviewed. The formal monthly tactical process involves inputs and discussion between asset class specialists, economists and asset allocation experts. Inputs used include fundamental views and quantitative models; which after consultation, lead to a tactical output for cross asset classes (i.e. stocks versus bonds), between geographic areas for equities (i.e. US versus Europe) and between sub asset classes for fixed income.

The tactical process is designed to add value by profiting from shorter-term opportunities and reducing exposure to specific risks through time. These views are then integrated into the portfolios in the most efficient manner, either by physical trades or through synthetic exposures.

Risk management decisions are built into each stage of the portfolio construction process and are also reviewed at an overall portfolio level. Risk mitigation trades will take place on an infrequent basis and will typically take one of three forms:

• Changing the profile of the exposure: Occasionally, exposure can be replaced through options which allows the fund to maintain the upside potential whilst reducing the potential downside.
• Diversifying: Adding exposure to asset classes that will likely perform well during the ‘risk’ event. For example, government bonds when equity markets sell off.
• Reduction in exposure: Simply by selling down some or all of the exposure related to a specific risk.

An independent risk team also review the portfolios ensuring that we stay within pre-agreed risk limits. The Asset Allocation team has full discretion for asset allocation within the permitted parameters of each fund’s objectives. Asset allocation is determined in house.

Sell discipline

Given that we invest across a range of different investment strategies, each with their own distinct process, there is no single approach to buy and sell triggers. In general terms, our strategies do not follow a rigid rule-based approach but a decision to sell may be triggered if:

• The stock is priced such that economic potential is fully represented in the price (conversely there may be a buy case based on undervaluation).
• The investment case has changed.
• There are better ideas highlighted by the team to incorporate into the portfolio.

ESG Integration

The CT Sustainable Universal MAP Funds aim to deliver income and capital growth, while maintaining long-term value, through investment in a portfolio of traditional assets, integrating analysis of sustainability related risks and opportunities into the portfolio construction.

The identification of financially material ESG issues forms part of our routine investment analysis, helping us to manage risk and support long-term returns. In addition to this, we will also seek to make a positive impact on society and the environment while meeting the criteria specified below.

The overarching sustainability philosophy of the funds is to ‘Avoid; Invest; Improve’:

• Avoid – certain companies are excluded based on products produced, services offered or business conduct, such as fossil fuels, tobacco and weapons.
• Invest – we proactively select companies for the positive contribution they make to society and/or the environment combined with their favourable ESG credentials.
• Improve – we engage with companies we invest in on significant ESG issues with most relevance to their business, so as to reduce risk, improve performance, encourage best practice and underpin long-term investor value. We believe that this active ownership is part of our duty as an investor acting in the best interests of our clients, and as a participant in the global financial system.

Beyond the exclusions policy, we proactively allocate to investments whose activities are oriented to providing sustainability solutions. These investments include alignment with key themes such as:

• Health and wellbeing
• Resource efficiency
• Technological innovation
• Sustainable mobility
• Energy transition
• Responsible finance

UN Sustainable Development Goals

We also make reference to the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in identifying investments making a positive impact on society and the environment.

Across the Sustainable MAP range during 2021, the goal most represented was SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth. This reflects holdings in companies such as Keyence Corp and Descartes Systems, which support Target 8.2 calling for boosting economic productivity through technological upgrading and innovation, and in financial companies including Mastercard, Prudential and PayPal, which we map to Target 8.10 – expanding access to financial services.

SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure – also had a significant weight. Related holdings include Schneider Electric, a provider of natural resource and energy efficiency solutions, and Crown Castle International, which provides shared communication infrastructure in the US, such as cellular towers and fibre.

In some cases, we identified very slight negative alignment to the SDGs, including to Target 13.2 on climate action. This included certain business lines in a number of utilities companies such as Verisk Analytics and Orsted, although both companies have an overall positive alignment with the SDGs.

Active ownership

We as investors have the responsibility to take key environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues into account before, during and after investment decisions. We should use our position as owners to engage in dialogue with investee companies around those issues that present potential threat to as well as opportunity for long-term value. Our purpose in engagement is to mitigate risk, to underpin long-term returns, and to contribute to a more sustainable world by encouraging better management of sustainability issues by our investee companies. We support our engagement approach by thoughtful use of our voting rights, where relevant.

We have a well-established approach to prioritising, planning and reporting on engagement and voting activity that will apply to our portfolio investments. We prioritise our engagement activity based on 3 pillars: top down (thematic topics that span a range of companies and industries); bottom up (single security engagement following portfolio ESG risk analysis) and reactive (in response to emerging issues or serious breaches of accepted practice).

