Super fund reports on investment’s carbon emissions

Superannuation fund VicSuper has announced that its members will receive a carbon emission measurement of their superannuation investments. Carbon emission will initially be calculated on each member’s share of investments in publicly listed companies, which total 56% of VicSuper’s $6.3 billion in funds under management. The measurements will be incorporated into members’ annual benefit statements.

“The impact of these policy changes means that people’s superannuation growth could be directly influenced by how dependent investment returns are on carbon emissions,” said Bob Welsh, VicSuper chief executive.

Research commissioned by VicSuper in 2007 showed that the direct GHG emissions of ‘corporate Australia’ are significant.

“If you only tell a super fund member what their finiancial returns are in a global economy that is moving to a carbon-constrained economy, you are only telling half the story. Reporting carbon emission of a member’s account balance should become standard practice in the not-too-distant future,” said Mr Welsh.