As one of the largest pension funds by asset value in South Africa, we take our responsibility to ensure that our investments are sustainable and drive socially responsible investment principles while earning a return for the benefit of our membership base seriously.

EPPF is, therefore, a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investing (PRI), which is a set of global best practice guidelines for responsible investment. The principles include, among others:

Incorporating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes.

Being active owners and incorporating ESG issues into ownership policies and practices; and

Seeking appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which investments are made.

EPPF introduced the assessment of ESG factors into its due diligence processes, based on the practice guidelines issued by the PRI.

EPPF also appoints an external service provider to provide the Fund with monitoring, proxy voting, and reporting services to ensure that it honours its responsibilities as an active asset owner and to incorporate ESG principles into our policies and practices.

The EPPF works with asset managers whose practices and processes are aligned with the objectives of the EPPF.

The EPPF also subscribes to the Code for Responsible Investing in South Africa (CRISA) principles, which espouse similar objectives as the PRI.