
T. Rowe Price US Impact Equity Fund
SRI Style:
Sustainable Style
SDR Labelling:
Not eligible to use label
Product:
SICAV/Offshore
Fund Region:
USA
Fund Asset Type:
Equity
Launch Date:
14/11/2022
Last Amended:
Jul 2025
Dialshifter (
):
Fund Size:
£110.00m
(as at: 30/04/2025)
Total Screened Themed SRI Assets:
£2400.00m
(as at: 31/12/2024)
Total Responsible Ownership Assets:
£66300.00m
(as at: 31/12/2024)
Total Assets Under Management:
£1283400.00m
(as at: 31/12/2024)
ISIN:
LU2531917750, LU2531917834, LU2531917917
Contact Us:
Objectives:
Our impact objective is to invest in companies whose fundamental business models are driving towards helping solve some of the world’s environmental and social challenges, and to enhance and accelerate impact delivery through strategic and thoughtful engagement. We tailor our engagement strategy to appropriately advocate for the specific UN Sustainable Development Goals the company is helping to address. The strategy looks for opportunities to deliver impact across the globe and does not focus on benefits to any specific geography. The portfolio will invest primarily in US domiciled companies, but the size, breadth, global reach, pioneering technology and general innovative leadership of US companies position them particularly well to help solve for some of the most critical environmental and social problems across the entire planet.
Sustainable, Responsible
&/or ESG Overview:
The investment manager’s overarching theory of change is that the fund’s investments and the investment manager’s activities directly contribute to faster or greater deployment of products and services that help remediate critical environmental and social problems, leading to positive impacts compared with the present circumstances. The investment manager invests in companies whose business activities that contribute to achieving a positive environmental and social impact (asset contribution) as set out in the investment objective and aims to contribute to positive impact (investor contribution) mainly via stewardship activities.
The investment manager utilizes a set of core key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor and evaluate the level of positive environmental/social impact delivered by the fund, whereas a broader set of KPIs may be utilized at the security level. In general, KPIs are used to assess the amount of positive impact being delivered as well as the additionality of that positive impact.
Primary fund last amended:
Jul 2025
Information directly from fund manager.
Fund Filters
Sustainability - General
Funds that have policies that consider (environmental and social) sustainability issues. Strategies vary but are likely to consider environmental issues like climate change, carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, resource management, environmental impacts; and social issues like equal opportunities, human rights, labour standards, diversity and adherence to internationally recognised codes. See fund information.
Find funds which substantially focus on sustainability issues
A core element of these funds aim to encourage higher sustainability standards across business practices through responsible ownership / stewardship / engagement / voting activity
Find funds that use the UN Global Compact to inform or help direct where they can or cannot invest and will typically not invest in companies with significant breaches (low standards) - although strategies vary. (The UNGC covers a wide range of issues - search 'UNGC'). See https://unglobalcompact.org/
Find funds that specifically aim to invest (and manage assets) in ways that help to address all or some of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). See https://sdgs.un.org/goals).
Find funds that publicly report their performance against specifically named sustainability objectives (in addition to reporting their financial performance)
Fund has a theme or investment strand focused on the shift to a circular economy (where products are reused and recycled not incinerated or dumped). See eg https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview
Environmental - General
Funds that have policies which relate to environmental issues. These will typically set out the fund's stance on issues such as pollution, climate change, resource management, biodiversity loss, carbon emissions, plastics and/or additional environmental impacts. Strategies vary. See fund information for further information.
Find funds that have a policy or theme that relates to managing natural resources more efficiently. Funds with this policy will be likely to favour companies that make (or enable the) more efficient use of resources - and either avoid or encourage change amongst companies with lower standards. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.
Funds that aim to invest in companies with strong or market leading environmental policies and practices. Strategies vary - in particular the balance between 'financial' aspects and environmental benefits. Some may invest substantially in solutions or 'positive impact' companies - others may invest in more conventional companies providing certain environmental criteria are met. See fund information for further detail.
Find funds that have a written policy or theme on waste management - typically a view to encouraging higher levels of recycling and better efficiency / reducing waste.
Nature & Biodiversity
Find funds that have a written biodiversity policy or theme aimed at encouraging and improving environmental protection and safeguarding the natural world (sometimes referred to as the preservation or enhancement of 'natural capital'). See eg https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/biodiversity
Climate Change & Energy
Funds that have policies (documented strategies that explain their position on) climate change related issues such as greenhouse gas/carbon emissions, net zero, transitioning to lower carbon. Strategies vary. Read fund details for further information.
Funds that avoid investing in major coal, oil and/or gas (extraction) companies. Funds vary: some may exclude all companies that extract oil. Others may have exposure to oil extraction via more diversified energy companies. See fund literature to confirm details.
Find funds where investment in clean / renewable energy companies an other assets is central to their investment selection strategy. The proportion of the fund that is directly or indirectly invested in renewable energy varies between funds and over time. See fund information for further details.
Fund funds that have an energy efficiency theme - typically meaning that a fund manager is focused on investing in organisations that manage - or help others to manage - energy use more carefully and less wastefully - and so reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Funds that hold companies in the clean energy and renewable energy sectors (at the time research was supplied). Fund strategies vary, in particular the proportion of investment in these areas may vary significantly. Check fund literature for details.
The fund manager excludes companies with direct involvement in fossil fuel exploration (eg coal, oil and gas companies)
Social / Employment
Find funds that have policies which set out their approach to social issues (e.g. human rights, labour standards, equal opportunities, child labour and adherence to internationally recognised codes such as the UN Global Compact). Funds with social policies typically avoid companies with low standards or work to encourage higher standards. See fund information for detail.
Find funds with policies or themes that set out their approach to health and wellbeing issues. Funds of this kind typically aim to invest in companies with high standards - or encourage high standards. Themed funds are likely to have more of an emphasis on this area. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.
Ethical Values Led Exclusions
Companies are excluded if they are involved in any aspect of the production chain for tobacco products, including cigarettes, vaping, e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco and cigars.
Find funds that exclude companies which make controversial weapons such as landmines, cluster munitions and chemical weapons. See fund literature for further information.
Find funds that avoid companies that manufacture products intended specifically for military use. Fund strategies vary - particularly with regard to non-strategic military products. See fund literature for fund specific details.
Find funds with a written civilian firearms exclusion policy - meaning that they will not invest in companies that make (or perhaps also sell) handguns made for non-military users.
Find funds that avoid investment in companies involved in the production of alcohol. Strategies vary; some funds allow a small proportion of profits to come from this area. See fund literature for further information.
Human Rights
Find funds that have policies relating to human rights issues. Funds of this kind typically require companies to demonstrate higher standards, although some fund managers work to encourage improvements. Investee companies are often judged against internationally agreed norms or standards. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.
Find funds that have policies in place to ensure they do not invest in companies that employ children.
The fund has a policy which excludes assets with involvement in Modern Slavery
Meeting Peoples' Basic Needs
Find funds that have policies or themes that set out their position on investment in the water sector and/or sanitation. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.
Healthcare and or medical theme or area of investment - the fund may have a single theme or many themes
Banking & Financials
Find funds that include banks as part of their holdings / portfolio.
Funds that do or may invest in insurance companies.
Governance & Management
Find fund options that have policies that relate to corporate governance issues such as board structure, executive remuneration, bribery and/or corporate corruption. These funds will typically avoid companies with poor practices. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.
Find funds that aim to avoid investing in companies with poor governance practices.(e.g. board structure, management practices etc.) Views may however vary on what counts as 'poor' practices - and funds may not immediately divest as they may prefer to work to encourage higher standards. See fund literature for further information.
Exclude companies that are subject to United Nations sanctions. See eg https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/content/un-sc-consolidated-list
Find funds that have policies explaining how managers will respond to assets / companies that do not comply with relevant anti-bribery and anti-corruption standards or laws. Strategies vary; options include stewardship/ engagement and divestment - or a combination. See fund literature for further information.
Fund managers encourage the companies they invest in to have more diverse board structures (e.g. more women on boards)
Find fund managers that encourage the banks and insurance companies they invest in to publish climate change related financial information - as set out by the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures (with the aim of helping investors measure and respond to climate risk).