Five key engagement themes for the funds in 2022 included:

• Supply chains
• ESG metrics in Executive pay
• Chemicals
• Climate Change and Biodiversity
• Human Rights

We conduct our engagement using constructive dialogue. This is often one-to-one with companies and interacting with individuals at several levels from the board to senior executive management to investor relations and operational management. We also take a collaborative approach with other investors where we believe this will be more effective.

We set objectives, record and report on our engagement systematically, and measure success through the achievement of “milestones” when an engagement objective is satisfied. We monitor our carbon footprint at the portfolio level on an ongoing basis as part of our ESG integration approach.

In 2021, we engaged with 113 companies held in the Sustainable Universal MAP funds, with the aim of improving their management of ESG issues. Key topics included engagement on corporate governance, such as diversity; labour standards, particularly around the provision of fair wages; and climate change, including energy transition, emissions management and disclosure and transparency. We achieved 78 ‘Milestones’ (instances of positive change) over the year.

Resources, Affiliations & Corporate Strategies:

Responsible Investment Team

We have a dedicated in-house Responsible Investment (RI) team, one of the most experienced and established teams of its kind. The award-winning 40+ member team supports our clients, our investment teams and our overall business through expertise across ESG thematic research, ESG integration, ESG policy, client reporting and thought leadership content. Beyond these core activities, the team also supports a plethora of activity from representation on responsible investment industry groups, public policy contribution, ESG thought leadership, ESG product development, portfolio level ESG analytics, screening for specialist ESG portfolios and reporting on active ownership activities. Active ownership is a key aspect of our RI work, and within the team there are more than 20 professionals focused on engagement and voting activity.

The RI team works hand in hand with our research and investment professionals to enrich their understanding of key sustainability trends as they relate to specific sectors and issuers, collaborating to highlight risks and opportunities within industries and sectors, informing investment decisions across asset classes.

The RI team was awarded ‘Best ESG Research Team’ at the 2018, 2019 and 2020 Investment Week Sustainable & ESG Investment Awards, ‘Best ESG Reporting – Asset Manager: Large’ at the 2019 Environmental Finance Awards, and ‘Best ESG Research: Fixed Income’ at the 2020 Environmental Finance Awards. We were also awarded ‘Best ESG Fund House’ at the 2022 ESG Clarity Awards.

Responsible Investment Advisory Council

The Council is a six-member committee of experts, who are leaders in their fields and bring international experience across responsible investment, ethical, environmental, and social issues. Their primary role is to provide advice on the ethical criteria for our specialist Responsible strategy range. The Responsible Investment team is also able to draw on their expertise in informing our broader engagement and responsible investment approach.

The Council’s president is the Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury. The Chair, who heads the quarterly meetings, is Howard Pearce, formerly Head of Environmental Finance and Pension Fund Management at the UK’s Environment Agency Pension Fund (EAPF).  More detail on the Council can be found here.

Affiliations & Memberships

We make efforts to promote responsible investment in multiple ways, including participation in speaking engagements, industry working groups, responsible investment conferences and collaborative initiatives.

A list of key responsible investment memberships and affiliations for Columbia Threadneedle Investments is shown below.

• Environmental

Climate Action 100+

Climate Action 100+ is an investor initiative launched in 2017 to ensure the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters take necessary action on climate change. We are a member of the investor coalition, leading 8 and supporting 38 engagements.

Date of joining: CTML: 2017, TAML: 2021

Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI)

A PRI sponsored initiative; this is an asset-owner led initiative which assesses companies' preparedness for the transition to a low carbon economy. It is supported by London School of Economics, a research driven initiative on high emitting sectors carbon transition and strategic/management commitment to address climate transition.

Date of joining: CTML: 2020, TAML: 2021

Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative

Founder signatory of this international group of asset managers committed to supporting the goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner, in line with global efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius; and to supporting investing aligned with net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner.

Date of joining: CTML: 2020, TAML: 2021

Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)

Non-profit organisation that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts. We are member of the investor coalition, leading and supporting several engagements.

Date of joining: CTML: 2000, TAML: 2005

Carbon Trust

We partner this organisation that supports companies to accelerate towards Net Zero. From target setting, Net Zero pathways, assurance and footprinting, to policy advice, strategy setting and programme delivery.

Date of joining: 2010

Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)

We have committed to producing reporting as part of TCFD, an organisation that was established in December 2015 with the goal of developing a set of voluntary climate-related financial risk disclosures.

