Until the turn of the year, Sampension has concluded long-term dialogues with an Irish and an American company, which has contributed to noticeable climate progress in the two companies. And in 2022, Sampension will further increase its dialogues with and expectations of the companies in which Sampension is an investor, and especially in the climate area.
In 2021, Sampension concluded by concluding long-standing dialogues with an Irish and an American company on improvements in climate change. And the dialogues have contributed to noticeable climate progress in the two companies.
Specifically, Sampension has before Christmas closed the dialogue with the Irish company James Hardie Industries, which is a global building materials company, which i.a. produces fiber cement products. Sampension initiated the dialogue in 2017, as the company, in Sampension’s opinion, did not adequately handle risks related to climate change. The company has now announced targets for its so-called GHG intensity in 2030, which i.a. means that the company can be assessed in the future on its climate strategy and performance.
In addition, in December, Sampension also concluded its dialogue with Kinder Morgan – one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America with activities within oil and gas pipelines and terminals – on the company’s management of climate risks. The dialogue was started in 2019, and Kinder Morgan has now improved its climate strategy, the energy consumption within all the company’s business areas is measured and published in the future, and then the company has set quantitative targets for its energy consumption.
“The dialogues with the two companies are good examples of why, in our opinion, in many cases it pays better as an investor to enter into a dialogue with companies where you want to see improvements – rather than sell from or exclude. This is also reinforced by the fact that companies in general have become more willing to enter into dialogue with their investors about their social responsibility, as it has risen higher on the agenda of the companies. However, one should not expect the dialogue path to make progress overnight. But constructive dialogues over a longer period of time, and where several investors assert their influence, can move something in a company, which has also been the case with the Irish and American companies, ”says Jacob Ehlerth Jørgensen, Head of ESG at Sampension.
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