Christian Super Whole of Fund

Product Name

Christian Super Whole of Fund

Issuer

 Christian Super

Category

Superannuation

Type

Superfund whole of fund

Target

Retail

Certified Since

2016

Asset Classes

Diversified / Multi-asset

Markets

Australia

Investment Approaches

Negative Screening, Positive Screening

It Includes:

  • Riaa icons 14 Education
  • Riaa icons 32 Green property
  • Riaa icons 12 Healthcare and medical products
  • Riaa icons 11 Impact investments
  • Riaa icons 10 Renewable energy and climate change solutions
  • Riaa icons 15 Social and sustainable infrastructure
  • Tree green background Sustainable land and agricultural management
  • Riaa icons 13 Sustainable transport
  • Riaa icons 31 Sustainable water
  • Investment2 More sustainable companies

It has some level of screening for:

  • Riaa icons 41 Alcohol
  • Riaa icons 56 Animal cruelty
  • Riaa icons 36 Armaments
  • Riaa icons 33 Fossil fuels
  • Riaa icons 42 Gambling
  • Riaa icons 45 Genetic engineering
  • Riaa icons 52 Human rights abuses
  • Riaa icons 38 Labour rights violations
  • Riaa icons 50 Nuclear power
  • Riaa icons 99 Pornography
  • Riaa icons 35 Tobacco

Overview

There are currently only three superannuation funds that have gained certification in RIAA's Superfund Whole of Fund category. This means that aside from all of the required disclosures related to responsible investment strategy, holdings and performance, these superannuation funds also have at least 75% of their total fund, across all assets, managed under at least two responsible investment strategies.


Description

or Christian Super, being ethical means more than just integrity and honesty in how we deal with members and stakeholders. It also means developing an investment strategy that focuses on investments that support core Christian beliefs including – the authority of God, respect for human life and the importance of caring for God’s creation. 

As part of our responsible investment strategy we invest in corporations that care for people and God’s creation, who demonstrate sound ethical practices and meet performance standards in their social, environmental and financial stewardship. 

Additionally, we avoid investments in corporations that engage in producing goods or services that have addictive or harmful effects on people (e.g. illicit drugs, gambling, tobacco, pornography); engage in activities that are excessively harmful to the environment; or practices that are predatory or exploitative or which abuse human freedom or dignity. 

Our involvement-based exclusions and their thresholds are listed below.

Alcohol
  • > 5% revenue from alcoholic beverage production
  • > 20% revenue from alcoholic beverage distribution.
  • The Fund will seek to avoid investment into companies that are below the 20% distribution limit but have irresponsible sales practices.
Cannabis
  • > 5% revenue from the production of cannabis and its related products for recreational use
  • > 20% revenue from the distribution of cannabis and its related products for recreational use
Fossil Fuels
Christian Super will exclude companies deriving more than 15% of their revenue from the following activities:
  • Mining thermal coal
  • Exploration and development of oil sands
  • Liquefaction of coal
  • Exploration and development of oil shale (not to be confused with shale oil or shale gas)
  • Brown coal (or lignite) fired power generation
Gambling
Christian Super will exclude companies deriving more than 5% of their revenue from the following activities:
  • Operation or ownership of gambling establishments e.g. casinos, online gambling sites, race tracks
  • Production of gambling machines e.g. slot machines, video lottery terminals
  • Production of gambling software
Sanctity of Life
Christian Super affirms the belief in life from conception (i.e. when a sperm fertilises an egg to become a zygote), and will seek to exclude companies involved in the direct service of abortion or drugs intended to induce abortion. These include:
  • All abortion pills (e.g. RU486) and other medications designed to induce abortion.
  • All intrauterine devices (IUDs), such as copper IUDs or levonorgestrel (LNG) IUDs that are known to prevent or specifically claim to prevent implantation.
  • All oral contraceptives (including emergency contraceptives) that are known to prevent or specifically claim to prevent implantation.
Sex Industry
  • Any company involved in the production or development of inappropriate adult products or adult entertainment
  • > 5% of revenue from the distribution of adult entertainment and inappropriate products.
Stem Cells
Christian Super recognises the benefits to medical science that research around stem cells poses. However, given the destruction of life involved in embryonic stem cell research, Christian Super will exclude any company involved in stem cell research that involves the destruction of human embryos.
Tobacco
  • > 2% revenue from the production of tobacco products
  • > 10% revenue from the distribution of tobacco products
Military Weapons and Firearms
  • > 5% revenue from the manufacture of military weapons and small firearms (such as pistols, handguns, rifles, shotguns, and handheld automatic or semi-automatic weapons and ammunition for such weapons). This includes the production of key components that are specifically designed for and are directly linked to the lethality of these weapons.
  • > 10% revenue from the distribution of small firearms (such as pistols, handguns, rifles, shotguns, and handheld automatic or semi-automatic weapons and ammunition for such weapons).
Controversial Weapons
Controversial weapons are weapons which are indiscriminate in targeting and disproportionate in impact, on civilian populations; the effects of which may continue long after initial deployment. These include atomic, biological or chemical weapons, as well as anti-personnel land mines and cluster munitions.
Christian Super will apply an absolute exclusion to any company involved in the production or distribution of controversial weapons. This includes the production of key components that are specifically designed for and are directly linked to the lethality of these weapons.
 

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