Fund Governance
Find funds that factor in 'environmental, social and governance' issues as part of their investment decision making process. A focus on 'ESG' typically means a fund is carrying out additional research to help reduce ESG related risks. It does not necessarily mean a focus on sustainability. Strategies vary. See fund literature.
Environmental, social and governance issues are part of this fund’s reporting of their ‘value’ to clients. AoV reporting is a statutory requirement. Including ESG factors in its calculation is not.
Asset Size
Find funds that invests more than half of their money into what are commonly regarded as 'large companies'. This will typically mean that the market capitalisation (or value) of the companies they hold is in excess of £5 to £10 billion.
Find a fund that invests in a combination of small, medium and larger (potentially multinational)companies.
Targeted Positive Investments
Find funds that invest >25% of their capital towards companies where a major part of their business is focused on helping to address environmental or social challenges.
Find funds that invest >50% of their capital in companies where a major part of their business is focused on helping to address environmental or social challenges.
Impact Methodologies
Funds that aim to help or support the delivery of positive social or environmental impacts (or societal/real world outcomes) by investing in companies they regard as beneficial to people and / or the planet. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.
Funds that aim to measure the positive real world environmental and / or social benefits that are associated with their investment strategy. Funds that aim to deliver positive impacts and measure those impacts may be referred to as 'impact funds' - although impact measurement is not restricted to impact funds. Strategies vary. See fund information.
Funds that are specifically marketed as ‘Impact investments funds' will work to deliver both financial performance and specific, measurable positive, real world social and/or environmental benefits. Strategies vary.
Find funds that specifically set out to help deliver positive environmental impacts, benefits or 'real world' outcomes.
Find funds that specifically state that they aim to deliver positive social (i.e. people related) impacts and/or outcomes.
Find funds that direct investment towards companies where a major part of their business is about solving environmental challenges. e.g. companies helping to address climate change.
Find funds that invest in companies where a major part of their business is specifically aimed at helping to address social challenges. e.g. companies helping to address poverty.
Find funds that specifically set out to invest in companies that are regarded as 'disrupting' existing business practices - typically through the development of innovative (sustainability aware) products and/or practices.
Fund aims to deliver positive environmental and or social impacts (real world benefits) through its engagement with investee assets
50% of fund assets are regarded by the fund manager as being significantly focused on providing solutions to environmental or social challenges. Strategies vary.
This fund has an explanation of the way in which the manager believes things need to change in order to deliver a more sustainable future, which they are working to help achieve.
How The Fund Works
Find funds that focus on finding and investing in companies with positive / beneficial attributes. This strategy can be applied in addition to exclusion criteria and engagement/stewardship activity.
Find funds where their main 'ethical approach' is to avoid companies by using negative screening criteria. Read fund literature for further information.
Aims to avoid companies that do significant harm. This originates from the EU’s sustainable finance ‘DNSH’ (do no significant harm) work, which is not necessarily used by UK investors.
Find funds that have 'mapped' (reviewed) their investment selection and management strategies to identify which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) the fund is helping to address.
Find funds that make significant use of internationally agreed 'norms' (e.g. United Nations Global Compact - UNGC - or the UN Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs) as part of their investment selection process alongside additional SRI criteria such as positive or negative stock selection policies and/or stewardship strategies.
This fund does not use stock lending for performance or risk purposes.
Unscreened Assets & Cash
The percentage of assets held within the fund that match the fund’s sustainability objectives and are not being held purely for risk management purposes, such as derivatives and cash equivalent assets.
The percentage of assets held within the fund that match the fund’s sustainability objectives and are not being held purely for risk management purposes, such as derivatives and cash equivalent assets.
The percentage of assets held within the fund that match the fund’s sustainability objectives and are not being held purely for risk management purposes, such as derivatives and cash equivalent assets
Fund that only invest in cash to aid the practical management (buying and selling) of assets. These funds do not use additional financial instruments.
All assets held in the fund - except cash - meet the sustainability criteria published in fund documentation.
Intended Clients & Product Options
Finds funds designed to meet the needs of individual investors with an interest in ‘Impact investment funds’ which help or support the delivery of positive social or environmental impacts (or societal/real world outcomes) by investing in companies they regard as beneficial to people and / or the planet. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.
Labels & Accreditations
Finds funds classified under Article 9 of the EU’s SFDR (Sustainable Finance Disclosure Requirements). Article 9 of the SFDR applies to financial products that have sustainable investment 'objectives' - including emissions reduction objectives. (These may currently be referred to as 'impact' funds or aiming to deliver clear, specific positive outcomes.) These rules do not currently apply in the UK so fund managers may leave this field blank.
Fund Management Company Information
About The Business
Finds fund management companies that have a published company wide stewardship, engagement and / or responsible ownership policy or strategy that covers all investments. Stewardship typically involves encouraging higher ESG standards through voting and dialogue.
Find fund management companies that actively encourage higher 'environmental, social and governance' and/or 'sustainable and responsible investment' practices across investee companies - typically where the aim is to encourage positive change that is aligned with the best interests of investors. Strategies vary. See additional information and options.
Find fund managers that vote all* the shares they own at Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings. A commitment to voting shares is a key indicator of 'responsible share ownership' demonstrating their support for or disagreement with management policy. (*situations can legitimately, occasionally occur where voting proves impossible, but in principle all shares should be voted.)
Find funds run by fund managers that apply Responsible ownership or 'Stewardship' policies to all or most of their investment assets. This means active involvement (e.g. voting, dialogue) with the companies they invest in across funds (not normally limited to ethical or SRI options.) Read fund literature for further information.
Find fund management companies that consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues when deciding whether or not to invest in a company for all / almost all of their funds and other assets. This is increasingly seen as part of sound risk management.
Finds organisations / fund managers that have an in-house (company wide) diversity improvement programme - meaning that they are working to ensure that within their own businesses they employ people from diverse backgrounds - often typically focused on ethnicity and/or sex.
This asset management company invests in companies which have recently listed on a stock exchange (which is important as it can help grow new businesses).
Asset management company has investments in bonds designed to meet sustainability requirements - however these assets may not be 'ringfenced' for this purpose. See fund manager website for details.
Fund management entity offers unstructured intermediary training on sustainable investment (ie for financial advisers and wealth managers)
Collaborations & Affiliations
Find fund management companies that have signed up to the UN backed 'Principles of Responsible Investment'.
Find fund management companies that have partnered with Fund EcoMarket - meaning that they are helping to improve access to information on sustainable and responsible investment by paying an annual fee to us which enables us to publish information for free. Partner funds are listed ahead of other funds and have their logos displayed.
A member of the Taskforce for Nature Related Financial Disclosures group which aims to aid risk management and shift money towards nature-positive outcomes.
Fund management entity is a member of the Investment Association https://www.theia.org/
Resources
Find fund management companies that employ people to steer and support fund managers in voting shares at company AGM's and EGMs in ways that are consistent with encouraging higher ESG/sustainability standards.
Find a fund management company that directly employs specialist ESG/SRI/sustainability researchers or analysts. This allows asset managers to discuss environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities directly with companies.
Find fund management companies that makes use of expert external research companies. This can help deliver specialist expertise and means resources are pooled with other investors.
Accreditations
Find fund managers that are signatories to the FRC UK Stewardship Code, which sets out a framework for constructive investor / investee relations where fund managers are encouraged to behave like responsible, typically longer term 'company owners'.
Engagement Approach
Fund manager has stewardship /responsible ownership strategy that is focused on addressing climate change with investee assets.
Asset manager has a stewardship /responsible ownership strategy that involves working with fossil fuel companies on climate change related issues. See fund manager website for details.
Asset manager has stewardship /responsible ownership strategy with involves encouraging investee asset to reduce plastic waste and pollution.
Asset manager has a stewardship / responsible ownership policy that means they are working to encourage more responsible mining practices - where environmental and social issues are properly dealt with by the companies they invest in.
