Standard Life Aberdeen Supports Green GB Week

Standard Life Aberdeen (SLA) is proud to support the Government’s first ever Green GB Week.  It is intended to be an annual event designed to highlight the opportunities clean growth offers the UK and raise awareness of how business and the public can contribute to tackling climate change.  Marking the 10-year anniversary of the Climate Change Act, SLA has pledged the following:

1. Standard Life Aberdeen will procure 100% of electricity in its global offices from renewable sources by 2020.

2. Aberdeen Standard Investments have developed a strategy to make its Airport Industrial Property Unit Trust (AIPUT) real estate fund carbon neutral by 2025

3. All the real estate Aberdeen Standard Investments manages in the UK will be powered by 100% renewable electricity by 2020*, and the company pledges to increase the amount of renewable electricity it procures for Real Estate investments globally.

As real estate is a significant contributor to climate change, SLA felt it was important that the pledges were in respect of both the offices that the company occupies and the real estate it invests in.

Dan Grandage, Head of ESG, Real Estate, Aberdeen Standard Investments, commented:

“We have a strong commitment to environmental, social and governance issues across all areas of our business and set high environmental targets for the offices we occupy and the buildings we invest in.  Real estate is very energy intensive and therefore has a direct impact on the environment. I would encourage all companies to integrate climate change considerations into their real estate operations and management.”

Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI) is a signatory of the Global Investor Statement on Climate Change and recognises the urgent need for action highlighted by the recent IPCC special report on 1.5 degree warming. The company actively considers climate change risks and opportunities as part of its investment process.  In addition, ASI is an active member of Climate Action 100+ and supports the Transition Pathway Initiative which assesses companies’ readiness for the transition to a low-carbon economy and is aligning with the requirements of the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).

*Where we have direct control of energy supplies.