Issue 6 2019

36 Acquisition International - Issue 6 2019 May19006 FAIRR is a collaborative investor network established by the Jeremy Coller Foundation. Recently, the firm found success in AI’s Global Excellence Awards 2019 as the Most Outstanding Initiative on Sustainable Animal Agriculture – 2019. Following this win, we profile FAIRR and caught up with Maria Lettini who provided us with a detailed insight into the services they provide. ince their inception in 2015, FAIRR’s aim has been to raise awareness of the material ESG risks and opportunities which have been caused by intensive livestock production. In addition to this, FAIRR helps investors to identify and prioritise these factors by providing cutting-edge research and other support that investors can use in their investment decision-making and active stewardship processes. FAIRR is a non-profit organisation specialising in helping investors to understand and manage the environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities linked to the animal agriculture sector. Maria begins by going into further detail about ESG risks, noting how there is blind spot in the sector regarding ESG risks. “The responsible investment sector has a worrying blind spot when it comes to the ESG risks of the animal agriculture sector. Few ESG research providers offer any data or analysis on the sector, even though livestock is responsible for 14.5% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, and is a major user of antibiotics and natural resources such as water. This exposes investors to considerable risk. “Tools such as our Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index are closing this knowledge gap for responsible investors. It is the world’s first source of comprehensive ESG data on 60 of the largest livestock and fish farming companies, with a combined market cap of close to $300bn. The Index assesses these companies across nine ESG criteria.” At FAIRR, the team assist investors by providing them with crucial ESG data and analysis on intensive animal agriculture and fish farming companies, examining materials risks in the industry through an ESG lens, as Maria explains. “Overall, we produce reports which frequently provide ESG research into a sector where investors otherwise have a major knowledge gap. Our collaborative investor network is free to join and we maintain a strong presence at industry events in the responsible investing space as we continuously strive to expand the network.” Enabling the firmtodeliver theseoutstandingservices, is theexperienced, committed and hard-working team which forms the backbone of FAIRR. When discussing the internal culture, Maria is keen to highlight the significant role the team play in the overall success of the firm. “Here at FAIRR, our staff have been instrumental to the success of our firm. We are a small, but very dedicated team and we continue to grow. The hard work of our team is the reason why FAIRR has had such a big impact on this evolving space and is a trusted, first point of reference leader for information on the ESG risks facing the intensive livestock industry.” Driving Impact Through Collaborative Engagements S Looking ahead towhat the future holds, the teamat FAIRRwill continue to build upon the countless accomplishments they have achieved over the years, including their recent win in Acquisition Intl.’s Global Excellence Awards 2019 where they were righteously awarded the accolade Most Outstanding Initiative on Sustainable Animal Agriculture – 2019. Bringing the interview to a close, Maria signs off by revealing the exciting plans which lie in the pipeline touching on how the firm is due to publish a report on the fish farming sector this month. “Moving forward, our next major report is on the global aquaculture sector. Fish farms now provide more seafood than wild fishing, and our report examines how the sector is coping with the sustainability risks it faces. In the summer, we will also publish a progress report on our sustainable protein engagement and this year’s version of the Coller FAIRR Index. Lastly, we also hope to take our network to new jurisdictions including Asia and Australia.” Company: FAIRR Initiative Web Address: www.fairr.org