The asset manager has a responsible ownership / stewardship strategy that focuses on biodiversity and nature issues relating to the assets they invest the aim of which will be to reduce harm and or deliver improvement. Strategies vary. https://tnfd.global
Asset manager has a responsible ownership / stewardship strategy which means they are working to encourage the shift to more sustainable business practices in ways that respect and are sensitive to social issues and the impact change has on people effected by the changes that are taking place. https://www.transitionpathwayinitiative.org/ https://transitiontaskforce.net/
Asset manager has responsible ownership / stewardship strategy in place which aims to address human rights issues in investee companies (and potentially their suppliers) with the aim of raising standards
Asset manager has responsible ownership / stewardship strategy in place that aims to improve labour standards for the benefit of employees in investee companies (and potentially their suppliers)
Asset management company has a stewardship strategy in place which involves working to raise diversity, equality and inclusion standards across investee assets
working with the assets they hold to help stamp out modern slavery - where direct or indirect company employees are exploited for business benefits.
Fund managers have stewardship strategies in place that focus on improving governance standards across investee assets
Has a stewardship / responsible ownership strategy that encourages responsible supply chain - ie the managers will discuss environmental, social and governance issues with investee companies with the aim of raising standards
Working to address sustainability, ESG and related concerns around artificial intelligence.
This fund manager may vote differently for different clients or regions. See fund manager stewardship policy for further information.
Escalation policies describe how a manager will proceed if stewardship / engagement activity is not successful in the short term.
Climate & Net Zero Transition
Fund management organisations that have pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to ‘net zero’. Strategies vary - this area is changing rapidly.
This asset management company has set a date by which they plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas / CO2e emissions.
Find fund management companies that are working with the companies they invest in to encourage reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.
Finds organisations / fund managers that have a company wide carbon transition plan - meaning that they have plotted a path to how they will move away from activities that produce or use carbon based energy sources (that emit greenhouse gases) towards clean, alternative, renewable energy sources.
Finds organisations / fund managers that have published ‘forward looking climate metrics’ e.g. 'implied temperature rise' data that are a total of the asset management company's share (% owned) of all the investee company emissions of the assets they manage, as well as their own direct and other indirect emissions.
This asset management company plans to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (CO2e) emissions by reducing their emissions. Calculations and scope vary.
Find fund management companies that are working to reduce their own (fund management company) carbon/greenhouse gas emissions.
Transparency
Find fund management companies that publish a report detailing their responsible investment ownership - also known as 'Stewardship' - activity.
Find companies that publish information about their sustainable and responsible investment strategies on their company website.
Fund management companies that publish a full record of how they vote their shares at AGMs (annual general meetings) and EGMs (extraordinary general meetings). Voting strategies have an important role to play encouraging higher environmental, social and governance standards.
This asset management company has published a plan that explains how they are to become a sustainable business - without significant negative environmental or social impacts.
This asset management company has published a plan that explains how they are going to achieve net zero greenhouse gas / CO2e emissions.
Sustainable, Responsible &/or ESG Policy:
Impact Philosophy
Our impact investing process is grounded in the theory-of-change (TOC) methodology, which includes both asset contribution and investor contribution. TOC identifies the problem to be solved and then applies logic to measure and manage the impact potential of a given investment.
Within our impact portfolios, we invest in specific business activities that contribute to achieving a positive environmental and social impact (asset contribution). As an investment manager, we also aim to contribute to positive impact (investor contribution) mainly through stewardship and/or provision of new capital. These business activities are defined in our proprietary custom classification, the TRP Impact Pillars.
This custom classification is aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These aim to represent the most pressing challenges faced by our planet and society and act as a framework to help ensure we deploy a consistent standard when assessing potential investments.
TRP Impact Pillars framework includes one environmental pillar (Climate & Resource Impact) and one social pillar (Social Equity & Quality of Life), each including 3 sub-pillars (reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs), promoting healthy ecosystems, nurturing circular economies and enabling social equity, improving health, improving safety and security, respectively).
Exclusions
In addition to the impact pillars outlined above, our investment approach also includes an Impact Exclusion Policy that excludes from any impact portfolio any issuers that have experienced severe conduct violations and/or whose activities may be considered harmful to the environment and/or society through exposure to the following categories:
-
- Adult entertainment
- Alcohol
- Assault-style weapons for civilian use
- Controversial weapons
- Conventional weapons
- For-profit prisons
- Fossil fuels
- Gambling
- Nuclear weapons
- Tobacco
Please refer to the T. Rowe Price Exclusion Policy for more details.
ESG Integration
All our stock selection decisions proactively and systematically integrate ESG considerations. In our view, ESG factors cannot be separate or a tangential part of a traditional investment thesis; instead, they must be integrated alongside fundamental factors to create the best outcomes for clients. Company fundamentals, including the consideration of environmental, social and governance factors, play a critical role in the stock selection process.
The strategy leverages the TRP ESG integration process to understand environmental and social dynamics related to an issuer’s conduct. We use our proprietary Responsible Investing Indicator Model (RIIM) to systematically and proactively assess the ESG profile of all investments, securities and issuing entities prior to their inclusion in the portfolio. RIIM flags the level of an issuer’s ESG risk using a traffic light system:
-
- Green represents positive ESG characteristics or low ESG risks.
- Orange represents elevated ESG risks.
- Red represents high ESG risks.
The process of ESG integration takes place on three levels: first, as our fundamental and responsible investing research analysts incorporate environmental, social, and governance factors into their analysis; second, as we use our proprietary RIIM analysis at regular intervals to help us understand the ESG characteristics of single stocks and the aggregate portfolio; and third, as the portfolio manager integrates ESG considerations within the investment thesis and portfolio construction process itself.
Process:
Investment Process Overview
The US Impact Equity Strategy has a dual mandate—to seek positive environmental or social impact and to outperform the S&P 500 Index Net 30% Withholding Tax.
Impact Universe Definition
Given our dual mandate, we use a custom universe which we define through two key processes: exclusionary using our proprietary T. Rowe Price Impact Exclusion List and inclusionary through impact due diligence, which encompasses both materiality and measurability.
Exclusionary process
Our in-house Responsible Investing (RI) team first applies our proprietary T. Rowe Price Impact Exclusion List to the investment universe to exclude areas of the economy that generate significant harm. The list comprises the following categories: adult entertainment, alcohol, oil and gas companies according to the GICS and BICS classification*, gambling, tobacco, for-profit prisons, weapons, and stocks that screen** individually on conduct-based metrics.
Please refer to The T. Rowe Price Exclusion policy for more details on these exclusions: https://www.troweprice.com/content/dam/trowecorp/Pdfs/esg/exclusion-policy.pdf
Inclusionary process
We use a proprietary impact analysis tool, the Impact Template, to define the investable impact universe in two main stages; a materiality assessment based on revenues to evaluate whether an issuer’s product or services deliver positive impact, and a more qualitative measurability assessment. The Impact Template is built around two impact pillars (climate and resource impact, and social equity and quality of life) and six sub-pillars aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)***. These aim to represent the most pressing challenges faced by our planet and society and act as a framework to help ensure we deploy a consistent standard when assessing potential investments.
First, to be eligible for inclusion in one of our impact portfolios, at least 50% of a company’s revenues must be aligned with at least one impact pillar****. Next, the Responsible Investment (RI) analysts conduct an impact due diligence. This more qualitative stage of the process is based on an external industry-recognized framework, the Impact Management Project’s***** Five Dimensions of Impact. The framework assesses a company’s ability to deliver impact holistically, including the risks that may affect its ability to deliver the targeted impact.
The impact teams and RI team meet on a weekly basis to discuss the findings of this analysis. Should there be a strong disagreement between an impact portfolio manager and the RI team regarding inclusion of a potential investment in the impact universe or focus list, the matter can be taken to the Impact Oversight Group (part of the firmwide ESG Investing Committee) for discussion and resolution.
The impact inclusionary process results in an impact universe of roughly 300 names.
Focus List: Fundamental research overlay to identify the best opportunities
Once a potential investment’s impact credentials have been thoroughly assessed, we apply an in-depth, fundamental analysis overlay to identify the most attractive potential investments from a financial return perspective, alongside the positive and negative impacts of business’s activities. The assessment of impact materiality always precedes fundamental analysis in our investment process, to help mitigate behavioral biases (for example, confirmation bias, where a portfolio manager might find a compelling investment case and then backfill for impact).
The combined impact analysis and fundamental research results in a focus list of roughly 200 names.
Portfolio Construction
Finally, portfolio manager David Rowlett leverages the analysis undertaken by the US sector analysts and the RI team to assess the return and impact potential of companies on the impact focus list, regardless of their sector. He applies his judgment to construct a of typically 40-60 of our highest-conviction opportunities from the impact focus list, while managing risk exposure at both the individual name and portfolio level.