Date of joining: CTML: 2020, TAML: 2022

Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB)

ESG standard setter (Member Standards Advisory Group & sub-groups). SASB guides the disclosure of financially material sustainability information by companies to their investors.

Date of joining: 2018

Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)

The SBTi is a partnership between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). Guides companies to set science-based targets to mobilize the private sector to take urgent climate action.

Date of joining: 2020

Impact Investing Institute

Focuses on the development of outcome related investment, to encourage more investment made with the intention to generate positive, measurable social and environmental impact alongside a financial return. TAML is a Founding supporter and member of the Advisory Council and working group for the Green+ Gilts

Date of joining: 2020

Institutional Investor Group on Climate Change (IIGCC)

IIGCC works with business, policy makers and investors to help define the investment practices, policies and corporate behaviours required to address climate change. A member of the RI team serves on the Board. We lead and support several engagements.

Date of joining: 2001

IIGCC's Global Investor Statement

A joint statement coordinated by the seven Founding Partners of The Investor Agenda to all world governments urging a global race-to-the-top on climate policy and warns that laggards will miss out on trillions of dollars in investment if they aim too low and move too slow.

Date of joining: 2009

IIGCC’s Investor Position Statement on Transition Planning

Signatory of this investor statement by 56 leading investors calling for the implementation of new corporate governance measures to ensure shareholders can hold companies to account in achieving net zero emissions commitments.

Date of joining: 2021

Ceres Land Use and Climate WG (Biodiversity)

Ceres works with the most influential capital market leaders to advance innovative solutions to the climate crisis and achieve a zero emissions future where people and the planet can prosper.

Date of joining: 2020

Cerrado Manifesto SoS

Public statement committing to halt deforestation in the Cerrado, adopt sustainable land management practices and mitigate financial risks associated with deforestation and climate change. It is endorsed by global FMCG companies and institutional investors.

Date of joining: 2021

ChemScore

Benchmark created by NGO International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec). It ranks the world’s top 50 chemical producers on their work to reduce their chemical footprint.

Date of joining: 2021

Nature Action 100

Founding member of investor-led collaborative engagement programme to engage with companies and policymakers on nature.

Date of joining: 2022

Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures

As a forum member, we support the taskforce aiming to develop and deliver a risk management and disclosure framework for organisations to report and act on evolving nature-related risks.

Date of joining: 2020

Sustainability Policy Transparency Toolkit (SPOTT)

SPOTT scores palm oil, tropical forestry, and natural rubber companies annually against over 100 sector specific ESG indicators to benchmark their progress over time. As an investor supporter we express need for enhanced transparency.

Date of joining: 2019

Investor Policy Dialogue on Deforestation

Collaborative investor initiative set up to engage with public agencies and industry associations on the issue of deforestation. The goal is to coordinate a public policy dialogue on halting deforestation. We are a member of the Advisory Council, leading/supporting engagements going forward.

Date of joining: 2021

ShareAction Chemicals Working Group

Investor group focused on engagement with the chemicals sector on decarbonisation.

Date of joining: 2021

• Social

Global Network Initiative (GNI)

Member of this initiative seeking to safeguard freedom of expression and personal privacy against government restrictions. The protections are facilitated by a coalition of companies, investors, civil society organisations, academics, and other stakeholders.

Date of joining: CTML: 2008, TAML: 2002

Interfaith Centre on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR)

Coalition of over 300 global faith- and values-based institutional investors. We are members of the Food Justice and Racial Equity workstream.

Date of joining: 2020

ICCR's Investor Alliance on Human Rights (IAHR)

Part of the ICCR, IAHR provides a collective action platform to facilitate investor advocacy on a full spectrum of human rights and labour rights issues.

Date of joining: 2020

ICCR's Investors for Opioid and Pharmaceutical Accountability (IOPA) Part of the ICCR, IOPA addresses the fallout of the opioid crisis and other business risks by seeking accountability and mitigating further risk at pharmaceutical companies through comprehensive shareholder reforms.

Date of joining: 2021

ShareAction Good Work Coalition

Investor engagement initiative aimed at driving up standards in the workplace. Engagement focus on labour standards, living wage standards, accreditation, transparency of the FTSE350, extension to DEI with a focus on ethnic diversity.

Date of joining: 2021

ShareAction Healthier Markets Investor initiative aimed at improving children's health by increasing access to affordable, healthy food.

Date of joining: 2021

Access to Medicine Foundation

Member of the investor coalition, leading and supporting several engagements. Independent, non-profit organisation working to stimulate and guide the pharmaceutical industry. Produces the Access to Medicine Index, Antimicrobial Resistance Benchmark, Access to Vaccines Index.

