June 30, 2022

SLC Management expands commitment to achieve net zero by 2050

SLC Management (CNW Group/SLC Management)

WELLESLEY, MA; TORONTO, ON – (June 30, 2022) – SLC Management, the C$335B (USD $268B) institutional fixed income and alternatives asset manager, is pleased to announce that the firm’s investment grade fixed income business (“SLC Fixed Income”) is joining the Net Zero Asset Managers (NZAM) initiative, an international group of asset managers committed to supporting the goal of net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner, in line with global efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

SLC Fixed Income, which oversees C$173B (USD $139B) in assets under management (AUM) joins the NZAM initiative alongside its affiliate businesses, InfraRed Capital Partners (InfraRed) who manage C$16B (USD $13B) in AUM and BentallGreenOak (BGO) who manage C$98B (USD $78B) in AUM.

“Joining NZAM is the next phase in our ESG journey, one in which we are committed to transparency, credibility and collaboration with our clients,” said Anna Murray, Managing Director, Global Head of ESG, SLC Management. “With a rapidly shifting regulatory environment and increasing client demands, the investment community has a critical role to play in the transition to a low carbon economy. We look forward to working with our clients and in line with our global business objectives to mobilize capital in support of net zero.”

By joining the NZAM initiative, SLC Fixed Income commits to working in partnership with its clients on their decarbonization goals, consistent with an ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2050. SLC Fixed Income will set an interim goal for the proportion of assets to be managed in line with the target of net zero emissions by 2050, within 12 months of its commitment. 

“Our job is to deliver excellent investment performance to our clients,” said Tom Murphy, President, SLC Fixed Income. “Sustainability factors are already an important ingredient in our investment decision making process, particularly as it pertains to the existing and projected carbon footprint of the corporations and entities to which we lend. We are excited to work alongside the NZAM initiative to take this important step forward in SLC Management’s journey. Our signing on to NZAM accelerates our actions to develop better ESG reporting tools, build more robust data analysis, pursue alternative energy investments, and advocate for change with the companies in which we invest.”

SLC Fixed Income has already undertaken several actions on its sustainability journey, having been a signatory to the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) since 2014. Other highlights include:

  • A member of the Climate Action 100+ initiative, an investor-led initiative to ensure the world's largest corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters take necessary action on climate change.
  • Significant lending to companies and projects that support the transition to net zero, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, green buildings, clean transportation and green, social and sustainability labelled bonds.
  • Committed to the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF), an industry-led partnership to facilitate transparency and accountability of Scope 3 emissions of the financial industry to the Paris Agreement.
  • Achieved carbon neutrality within global business operations in 2021.

For more information on how SLC Fixed Income is incorporating sustainability into its processes, see our 2021 SLC Fixed Income Sustainable Investing Report for Canada and the U.S.

Disclaimer

The PRI is the world’s leading proponent of responsible investment. It works to understand the investment implications of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors; to support its international network of investor signatories in incorporating these factors into their investment and ownership decisions. For more information about the PRI visit www.unpri.org/about-us/about-the-pri.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release may be considered to be forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking statements are speculative in nature and may be subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions and actual results which could differ significantly from the statements. Important risk factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements in this news release are listed in the annual information form of Sun Life Financial Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2021, under the heading "Risk Factors" and other regulatory filings of ours filed with Canadian and U.S. securities regulators available at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov. Except as may be required by Canadian securities laws, we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this news release.   

About SLC Management

SLC Management is a global institutional asset manager that offers institutional investors traditional, alternative and yield-orientated investment solutions across public and private fixed income markets, as well as global real estate equity and debt. SLC Management is the brand name for the institutional asset management business of Sun Life Financial Inc. (“Sun Life”) under which the entities of Sun Life Capital Management (U.S.) LLC in the United States, and Sun Life Capital Management (Canada) Inc. in Canada operate. These entities are also referred to as SLC Fixed Income and represent the investment grade public and private fixed income strategies of SLC Management.

BentallGreenOak, InfraRed Capital Partners (InfraRed) and Crescent Capital Group (Crescent) are also part of SLC Management. BentallGreenOak is a leading, global real estate investment management advisor and a globally recognized provider of real estate services. InfraRed is an international investment manager focused on infrastructure, managing equity capital in multiple private and listed funds, primarily for institutional investors across the globe. Crescent Capital Group is a global alternative credit investment asset manager registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser. Crescent provides private credit financing (including senior, unitranche and junior debt) to middle-market companies in the U.S. and Europe, and invests in high-yield bonds and broadly syndicated loans.

As of March 31, 2022, SLC Management has assets under management of C$335 billion (US$268 billion).

For more information, please visit slcmanagement.com.    

Media Relations Contact

Hannah Stewart

Associate Director, Communications, SLC Management

416-557-4428

hannah.stewart@slcmanagement.com