The Mercer KiwiSaver products employ ESG integration, active ownership, sustainability themes and screening strategies in its responsible investment approach. 
 
1. ESG integration, which is the inclusion of ESG factors into the investment process for risk/return reasons. Mercer scores managers abilities to integrate ESG factors into their strategies using their ESG Ratings criteria between an ESG1 (best) and ESG4 (worst). The portfolios aim to employ managers ESG3 and above where practical, with the aim of improving the portfolios overall ESG score over time. 
2. Active ownership, Mercer's Sustainable Investment Manager runs a dedicated direct company engagement program with the top twenty Australian holdings, over and above the engagement managers are doing with companies, and the engagement we undertake with our managers and through collaborative initiatives. 
3. Sustainability-themed exposures: The growth oriented KiwiSaver products with have a allocation to the SR Overseas Shares fund which has managers that incorporate the Sustainable Development Goals as a direct input to their portfolio construction process. The KS products with exposure to Unlisted Infrastructure and Unlisted Property which endeavour to invest in assets with sustainable attributes 
4. Excluded investments include the following: 
• Tobacco - Companies involved in the manufacture and/or production of tobacco products (regardless of revenue), including subsidiaries and joint ventures, as well as any other company that derives 50% or more of revenue from other tobacco-related business activities such as packaging, distribution and retail of tobacco products. 
• Controversial weapons: Companies that manufacture whole weapons systems, or delivery platforms, or components that were developed or are significantly modified for exclusive use in cluster munitions, anti-personnel landmines, biological or chemical weapons, as well as companies involved in the production and retailing of automatic and semi-automatic civilian firearms.