Resources
T. Rowe Price believes that a collaborative culture promotes cross-fertilization of ideas and consistency in investment philosophy. As a result, we use a team approach rather than a star system in managing portfolios.
Throughout the investment process, the US Impact Equity team work closely with the other TRP Impact investing teams and the Responsible Investing (RI) team.
The impact teams at T. Rowe Price meet formally every week to discuss and debate ideas. These meetings bring together our global resources and are attended by our impact portfolio managers, team analysts, portfolio analysts and specialists, Responsible Investing analysts, and our Governance team.
From an ESG integration perspective, PM David Rowlett collaborates closely with the RI team to identify and analyse any environmental, social, or governance factors that could positively or negatively impact the investment thesis. He meets regularly with the RI team to conduct an ESG review of the portfolio and discuss areas of concentrated risk or positive themes identified during the portfolio screening process.
Additionally, David works closely with key equity investment leaders who are sector specialists. The advisors provide investment ideas and insights that facilitate the comparison of stocks. Ideas of the best securities from our investment universe are promoted by the sector specialists to David for construction of his high-conviction portfolio.
Our impact measurement is done in-house, by the Responsible Investing team.
In 2021, we hired a third-party impact measurement partner to help us measure the impact of our portfolios. Our measurement partner provides access to impact data sources, allowing us to track assumptions and improve transparency.
* GICS = Global Industry Classification Standard. BICS = Bloomberg Industry Classification Standard.
** Screening is generally applied only to the relevant company itself and to its subsidiaries. Minority holdings (less than 50% ownership) are generally not considered for screening purposes.
*** The UN SDGs encompass 17 goals. For further information, please visit http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
**** T. Rowe Price uses a proprietary custom structure for impact pillar and sub-pillar classification.
***** The Impact Management Project, a project by Bridges Fund Management Ltd (company number 10401079) (“Bridges”).
Resources, Affiliations & Corporate Strategies:
ESG Resources
TRPA’s strategies use ESG integration as part of the investment process. This means incorporating environmental, social and governance factors to maximize investment performance. Our philosophy is that ESG factors are a component of the investment decision—meaning that they are not the sole driver of an investment decision, nor are they considered separately from more traditional investment factors such as valuation, financials, industry trends, and macroeconomics.
The process of ESG integration takes place on two levels: first, with TRPA’s research analysts as they consider environmental, social, and governance factors as part of the overall security valuations and ratings process, and second, with TRPA’s portfolio managers as they balance ESG factor exposure at the portfolio level. Both the analysts and portfolio managers are able to leverage dedicated, in-house resources to assist them in analyzing ESG criteria.
TRPA’s specialist ESG teams provide investment research on ESG issues at the security level and on thematic topics. They have built tools to help proactively and systematically analyse the ESG factors that could impact our investments. One such tool is a proprietary scoring system called the TRPA Responsible Investing Indicator Model (RIIM) which forms the foundation of our ESG integration process. The RIIM framework provides two key benefits:
- RIIM provides a uniform standard of due diligence on ESG factors across our investment platform; and
- RIIM establishes a common language for our analysts, portfolio managers, and ESG specialists to discuss how an investment is performing on ESG and to compare securities within the investment universe.
We have developed RIIM frameworks across asset classes, covering equities and corporate bonds, sovereign bonds, municipal bonds and securitized bonds. The RIIM frameworks are unique for each asset class as the level and type of ESG data available vary across asset classes.
Our proprietary RIIM framework for analyzing the ESG profiles of our investments is populated by both quantitative ESG data sets as well as our own fundamental research. Quantitative ESG data sets help create a baseline from which to measure an individual security’s ESG performance and make our process more scalable, allowing us to compare a portfolio with its benchmark.
RIIM leverages preparedness and controversy-related data points specific to each sub-industry from an ESG dataset provided by Sustainalytics. These include:
- Policies, programs, standards
- Certification, memberships, select programs
- Signatories to principles e.g. United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
- Controversies or incidents
RIIM sources company reported performance data sets from Bloomberg to provide a more substantive lens on a company’s ESG management. These include:
- ESG-related targets
- Company reported performance metrics
For those issuers not covered by RIIM, we use Auquan to screen for ESG controversies.
In addition to the data inputs that feed directly into RIIM, we also utilize third-party data from other vendors. MSCI ESG data is the primary input for managing our proprietary exclusion lists. MSCI Climate Lab Enterprise provides climate data research (climate scenario analysis and implied temperature rise tools). ISS is the main data provider for our corporate governance analysis. We also receive broker investment research on ESG topics as an input to our own custom proxy voting guidelines. Our impact strategies leverage data from third party provider Net Purpose to help measure and validate investee companies’ delivered outcomes and impact.
As well as external data inputs, RIIM leverages internal databases developed by our ESG specialist teams for specific ESG factors. Examples of these factors include but are not limited to:
- Chemicals product sustainability
- Exposure to opioids
- Forest Stewardship Council certification
- Lobbying bad actors
- Net zero targets
These external and proprietary sources efficiently and consistently provide the data we need to build a preliminary ESG profile of a security and conduct our ESG screening and analysis, which are used in our analysts’ detailed fundamental research.
ESG Investment Professionals
At TRPA, our Responsible Investing (RI) and Governance teams help our analysts and portfolio managers identify, analyse and integrate the sustainable factors most likely to have a material impact on an investment’s performance.
They are further supported by our Global Proxy Operations team focused on proxy voting execution and an ESG focused technology team, as well as dedicated sustainable investment specialist resources.
Governance: TRPA has had dedicated corporate governance resources since 2007. The team assesses governance issues among existing and potential investments and provides insights for analysts and portfolio managers. It assists with company engagement, facilitates proxy voting, and participates in leading governance initiatives in the asset management industry.
Responsible Investing: Our dedicated RI team conducts analysis on the environmental and social profiles of individual securities and portfolios. The team also assists with company engagement and supports our investment professionals by providing research on sustainability topics, as well as developing sustainable tools to assist them. Our RI resources have been in place since 2017.
Memberships and Associations
T. Rowe Price* is a signatory to or member of the following initiatives**:
*At least one T. Rowe Price entity is a member of the organizations listed.
**T. Rowe Price may be a member of other initiatives, standards, principles, working groups, or other organizations not listed above. Additionally, individual T. Rowe Price associates may be members of working groups not listed above.
***T. Rowe Price became a member of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Alliance in 2021. The SASB Alliance later merged into the IFRS Sustainability Alliance
SDR Labelling:
Not eligible to use label
Literature
Fund Holdings
Voting Record
Fund Name | SRI Style | SDR Labelling | Product | Region | Asset Type | Launch Date | Last Amended |
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![]() T. Rowe Price US Impact Equity Fund |
Sustainable Style | Not eligible to use label | SICAV/Offshore | USA | Equity | 14/11/2022 | Jul 2025 | |
ObjectivesOur impact objective is to invest in companies whose fundamental business models are driving towards helping solve some of the world’s environmental and social challenges, and to enhance and accelerate impact delivery through strategic and thoughtful engagement. We tailor our engagement strategy to appropriately advocate for the specific UN Sustainable Development Goals the company is helping to address. The strategy looks for opportunities to deliver impact across the globe and does not focus on benefits to any specific geography. The portfolio will invest primarily in US domiciled companies, but the size, breadth, global reach, pioneering technology and general innovative leadership of US companies position them particularly well to help solve for some of the most critical environmental and social problems across the entire planet. |
Fund Size: £110.00m (as at: 30/04/2025) Total Screened Themed SRI Assets: £2400.00m (as at: 31/12/2024) Total Responsible Ownership Assets: £66300.00m (as at: 31/12/2024) Total Assets Under Management: £1283400.00m (as at: 31/12/2024) ISIN: LU2531917750, LU2531917834, LU2531917917 Contact Us: ukintermediaries@troweprice.com |
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Sustainable, Responsible &/or ESG OverviewThe investment manager’s overarching theory of change is that the fund’s investments and the investment manager’s activities directly contribute to faster or greater deployment of products and services that help remediate critical environmental and social problems, leading to positive impacts compared with the present circumstances. The investment manager invests in companies whose business activities that contribute to achieving a positive environmental and social impact (asset contribution) as set out in the investment objective and aims to contribute to positive impact (investor contribution) mainly via stewardship activities. The investment manager utilizes a set of core key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor and evaluate the level of positive environmental/social impact delivered by the fund, whereas a broader set of KPIs may be utilized at the security level. In general, KPIs are used to assess the amount of positive impact being delivered as well as the additionality of that positive impact. |
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Primary fund last amended: Jul 2025 |
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Information received directly from Fund Manager |
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Fund FiltersSustainability - General
Sustainability policy
Funds that have policies that consider (environmental and social) sustainability issues. Strategies vary but are likely to consider environmental issues like climate change, carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, resource management, environmental impacts; and social issues like equal opportunities, human rights, labour standards, diversity and adherence to internationally recognised codes. See fund information.