Date of joining: 2021

Investor Action on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

A coalition between the Access to Medicine Foundation, the FAIRR Initiative, the Principles for Responsible Investment and the UK Government Department of Health and Social Care to galvanise investor efforts to address global AMR. We are leading and supporting engagements.

Date of joining: 2021

Investor Initiative for Responsible Care

Collaborative engagement group coordinated by UNI Global Union focused on working standards and quality of care in the listed nursing care sector.

Date of joining: 2022

Workforce Disclosure Initiative (WDI)

Disclosure body. We are Signatory, member of the Advisory Group; leading/supporting several engagements. Investor initiative aimed at improving corporate transparency and accountability on workforce issues. Provide companies and investors with comprehensive and comparable data.

Date of joining: CTML: 2021, TAML: 2020

Global Investor Collaboration on Farm Animal Welfare & Global Investor Statement on Farm Animal Welfare

Engagement collaboration with BBFAW (Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare), member of the investor coalition, supporting and leading several engagements.

Date of joining: 2021

Platform Living wage Financials

Coalition of financial institutions that encourages and monitors investee companies to address the non-payment of living wage in global supply chains. We are chair of the Platform's Garment Working Group; member of the Food, Retail and Agri working group.

Date of joining: 2020

Find it, fix it, prevent it

Engagement collaboration. Member, leading on engagements. Investor led initiative targeting UK-listed companies to demonstrate commitment to eradicating modern slavery from their supply chains.

Date of joining: CTML: 2020, TAML: 2021

KnowTheChain

Engagement collaboration. Member of the investor coalition, supporting several engagements. KnowTheChain is a resource for companies and investors to understand and address forced labour risks within their global supply chains.

Date of joining: 2021

Access to Nutrition Index

Engagement collaboration. Member of the investor coalition, supporting several engagements. Independent, non-profit organisation producing the Access to Nutrition Index. Benchmark evaluates the world's largest food and beverage manufacturers' policies and performance related to the world's most pressing nutrition challenges: obesity and undernutrition.

Date of joining: 2021

Human Capital Management Coalition (US)

Engagement collaboration. Member of the coalition of investors to elevate human capital management. Engages companies and other market participants with the aim of understanding and improving how human capital management contributes to the creation of long-term shareholder value.

Date of joining: 2021

Investors for Racial Justice

Member of this information sharing network and engagement collaboration.

Date of joining: 2020

Votes Against Slavery 2022

Member of this investor collaboration engaging with FTSE 350 companies on their compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015. We joined the collaboration for the 2021 campaign.

Date of joining: 2021

• Governance

International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN)

Member of investor led organisation advancing the highest standards of corporate governance and investor stewardship worldwide in pursuit of long-term value creation.

Date of joining: CTML: 2007, TAML: 2017

Investment Association (IA)

Member of UK industry body; facilitates the monitoring and responding to ESG policy and regulatory changes impacting our activities.

Date of joining: CTML: 2000, TAML: 1998

Corporate Governance Forum

European focus - UK based asset management governance teams. Informal discussion on companies and industry issues.

Date of joining: 2012

Global Institutional Governance Network (GIGN)

US/Global focus - Global asset management governance teams. Discussions on companies and industry issues.

Date of joining: 2012

Council of Institutional Investors (CII)

Member of this non-profit organisation promoting effective corporate governance policies.

Date of joining: 1996

Investor Forum

Member and proactive collaborator with the Forum, which helps investors to work collectively to escalate material issues with the Boards of UK-listed companies.

Date of joining: 2005

Asia Corporate Governance Association

Member of independent, non-profit membership organisation dedicated to working with investors, companies and regulators in the implementation of effective corporate governance practices throughout Asia.

Date of joining: CTML: 2004, TAML: 2010

Asia Research & Engagement (ARE)

Engagement collaboration. Organisation that structures, implements and assembles investor collaborative engagement programmes across Asia. Performs in-depth industry and company research that provides strategic insight into key ESG issues to underpin engagement work.

Date of joining: 2021

Pre-Emption Group (PEG)

Members of the UK Capital markets group that sets guidelines on the application/dis-application of pre-emption rights in UK capital issuance.

Date of joining: 2016

30% Club UK Investor Group

Campaign for greater representation of women on company boards. Member of the investor coalition, leading and supporting several engagements.

Date of joining: 2021

30% Club France Investor Group

Member of this investor-led group aiming to boost the number of women in board seats and executive leadership of companies in the SBF 120 index.

Date of joining: 2021

30% Coalition (US)

Campaign for greater diversity on company boards. Member of the investor coalition, leading and supporting several engagements.

