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Achievements include certification of sustainable management for
100% of U.S. agriculture and global timberland portfolios
BOSTON, June 10, 2021 /CNW/ - Hancock Natural
Resource Group, a company of Manulife Investment Management,
today announced the release of its 2020 Report on Sustainability
and Responsible Investing in Timber and Agriculture. The report
details performance measurement and monitoring across five key
environmental, social, and governance (ESG) areas that are material
to the business: climate stability, ecosystem resiliency, watershed
protection, people empowerment and community prosperity. Despite
the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 served to
further demonstrate the resilience of the team and the opportunity
and privilege it is to work in these highly integrated ecosystems
to manage clients' investments sustainably.
"Timber and agriculture demonstrate that economic,
environmental, and social well-being all depend on the same natural
systems: the interdependence of plants, pollinators, precipitation,
predators, and even people," said Brian
Kernohan, chief sustainability officer, private markets,
Manulife Investment Management. "We are happy to share the most
recent results from our Sustainability and Responsible Investing
program and our foundational approach that 'good stewardship is
good business' for our colleagues, clients and communities."
The report highlights key sustainability performance metrics.
Both timber and agriculture teams made significant progress on the
respective metrics last year. Manulife Investment Management is
actively working to develop and continuously improve these
measurements in tandem with other like-minded companies and
nonprofit organizations. In 2022, Manulife Investment Management
intends to offer fund-level sustainability reporting to provide
investors additional insight into the assets owned.
Agricultural milestones
2020 was pivotal for the
agriculture investment platform as the diversified 70,000-acre
directly operated U.S. agriculture portfolio became the first
farmland to be third-party certified under the new standard
established by Leading Harvest, an outcome-based sustainability
standard designed to optimize sustainable farmland management as
part of a comprehensive assurance program for all types of
farms.1 Manulife Investment Management worked
collaboratively with sector peers and nonprofit organizations to
develop the standard while completing its inaugural
examination in 2019. As of May 17,
2021, 100% of its U.S. agriculture platform, more than
300,000 acres, has been third-party certified to the Leading
Harvest Farmland Management Standard.
The investment team also adopted a deliberate and systematic
focus on regenerative agricultural practices that can improve soil
health and biodiversity, as well as increase carbon sequestration,
in recognition of agriculture's role as a natural climate
solution.
"We made tremendous progress against our sustainability
initiatives in 2020 and have demonstrated our on-going commitment
to sustainable agriculture in 2021 by certifying 100% of our U.S.
agriculture platform to the Leading Harvest Standard. I could not
be prouder of the team," said Oliver
Williams, global head of agricultural investments, Manulife
Investment Management. "We believe that our economies of
scale and the deployment of advanced agricultural technologies -
such as remote sensing and precision irrigation/fertilization -
will prove to be increasingly important as we continue to expand
our sustainability practices."
Timberland milestones
Timberland's significance grew
as pandemic stress increased demand for forest products, from pulp
and paper used in hygiene and personal protective equipment, to saw
timber used for housing and renovations. Foresters and contractors
worked diligently to meet increased demand. In parallel with the
supply-demand dynamics introduced in the pandemic, corporate and
investor net-zero commitments grew exponentially last year, as did
awareness of the critical role forests play in removing carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere.
Manulife Investment Management's timberland portfolio already
removes more CO2 than its operations produce and is
managing the assets for positive climate impact. Over the past five
years, the timberland portfolio has removed 1.9 million tons of
CO2 from the atmosphere annually. In addition, 100% of
the global portfolio is certified as sustainably managed in
accordance with credible third-party certification programs,
including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® and other
PEFC-endorsed standards and the Forest Stewardship Council®.
"Through the dedication of the team, we finished the year in a
very positive position, with increased opportunities for our
forests to both deliver value to clients and have climate-positive
and nature-positive impact," said Tom
Sarno, global head of timberland investments, Manulife
Investment Management. "We are also scaling up to be able to offer
our investors opportunities for even greater impact in the
future."
"We believe taking care of the forests, farms, ecosystems, and
communities entrusted to us is essential for achieving competitive
long-term returns," Mr. Kernohan concluded. "And as the demand for
'pure-play' impact-first investing grows, we feel we are
well-positioned to help investors address their carbon footprint,
climate or net-zero pledges, and other positive environmental and
social objectives."
1. Oliver Williams is
current Chairperson of the Board of Directors for Leading Harvest.
For more information on Leading Harvest please see:
https://www.leadingharvest.org/about.
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About Manulife Investment Management
Manulife
Investment Management is the global wealth and asset management
segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. We draw on more than a
century of financial stewardship and the full resources of our
parent company to serve individuals, institutions, and retirement
plan members worldwide. Headquartered in Toronto, our leading capabilities in public
and private markets are strengthened by an investment footprint
that spans 17 countries and territories. We complement these
capabilities by providing access to a network of unaffiliated asset
managers from around the world. We're committed to investing
responsibly across our businesses. We develop innovative global
frameworks for sustainable investing, collaboratively engage with
companies in our securities portfolios, and maintain a high
standard of stewardship where we own and operate assets, and we
believe in supporting financial well-being through our workplace
retirement plans. Today, plan sponsors around the world rely on our
retirement plan administration and investment expertise to help
their employees plan for, save for, and live a better
retirement.
As of March 31, 2021, Manulife
Investment Management had CAD $764.1
billion (US $607.6 billion) in
assets under management and administration. Not all offerings
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please visit manulifeim.com.
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SOURCE Manulife Investment Management