Sustainability focus
Find funds which substantially focus on sustainability issues
Encourage more sustainable practices through stewardship
A core element of these funds aim to encourage higher sustainability standards across business practices through responsible ownership / stewardship / engagement / voting activity
UN Global Compact linked exclusion policy
Find funds that use the UN Global Compact to inform or help direct where they can or cannot invest and will typically not invest in companies with significant breaches (low standards) - although strategies vary. (The UNGC covers a wide range of issues - search 'UNGC'). See https://unglobalcompact.org/
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) focus
Find funds that specifically aim to invest (and manage assets) in ways that help to address all or some of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). See https://sdgs.un.org/goals).
Report against sustainability objectives
Find funds that publicly report their performance against specifically named sustainability objectives (in addition to reporting their financial performance)
Circular economy theme
Fund has a theme or investment strand focused on the shift to a circular economy (where products are reused and recycled not incinerated or dumped). See eg https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview Environmental - General
Environmental policy
Funds that have policies which relate to environmental issues. These will typically set out the fund's stance on issues such as pollution, climate change, resource management, biodiversity loss, carbon emissions, plastics and/or additional environmental impacts. Strategies vary. See fund information for further information.
Resource efficiency policy or theme
Find funds that have a policy or theme that relates to managing natural resources more efficiently. Funds with this policy will be likely to favour companies that make (or enable the) more efficient use of resources - and either avoid or encourage change amongst companies with lower standards. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.
Favours cleaner, greener companies
Funds that aim to invest in companies with strong or market leading environmental policies and practices. Strategies vary - in particular the balance between 'financial' aspects and environmental benefits. Some may invest substantially in solutions or 'positive impact' companies - others may invest in more conventional companies providing certain environmental criteria are met. See fund information for further detail.
Waste management policy or theme
Find funds that have a written policy or theme on waste management - typically a view to encouraging higher levels of recycling and better efficiency / reducing waste. Nature & Biodiversity
Biodiversity / nature policy
Find funds that have a written biodiversity policy or theme aimed at encouraging and improving environmental protection and safeguarding the natural world (sometimes referred to as the preservation or enhancement of 'natural capital'). See eg https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/biodiversity Climate Change & Energy
Climate change / greenhouse gas emissions policy
Funds that have policies (documented strategies that explain their position on) climate change related issues such as greenhouse gas/carbon emissions, net zero, transitioning to lower carbon. Strategies vary. Read fund details for further information.
Coal, oil & / or gas majors excluded
Funds that avoid investing in major coal, oil and/or gas (extraction) companies. Funds vary: some may exclude all companies that extract oil. Others may have exposure to oil extraction via more diversified energy companies. See fund literature to confirm details.
Clean / renewable energy theme or focus
Find funds where investment in clean / renewable energy companies an other assets is central to their investment selection strategy. The proportion of the fund that is directly or indirectly invested in renewable energy varies between funds and over time. See fund information for further details.
Energy efficiency theme
Fund funds that have an energy efficiency theme - typically meaning that a fund manager is focused on investing in organisations that manage - or help others to manage - energy use more carefully and less wastefully - and so reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Invests in clean energy / renewables
Funds that hold companies in the clean energy and renewable energy sectors (at the time research was supplied). Fund strategies vary, in particular the proportion of investment in these areas may vary significantly. Check fund literature for details.
Fossil fuel exploration exclusion - direct involvement
The fund manager excludes companies with direct involvement in fossil fuel exploration (eg coal, oil and gas companies) Social / Employment
Social policy
Find funds that have policies which set out their approach to social issues (e.g. human rights, labour standards, equal opportunities, child labour and adherence to internationally recognised codes such as the UN Global Compact). Funds with social policies typically avoid companies with low standards or work to encourage higher standards. See fund information for detail.
Health & wellbeing policies or theme
Find funds with policies or themes that set out their approach to health and wellbeing issues. Funds of this kind typically aim to invest in companies with high standards - or encourage high standards. Themed funds are likely to have more of an emphasis on this area. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail. Ethical Values Led Exclusions
Tobacco and related product manufacturers excluded
Companies are excluded if they are involved in any aspect of the production chain for tobacco products, including cigarettes, vaping, e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco and cigars.
Controversial weapons exclusion
Find funds that exclude companies which make controversial weapons such as landmines, cluster munitions and chemical weapons. See fund literature for further information.
Armaments manufacturers avoided
Find funds that avoid companies that manufacture products intended specifically for military use. Fund strategies vary - particularly with regard to non-strategic military products. See fund literature for fund specific details.
Civilian firearms production exclusion
Find funds with a written civilian firearms exclusion policy - meaning that they will not invest in companies that make (or perhaps also sell) handguns made for non-military users.
Alcohol production excluded
Find funds that avoid investment in companies involved in the production of alcohol. Strategies vary; some funds allow a small proportion of profits to come from this area. See fund literature for further information. Human Rights
Human rights policy
Find funds that have policies relating to human rights issues. Funds of this kind typically require companies to demonstrate higher standards, although some fund managers work to encourage improvements. Investee companies are often judged against internationally agreed norms or standards. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.
Child labour exclusion
Find funds that have policies in place to ensure they do not invest in companies that employ children.
Modern slavery exclusion policy
The fund has a policy which excludes assets with involvement in Modern Slavery Meeting Peoples' Basic Needs
Water / sanitation policy or theme
Find funds that have policies or themes that set out their position on investment in the water sector and/or sanitation. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.
Healthcare / medical theme
Healthcare and or medical theme or area of investment - the fund may have a single theme or many themes Banking & Financials
Invests in banks
Find funds that include banks as part of their holdings / portfolio.
Invests in insurers
Funds that do or may invest in insurance companies. Governance & Management
Governance policy
Find fund options that have policies that relate to corporate governance issues such as board structure, executive remuneration, bribery and/or corporate corruption. These funds will typically avoid companies with poor practices. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.
Avoids companies with poor governance
Find funds that aim to avoid investing in companies with poor governance practices.(e.g. board structure, management practices etc.) Views may however vary on what counts as 'poor' practices - and funds may not immediately divest as they may prefer to work to encourage higher standards. See fund literature for further information.
UN sanctions exclusion
Exclude companies that are subject to United Nations sanctions. See eg https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/content/un-sc-consolidated-list
Anti-bribery and corruption policy
Find funds that have policies explaining how managers will respond to assets / companies that do not comply with relevant anti-bribery and anti-corruption standards or laws. Strategies vary; options include stewardship/ engagement and divestment - or a combination. See fund literature for further information.
Encourage board diversity e.g. gender
Fund managers encourage the companies they invest in to have more diverse board structures (e.g. more women on boards)
Encourage TCFD alignment for banks & insurance companies
Find fund managers that encourage the banks and insurance companies they invest in to publish climate change related financial information - as set out by the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures (with the aim of helping investors measure and respond to climate risk). Fund Governance
ESG integration strategy
Find funds that factor in 'environmental, social and governance' issues as part of their investment decision making process. A focus on 'ESG' typically means a fund is carrying out additional research to help reduce ESG related risks. It does not necessarily mean a focus on sustainability. Strategies vary. See fund literature.
ESG factors included in Assessment of Value (AoV) report
Environmental, social and governance issues are part of this fund’s reporting of their ‘value’ to clients. AoV reporting is a statutory requirement. Including ESG factors in its calculation is not. Asset Size
Over 50% large cap companies
Find funds that invests more than half of their money into what are commonly regarded as 'large companies'. This will typically mean that the market capitalisation (or value) of the companies they hold is in excess of £5 to £10 billion.
