We’re celebrating two decades of investor engagement. The decade ahead is vital for securing a sustainable future – join us on the journey.
At BMO we invest with a purpose – to boldly grow the good. It is an ethos we are proud of and one that is engrained in our heritage, from the launch of Europe’s first ethically screened fund in 1984. Today, all our active investment teams integrate ESG considerations into their decision making and we continue to develop dedicated and high-quality responsible funds and solutions. Through our commitment to responsible investing, we believe we are putting our purpose into action, and playing our part in the wider investor movement making finance a force for good.
All of our investment plans involve a level of risk and the value of your investments can go down as well as up. The level of risk will depend upon the underlying investments that you choose to hold in the plans. You need to be comfortable that you may not get back the original amount invested.
Hear from our CEO of BMO Global Asset Management, Kristi Mitchem, on how we are celebrating 20 years of investor engagement and its evolution into the mainstream
companies engaged
Countries
instances of positive change recorded in ESG practices
As at 31 Dec 2019
BMO Global Asset Management’s voting, engagement and public policy work is conducted independently of the wider BMO Financial Group. Positions taken by BMO Global Asset Management may not be representative of the views of the BMO Financial Group as a whole or of the other lines of business within it.
Early investor engagement was a relatively niche activity, largely driven by mission and faith-based investors. A significant obstacle to scaling up these efforts was a lack of common definitions and standards for sustainability. This changed in the late 1980s, with the United Nations founding some of the key institutions and concepts that have guided action on sustainability ever since. With these building blocks in place, the stage was set for the sustainability agenda to enter the mainstream. Discover the journey below:
Halted plans to issue non-voting shares, which would have further entrenched the CEO and founder and decrease accountability to minority shareholders.
Committed to make all packaging recyclable by 2025, and is aiming to make the recycable Heinz Tomato Ketchup plastic bottle fully circular by 2022.
Announced a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with an interm target of 50% cut by 2030.
Conducted social audits of all assembly suppliers and published audit results and steps it would take towards corrective action.
Significantly reformed its approach to executive compensations to improve alignment between pay and performance and disclosure.
Endorsed a business initiative for food security, commiting to working with farmers to increase agricultural productivity and their income.
Set a 2030 target to increase the proportion of women in leadership positions to 30% worldwide.
Launched a global access to medicines strategy accompanied by a high-level target to treat 40 million people for diabetes by 2020, from 23 million in 2012.
Improved water risk management by conducting mapping of operational sites against water-scarce areas and reviewing supplier requirements on water stewardship.
Committed to become a net-zero operating company by 2050, including by neutralising its operational emissions and the emissions emitted during the use of its products.
Introduced major reforms to global sales and marketing practices aimed at enhancing compilance and business ethics.
Launched an independent investigation of the culture of the bank following the Libor manipulation scandal.
Announced a sweeping organisational restructuring, involving the redistribution of activities, reduction in the number of business units, and a review of the decision-making model.
Implemented major reforms to its corporate governance practices, particularly related to board composition.
Committed to publish the results of, and implementing remedial actions from, a fundamental safety review of all nuclear and non-nuclear assets after the Fukushima disaster.
Sold its last remaining coal asset and in the process became the first major resource producer to exit the coal business
Developed and published a no-deforestation, no-peat and no-exploitation sustainable palm oil production and sourcing policy.
Implemented a comprehensive product monitoring system following material losses in 2008 linked to distributing tained milk products in China.
Unveiled a clear strategy and management systems for protecting customer data security and privacy.
Implemented an analytical approach to identyfying workplace hazards, as well as controls, outcomes and recovery measures associated with safety incidents at its mines.
When it comes to engaging companies, our approach varies by company and the ESG issues at hand, ranging from ongoing, constructive dialogue to dedicated site visits. Discover examples of our engagement here.
Confused? our handy glossary can help explain investing terms.
