ESG

RESPONSIBLE INVESTING & ESG

As an investment management company, we recognise that responsible corporate behaviour with respect to ESG issues can generally have a positive influence on long-term financial performance of the investment portfolios. We endeavour to adopt good practices and policies endorsed by the UNPRI on responsible investment.

On 10 October 2019, Singular Asset Management (“SAM”) became a signatory of the United Nations-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (“UNPRI”). The UNPRI has defined responsible investment as a strategy and practice to incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in investment decisions and active ownership.

Our Commitment

At SAM, we are guided by our Responsible Investing Policy which is line with the six (6) principles laid down by the UNPRI on the management of our investment portfolios. We are committed to the following:
  • abiding by responsible investing practices that take into account environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors to enhance our understanding on the portfolio companies, while managing risk and generate sustainable long-term returns;
  • actively engaging portfolio companies to discuss not only finance related matters, but also ESG related issues and their progress;
  • encouraging responsible corporate behaviour as well as disclosure of information related in ESG factors in our public equity holdings; and
  • reporting our responsible investment activities ESG efforts to the UNPRI on an annual basis.

Our Approach

Research and Analyse

We conduct focused in-depth research to understand the key ESG issues of our holdings/potential holdings. We then analyse these ESG issues at a company level and integrate the outputs into our research approach.

Identification and Evaluation

We identify and evaluate companies using our internally-developed ESG rating system by applying a risk based approach. This method of assessment which forms part of our investment process, enables our Investment Team to highlight areas for investigations or clarifications.

Active Ownership and Engagement

We continuously engage our holdings/potential holdings to discuss focus area where we prioritize key ESG issues. We encourage positive change in our holdings/potential holdings with regards to management of ESG issues to enhance long-term financial performance. As such, we actively participate in voting at annual and/or extraordinary general meetings of our holdings.

Climate Change

We believe that Climate Change is a key ESG issue for investors and aims to support the shift to a low-carbon global economy. In tackling climate change issues, we take guidance from internationally recognised approaches such as guidelines set out under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We also refer to recommendations by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) in developing our Climate Change Policy.

REFERENCES

Here at Singular, we believe in corporate citizenship and making meaningful contributions to the society and environment. Our investment philosophy goes beyond money. We believe that prudent management of environmental, social and political issues are the cornerstones of long-term success in an ever-evolving world.

We have initiated various sustainability actions to promote greater social and environmental responsibility and make a positive impact in sustainability.

Creating Social Impact

Kasih Hospice Foundation

Kasih aims to provide comprehensive support to terminally ill patients in the form of medical, psychosocial and emotional care. Since 2010, we have engaged various initiatives to support Kasih. Every year we run booths at the Kasih Hospice Annual Fair to sell goods in order to raise funds for this remarkable cause. Over the years, we have raised more than RM100,000, of which all proceeds were donated to the Kasih Hospice Foundation.

Standard Chartered Run for a Reason

We participate in annual Standard Chartered Marathon to raise funds for charities organisations such as Dignity for Children Foundation. This fundraising effort aims to promote awareness of the struggles faced by those in extreme poverty, particularly the urban poor children. Dignity for Children Foundation, an NGO, focuses on transformative education as a solution for the underprivileged to escape the poverty cycle. Their mission is to become an all-encompassing community learning centre for the underprivileged children and to empower them to contribute positively to the wider society. Yayasan Sejahtera is an initiative set up specially to address the challenges faced by the extreme poor. Since its inception in 2009, Yayasan Sejahtera focuses on helping the marginalised communities in Malaysia to improve the quality of their living conditions.

Environmental Responsibility

Paperless Initiative

We constantly look for digitalisation of processes in our daily operation as part of our paperless initiative while ensuring these are conducted under a safe and secured environment.

Meatless Monday

This is one of the initiatives initiated by our staff. We recognise that everyone plays a role in reversing climate change. Therefore, we encourage active participation of our staff in leading firm-wide climate change initiatives.

Energy-saving Practices

We always ensure that electronic appliances (such as lights and air-conditioning) are switched off when they are not in use. This has been practised by our staff for years.

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