Invests in small, mid and large cap companies / assets
Find a fund that invests in a combination of small, medium and larger (potentially multinational)companies. Targeted Positive Investments
Invests >25% of fund in environmental/social solutions companies
Find funds that invest >25% of their capital towards companies where a major part of their business is focused on helping to address environmental or social challenges.
Invests >50% of fund in environmental/social solutions companies
Find funds that invest >50% of their capital in companies where a major part of their business is focused on helping to address environmental or social challenges. Impact Methodologies
Aims to generate positive impacts (or 'outcomes')
Funds that aim to help or support the delivery of positive social or environmental impacts (or societal/real world outcomes) by investing in companies they regard as beneficial to people and / or the planet. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.
Measures positive impacts
Funds that aim to measure the positive real world environmental and / or social benefits that are associated with their investment strategy. Funds that aim to deliver positive impacts and measure those impacts may be referred to as 'impact funds' - although impact measurement is not restricted to impact funds. Strategies vary. See fund information.
Described as an ‘impact investment fund’
Funds that are specifically marketed as ‘Impact investments funds' will work to deliver both financial performance and specific, measurable positive, real world social and/or environmental benefits. Strategies vary.
Positive environmental impact theme
Find funds that specifically set out to help deliver positive environmental impacts, benefits or 'real world' outcomes.
Positive social impact theme
Find funds that specifically state that they aim to deliver positive social (i.e. people related) impacts and/or outcomes.
Invests in environmental solutions companies
Find funds that direct investment towards companies where a major part of their business is about solving environmental challenges. e.g. companies helping to address climate change.
Invests in social solutions companies
Find funds that invest in companies where a major part of their business is specifically aimed at helping to address social challenges. e.g. companies helping to address poverty.
Invests in sustainability / ESG disruptors
Find funds that specifically set out to invest in companies that are regarded as 'disrupting' existing business practices - typically through the development of innovative (sustainability aware) products and/or practices.
Aim to deliver positive impacts through engagement
Fund aims to deliver positive environmental and or social impacts (real world benefits) through its engagement with investee assets
Over 50% in assets providing environmental or social ‘solutions’
50% of fund assets are regarded by the fund manager as being significantly focused on providing solutions to environmental or social challenges. Strategies vary.
Publish ‘theory of change’ explanation
This fund has an explanation of the way in which the manager believes things need to change in order to deliver a more sustainable future, which they are working to help achieve. How The Fund Works
Positive selection bias
Find funds that focus on finding and investing in companies with positive / beneficial attributes. This strategy can be applied in addition to exclusion criteria and engagement/stewardship activity.
Negative selection bias
Find funds where their main 'ethical approach' is to avoid companies by using negative screening criteria. Read fund literature for further information.
Significant harm exclusion
Aims to avoid companies that do significant harm. This originates from the EU’s sustainable finance ‘DNSH’ (do no significant harm) work, which is not necessarily used by UK investors.
Assets mapped to SDGs
Find funds that have 'mapped' (reviewed) their investment selection and management strategies to identify which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) the fund is helping to address.
Combines norms based exclusions with other SRI criteria
Find funds that make significant use of internationally agreed 'norms' (e.g. United Nations Global Compact - UNGC - or the UN Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs) as part of their investment selection process alongside additional SRI criteria such as positive or negative stock selection policies and/or stewardship strategies.
Do not use stock / securities lending
This fund does not use stock lending for performance or risk purposes. Unscreened Assets & Cash
Assets typically aligned to sustainability objectives 70 - 79%
The percentage of assets held within the fund that match the fund’s sustainability objectives and are not being held purely for risk management purposes, such as derivatives and cash equivalent assets.
Assets typically aligned to sustainability objectives 80 – 89%
The percentage of assets held within the fund that match the fund’s sustainability objectives and are not being held purely for risk management purposes, such as derivatives and cash equivalent assets.
Assets typically aligned to sustainability objectives > 90%
The percentage of assets held within the fund that match the fund’s sustainability objectives and are not being held purely for risk management purposes, such as derivatives and cash equivalent assets
No ‘diversifiers’ used other than cash
Fund that only invest in cash to aid the practical management (buying and selling) of assets. These funds do not use additional financial instruments.
All assets (except cash) meet published sustainability criteria
All assets held in the fund - except cash - meet the sustainability criteria published in fund documentation. Intended Clients & Product Options
Intended for clients who want to have a positive impact
Finds funds designed to meet the needs of individual investors with an interest in ‘Impact investment funds’ which help or support the delivery of positive social or environmental impacts (or societal/real world outcomes) by investing in companies they regard as beneficial to people and / or the planet. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information. Labels & Accreditations
SFDR Article 9 fund / product (EU)
Finds funds classified under Article 9 of the EU’s SFDR (Sustainable Finance Disclosure Requirements). Article 9 of the SFDR applies to financial products that have sustainable investment 'objectives' - including emissions reduction objectives. (These may currently be referred to as 'impact' funds or aiming to deliver clear, specific positive outcomes.) These rules do not currently apply in the UK so fund managers may leave this field blank. Fund Management Company InformationAbout The Business
Responsible ownership / stewardship policy or strategy (AFM company wide)
Finds fund management companies that have a published company wide stewardship, engagement and / or responsible ownership policy or strategy that covers all investments. Stewardship typically involves encouraging higher ESG standards through voting and dialogue.
ESG / SRI engagement (AFM company wide)
Find fund management companies that actively encourage higher 'environmental, social and governance' and/or 'sustainable and responsible investment' practices across investee companies - typically where the aim is to encourage positive change that is aligned with the best interests of investors. Strategies vary. See additional information and options.
Vote all* shares at AGMs / EGMs (AFM company wide)
Find fund managers that vote all* the shares they own at Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings. A commitment to voting shares is a key indicator of 'responsible share ownership' demonstrating their support for or disagreement with management policy. (*situations can legitimately, occasionally occur where voting proves impossible, but in principle all shares should be voted.)
Responsible ownership policy for non SRI funds (AFM company wide)
Find funds run by fund managers that apply Responsible ownership or 'Stewardship' policies to all or most of their investment assets. This means active involvement (e.g. voting, dialogue) with the companies they invest in across funds (not normally limited to ethical or SRI options.) Read fund literature for further information.
Integrates ESG factors into all / most (AFM) fund research
Find fund management companies that consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues when deciding whether or not to invest in a company for all / almost all of their funds and other assets. This is increasingly seen as part of sound risk management.
In-house diversity improvement programme (AFM company wide)
Finds organisations / fund managers that have an in-house (company wide) diversity improvement programme - meaning that they are working to ensure that within their own businesses they employ people from diverse backgrounds - often typically focused on ethnicity and/or sex.
Invests in newly listed companies (AFM company wide)
This asset management company invests in companies which have recently listed on a stock exchange (which is important as it can help grow new businesses).
Invests in new sustainability linked bond issuances (AFM company wide)
Asset management company has investments in bonds designed to meet sustainability requirements - however these assets may not be 'ringfenced' for this purpose. See fund manager website for details.
Offer unstructured intermediary sustainable investment training
Fund management entity offers unstructured intermediary training on sustainable investment (ie for financial advisers and wealth managers) Collaborations & Affiliations
PRI signatory
Find fund management companies that have signed up to the UN backed 'Principles of Responsible Investment'.
Fund EcoMarket partner
Find fund management companies that have partnered with Fund EcoMarket - meaning that they are helping to improve access to information on sustainable and responsible investment by paying an annual fee to us which enables us to publish information for free. Partner funds are listed ahead of other funds and have their logos displayed.
TNFD forum member (AFM company wide)
A member of the Taskforce for Nature Related Financial Disclosures group which aims to aid risk management and shift money towards nature-positive outcomes.
Investment Association (IA) member
Fund management entity is a member of the Investment Association https://www.theia.org/ Resources
In-house responsible ownership / voting expertise
Find fund management companies that employ people to steer and support fund managers in voting shares at company AGM's and EGMs in ways that are consistent with encouraging higher ESG/sustainability standards.
Employ specialist ESG / SRI / sustainability researchers
Find a fund management company that directly employs specialist ESG/SRI/sustainability researchers or analysts. This allows asset managers to discuss environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities directly with companies.