Date of joining: 2021

Women in Finance Charter

First asset manager signatory to the UK charter committing to support the progression of women into senior roles in the financial services sector, set targets and publicly report on progress against these targets to support transparency and accountability.

Date of joining: 2016

Eumedion

Member of this non-profit organisation aiming to promote good corporate governance and sustainability policies at Dutch listed companies and to promote engaged and responsible shareholding by its members.

Date of joining: 2009

• Environmental, Social & Governance

Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)

Global responsible investment association, membership is a pre-requisite for many clients. TAML & BMO GAM are Founding Signatories to the UN supported PRI. CTML, formerly known as BMO GAM EMEA, was part of BMO GAM at the time of becoming a signatory. BMO GAM EMEA business was acquired by Ameriprise Financial, Inc. in 2021. CMIA became a signatory in 2014.

Date of joining: CTML & TAML: 2006, CMIA: 2014

UK Stewardship Code

Set of principles for asset owners and managers. We are signatories of the 2020 code.

Date of joining: 2012

Investor Stewardship Group (ISG)

Members of the network of investors and asset managers formed to promote good practice in stewardship and corporate governance, specific to the US.

Date of joining: 2018

Investment Company Institute (ICI)

US Industry body; facilitates the monitoring and responding to ESG policy and regulatory changes impacting our activities.

Date of joining: 2019

UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF)

Network focused on the UK sustainable investment market, pre-requisite for FNG certification. A member of the RI team chairs the Policy Committee.

Date of joining: CTML: 2000, TAML: 2020

Taiwan Stewardship Code

Signatory to the Taiwan Stewardship Code, which is based on a ‘comply or explain’ approach.

Date of joining: 2022

Japan’s Stewardship Code

Signatory to Japan’s Stewardship Code, which is maintained by Japanese Financial Services Agency, based on a ‘comply-or-explain’ approach where signatories comply with the principles of the code or explain why they do not comply.

Date of joining: 2022

Global Real Estate Benchmark (GRESB)

Member of this organization whose data facilitates our ability to track trends in corporate environmental and social risk management performance as it relates to property.

Date of joining: 2013

London Stock Exchange

Members of the LSE’s Primary Markets Group, advising on primary market issues.

Date of joining: 2012

The Big Exchange

TAML is a founding partner and members of the Impact Committee.

Date of joining: 2019

Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) Member of this leading non-profit dedicated to increasing the scale and effectiveness of impact investing

Date of joining: 2020

FAIRR Collaborative investor network that focuses on ESG risks and opportunities around animal agriculture.

Date of joining: 2021

Investor Tailings Safety Initiative & Investor 2030 Mining Agenda We are the founding supporter of this initiative and will co-lead on some of the corporate engagements.

Date of joining: 2021

Centre for Audit Committee and Investor Dialogue Network initiative that enables investors, audit committee members and auditors to discuss issues of common interest.

Date of joining: 2013

International Capital Markets Association (ICMA)

The development of green, social and sustainability bond principles relevant to our fixed income investments in an RI context. Members of the Social Bond Working Group and members of working groups on the SDGs and on impact reporting.

Date of joining: 2016

Source: Columbia Threadneedle Investments, as at March 2023. Includes memberships held by CMIA, TAML, CTML and other group affiliates. CMIA = Columbia Management Investment Advisors, LLC; TAML = Threadneedle Asset Management Limited; CTML = Columbia Threadneedle Management Limited.

Dialshifter

This fund is helping to ‘shift the dial from brown to green’ by…

Our responsible / sustainable investment philosophy is based on three pillars:

• Avoid: Avoid companies with damaging or unsustainable business practices
• Invest: Invest in companies that make a positive contribution to society and/or the environment
• Improve: Use influence as an investor to encourage best practice management of ESG issues through engagement and voting

This philosophy underlies the process that is applied to define the investable universe through screening, the subsequent investment analysis, stock selection and active ownership.

Our organisation is helping to support the Paris Climate Agreement and the Race to Net Zero by…

Our methodology to implement our net zero commitment for equities and corporate debt is based on the Net Zero Investment Framework, developed by the Paris Aligned Investment Initiative. Our approach to net zero is focused on real world decarbonisation, using stewardship to help drive improvements in companies’ practices and alignment to a net zero trajectory. More details on our methodology can be found here: Net zero investing: Columbia Threadneedle Investments Approach

At the enterprise level, we continue to evolve our climate change strategy and reporting, and in 2022 produced our first full carbon footprint assessment of Ameriprise Financial, Inc.

SDR Labelling: Sustainability Focus label

• Consumer Facing Disclosure link