Use specialist ESG / SRI / sustainability research companies
Find fund management companies that makes use of expert external research companies. This can help deliver specialist expertise and means resources are pooled with other investors. Accreditations
UK Stewardship Code signatory (AFM company wide)
Find fund managers that are signatories to the FRC UK Stewardship Code, which sets out a framework for constructive investor / investee relations where fund managers are encouraged to behave like responsible, typically longer term 'company owners'. Engagement Approach
Engaging on climate change issues
Fund manager has stewardship /responsible ownership strategy that is focused on addressing climate change with investee assets.
Engaging with fossil fuel companies on climate change
Asset manager has a stewardship /responsible ownership strategy that involves working with fossil fuel companies on climate change related issues. See fund manager website for details.
Engaging to reduce plastics pollution / waste
Asset manager has stewardship /responsible ownership strategy with involves encouraging investee asset to reduce plastic waste and pollution.
Engaging to encourage responsible mining practices
Asset manager has a stewardship / responsible ownership policy that means they are working to encourage more responsible mining practices - where environmental and social issues are properly dealt with by the companies they invest in.
Engaging on biodiversity / nature issues
The asset manager has a responsible ownership / stewardship strategy that focuses on biodiversity and nature issues relating to the assets they invest the aim of which will be to reduce harm and or deliver improvement. Strategies vary. https://tnfd.global
Engaging to encourage a Just Transition
Asset manager has a responsible ownership / stewardship strategy which means they are working to encourage the shift to more sustainable business practices in ways that respect and are sensitive to social issues and the impact change has on people effected by the changes that are taking place. https://www.transitionpathwayinitiative.org/ https://transitiontaskforce.net/
Engaging on human rights issues
Asset manager has responsible ownership / stewardship strategy in place which aims to address human rights issues in investee companies (and potentially their suppliers) with the aim of raising standards
Engaging on labour / employment issues
Asset manager has responsible ownership / stewardship strategy in place that aims to improve labour standards for the benefit of employees in investee companies (and potentially their suppliers)
Engaging on diversity, equality and / or inclusion issues
Asset management company has a stewardship strategy in place which involves working to raise diversity, equality and inclusion standards across investee assets
Engaging to stop modern slavery
working with the assets they hold to help stamp out modern slavery - where direct or indirect company employees are exploited for business benefits.
Engaging on governance issues
Fund managers have stewardship strategies in place that focus on improving governance standards across investee assets
Engaging on responsible supply chain issues
Has a stewardship / responsible ownership strategy that encourages responsible supply chain - ie the managers will discuss environmental, social and governance issues with investee companies with the aim of raising standards
Engaging on the responsible use of AI
Working to address sustainability, ESG and related concerns around artificial intelligence.
Split voting policy
This fund manager may vote differently for different clients or regions. See fund manager stewardship policy for further information.
Stewardship escalation policy
Escalation policies describe how a manager will proceed if stewardship / engagement activity is not successful in the short term. Climate & Net Zero Transition
Net Zero commitment (AFM company wide)
Fund management organisations that have pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to ‘net zero’. Strategies vary - this area is changing rapidly.
Net Zero - have set a Net Zero target date (AFM company wide)
This asset management company has set a date by which they plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas / CO2e emissions.
Encourage carbon / greenhouse gas reduction (AFM company wide)
Find fund management companies that are working with the companies they invest in to encourage reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.
Carbon transition plan published (AFM company wide)
Finds organisations / fund managers that have a company wide carbon transition plan - meaning that they have plotted a path to how they will move away from activities that produce or use carbon based energy sources (that emit greenhouse gases) towards clean, alternative, renewable energy sources.
‘Forward Looking Climate Metrics’ published / ITR (AFM company wide)
Finds organisations / fund managers that have published ‘forward looking climate metrics’ e.g. 'implied temperature rise' data that are a total of the asset management company's share (% owned) of all the investee company emissions of the assets they manage, as well as their own direct and other indirect emissions.
Carbon offsetting – do NOT offset carbon as part of net zero plan (AFM company wide)
This asset management company plans to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (CO2e) emissions by reducing their emissions. Calculations and scope vary.
In-house carbon / GHG reduction policy (AFM company wide)
Find fund management companies that are working to reduce their own (fund management company) carbon/greenhouse gas emissions. Transparency
Publish responsible ownership / stewardship report (AFM company wide)
Find fund management companies that publish a report detailing their responsible investment ownership - also known as 'Stewardship' - activity.
Full SRI / responsible ownership policy information on company website
Find companies that publish information about their sustainable and responsible investment strategies on their company website.
Publish full voting record (AFM company wide)
Fund management companies that publish a full record of how they vote their shares at AGMs (annual general meetings) and EGMs (extraordinary general meetings). Voting strategies have an important role to play encouraging higher environmental, social and governance standards.
Sustainability transition plan publicly available (AFM company wide)
This asset management company has published a plan that explains how they are to become a sustainable business - without significant negative environmental or social impacts.
Net Zero transition plan publicly available (AFM company wide)
This asset management company has published a plan that explains how they are going to achieve net zero greenhouse gas / CO2e emissions. Sustainable, Responsible &/or ESG Policy:Impact Philosophy Our impact investing process is grounded in the theory-of-change (TOC) methodology, which includes both asset contribution and investor contribution. TOC identifies the problem to be solved and then applies logic to measure and manage the impact potential of a given investment. Within our impact portfolios, we invest in specific business activities that contribute to achieving a positive environmental and social impact (asset contribution). As an investment manager, we also aim to contribute to positive impact (investor contribution) mainly through stewardship and/or provision of new capital. These business activities are defined in our proprietary custom classification, the TRP Impact Pillars. This custom classification is aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These aim to represent the most pressing challenges faced by our planet and society and act as a framework to help ensure we deploy a consistent standard when assessing potential investments. TRP Impact Pillars framework includes one environmental pillar (Climate & Resource Impact) and one social pillar (Social Equity & Quality of Life), each including 3 sub-pillars (reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs), promoting healthy ecosystems, nurturing circular economies and enabling social equity, improving health, improving safety and security, respectively).
Exclusions In addition to the impact pillars outlined above, our investment approach also includes an Impact Exclusion Policy that excludes from any impact portfolio any issuers that have experienced severe conduct violations and/or whose activities may be considered harmful to the environment and/or society through exposure to the following categories:
Please refer to the T. Rowe Price Exclusion Policy for more details.
ESG Integration All our stock selection decisions proactively and systematically integrate ESG considerations. In our view, ESG factors cannot be separate or a tangential part of a traditional investment thesis; instead, they must be integrated alongside fundamental factors to create the best outcomes for clients. Company fundamentals, including the consideration of environmental, social and governance factors, play a critical role in the stock selection process. The strategy leverages the TRP ESG integration process to understand environmental and social dynamics related to an issuer’s conduct. We use our proprietary Responsible Investing Indicator Model (RIIM) to systematically and proactively assess the ESG profile of all investments, securities and issuing entities prior to their inclusion in the portfolio. RIIM flags the level of an issuer’s ESG risk using a traffic light system:
The process of ESG integration takes place on three levels: first, as our fundamental and responsible investing research analysts incorporate environmental, social, and governance factors into their analysis; second, as we use our proprietary RIIM analysis at regular intervals to help us understand the ESG characteristics of single stocks and the aggregate portfolio; and third, as the portfolio manager integrates ESG considerations within the investment thesis and portfolio construction process itself. Process:Investment Process Overview The US Impact Equity Strategy has a dual mandate—to seek positive environmental or social impact and to outperform the S&P 500 Index Net 30% Withholding Tax. Impact Universe Definition Given our dual mandate, we use a custom universe which we define through two key processes: exclusionary using our proprietary T. Rowe Price Impact Exclusion List and inclusionary through impact due diligence, which encompasses both materiality and measurability. Exclusionary process Our in-house Responsible Investing (RI) team first applies our proprietary T. Rowe Price Impact Exclusion List to the investment universe to exclude areas of the economy that generate significant harm. The list comprises the following categories: adult entertainment, alcohol, oil and gas companies according to the GICS and BICS classification*, gambling, tobacco, for-profit prisons, weapons, and stocks that screen** individually on conduct-based metrics. Please refer to The T. Rowe Price Exclusion policy for more details on these exclusions: https://www.troweprice.com/content/dam/trowecorp/Pdfs/esg/exclusion-policy.pdf Inclusionary process We use a proprietary impact analysis tool, the Impact Template, to define the investable impact universe in two main stages; a materiality assessment based on revenues to evaluate whether an issuer’s product or services deliver positive impact, and a more qualitative measurability assessment. The Impact Template is built around two impact pillars (climate and resource impact, and social equity and quality of life) and six sub-pillars aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)***. These aim to represent the most pressing challenges faced by our planet and society and act as a framework to help ensure we deploy a consistent standard when assessing potential investments. First, to be eligible for inclusion in one of our impact portfolios, at least 50% of a company’s revenues must be aligned with at least one impact pillar****. Next, the Responsible Investment (RI) analysts conduct an impact due diligence. This more qualitative stage of the process is based on an external industry-recognized framework, the Impact Management Project’s***** Five Dimensions of Impact. The framework assesses a company’s ability to deliver impact holistically, including the risks that may affect its ability to deliver the targeted impact. The impact teams and RI team meet on a weekly basis to discuss the findings of this analysis. Should there be a strong disagreement between an impact portfolio manager and the RI team regarding inclusion of a potential investment in the impact universe or focus list, the matter can be taken to the Impact Oversight Group (part of the firmwide ESG Investing Committee) for discussion and resolution. The impact inclusionary process results in an impact universe of roughly 300 names. Focus List: Fundamental research overlay to identify the best opportunities Once a potential investment’s impact credentials have been thoroughly assessed, we apply an in-depth, fundamental analysis overlay to identify the most attractive potential investments from a financial return perspective, alongside the positive and negative impacts of business’s activities. The assessment of impact materiality always precedes fundamental analysis in our investment process, to help mitigate behavioral biases (for example, confirmation bias, where a portfolio manager might find a compelling investment case and then backfill for impact). The combined impact analysis and fundamental research results in a focus list of roughly 200 names. Portfolio Construction Finally, portfolio manager David Rowlett leverages the analysis undertaken by the US sector analysts and the RI team to assess the return and impact potential of companies on the impact focus list, regardless of their sector. He applies his judgment to construct a of typically 40-60 of our highest-conviction opportunities from the impact focus list, while managing risk exposure at both the individual name and portfolio level. Resources T. Rowe Price believes that a collaborative culture promotes cross-fertilization of ideas and consistency in investment philosophy. As a result, we use a team approach rather than a star system in managing portfolios. Throughout the investment process, the US Impact Equity team work closely with the other TRP Impact investing teams and the Responsible Investing (RI) team. The impact teams at T. Rowe Price meet formally every week to discuss and debate ideas. These meetings bring together our global resources and are attended by our impact portfolio managers, team analysts, portfolio analysts and specialists, Responsible Investing analysts, and our Governance team. From an ESG integration perspective, PM David Rowlett collaborates closely with the RI team to identify and analyse any environmental, social, or governance factors that could positively or negatively impact the investment thesis. He meets regularly with the RI team to conduct an ESG review of the portfolio and discuss areas of concentrated risk or positive themes identified during the portfolio screening process. Additionally, David works closely with key equity investment leaders who are sector specialists. The advisors provide investment ideas and insights that facilitate the comparison of stocks. Ideas of the best securities from our investment universe are promoted by the sector specialists to David for construction of his high-conviction portfolio. Our impact measurement is done in-house, by the Responsible Investing team. In 2021, we hired a third-party impact measurement partner to help us measure the impact of our portfolios. Our measurement partner provides access to impact data sources, allowing us to track assumptions and improve transparency. * GICS = Global Industry Classification Standard. BICS = Bloomberg Industry Classification Standard. ** Screening is generally applied only to the relevant company itself and to its subsidiaries. Minority holdings (less than 50% ownership) are generally not considered for screening purposes. *** The UN SDGs encompass 17 goals. For further information, please visit http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/ **** T. Rowe Price uses a proprietary custom structure for impact pillar and sub-pillar classification. ***** The Impact Management Project, a project by Bridges Fund Management Ltd (company number 10401079) (“Bridges”). Resources, Affiliations & Corporate Strategies:ESG Resources TRPA’s strategies use ESG integration as part of the investment process. This means incorporating environmental, social and governance factors to maximize investment performance. Our philosophy is that ESG factors are a component of the investment decision—meaning that they are not the sole driver of an investment decision, nor are they considered separately from more traditional investment factors such as valuation, financials, industry trends, and macroeconomics. The process of ESG integration takes place on two levels: first, with TRPA’s research analysts as they consider environmental, social, and governance factors as part of the overall security valuations and ratings process, and second, with TRPA’s portfolio managers as they balance ESG factor exposure at the portfolio level. Both the analysts and portfolio managers are able to leverage dedicated, in-house resources to assist them in analyzing ESG criteria. TRPA’s specialist ESG teams provide investment research on ESG issues at the security level and on thematic topics. They have built tools to help proactively and systematically analyse the ESG factors that could impact our investments. One such tool is a proprietary scoring system called the TRPA Responsible Investing Indicator Model (RIIM) which forms the foundation of our ESG integration process. The RIIM framework provides two key benefits:
We have developed RIIM frameworks across asset classes, covering equities and corporate bonds, sovereign bonds, municipal bonds and securitized bonds. The RIIM frameworks are unique for each asset class as the level and type of ESG data available vary across asset classes. Our proprietary RIIM framework for analyzing the ESG profiles of our investments is populated by both quantitative ESG data sets as well as our own fundamental research. Quantitative ESG data sets help create a baseline from which to measure an individual security’s ESG performance and make our process more scalable, allowing us to compare a portfolio with its benchmark.
RIIM leverages preparedness and controversy-related data points specific to each sub-industry from an ESG dataset provided by Sustainalytics. These include:
RIIM sources company reported performance data sets from Bloomberg to provide a more substantive lens on a company’s ESG management. These include:
For those issuers not covered by RIIM, we use Auquan to screen for ESG controversies. In addition to the data inputs that feed directly into RIIM, we also utilize third-party data from other vendors. MSCI ESG data is the primary input for managing our proprietary exclusion lists. MSCI Climate Lab Enterprise provides climate data research (climate scenario analysis and implied temperature rise tools). ISS is the main data provider for our corporate governance analysis. We also receive broker investment research on ESG topics as an input to our own custom proxy voting guidelines. Our impact strategies leverage data from third party provider Net Purpose to help measure and validate investee companies’ delivered outcomes and impact. As well as external data inputs, RIIM leverages internal databases developed by our ESG specialist teams for specific ESG factors. Examples of these factors include but are not limited to:
These external and proprietary sources efficiently and consistently provide the data we need to build a preliminary ESG profile of a security and conduct our ESG screening and analysis, which are used in our analysts’ detailed fundamental research.
ESG Investment Professionals At TRPA, our Responsible Investing (RI) and Governance teams help our analysts and portfolio managers identify, analyse and integrate the sustainable factors most likely to have a material impact on an investment’s performance. They are further supported by our Global Proxy Operations team focused on proxy voting execution and an ESG focused technology team, as well as dedicated sustainable investment specialist resources. Governance: TRPA has had dedicated corporate governance resources since 2007. The team assesses governance issues among existing and potential investments and provides insights for analysts and portfolio managers. It assists with company engagement, facilitates proxy voting, and participates in leading governance initiatives in the asset management industry. Responsible Investing: Our dedicated RI team conducts analysis on the environmental and social profiles of individual securities and portfolios. The team also assists with company engagement and supports our investment professionals by providing research on sustainability topics, as well as developing sustainable tools to assist them. Our RI resources have been in place since 2017.
Memberships and Associations T. Rowe Price* is a signatory to or member of the following initiatives**: *At least one T. Rowe Price entity is a member of the organizations listed. **T. Rowe Price may be a member of other initiatives, standards, principles, working groups, or other organizations not listed above. Additionally, individual T. Rowe Price associates may be members of working groups not listed above. ***T. Rowe Price became a member of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Alliance in 2021. The SASB Alliance later merged into the IFRS Sustainability Alliance SDR Labelling:Not eligible to use label LiteratureFund HoldingsVoting Record |