EUROPE – Dutch pension fund Pensioensfonds Zorg en Welzijn (PFZW) and the UK's Environment Agency (Active) Pension Fund have won industry awards for their transparent reporting on responsible investment (RI).

PFZW – the compulsory scheme for care and welfare sector workers – was selected as winner in the Best RI Report in the large pension fund category at the inaugural RI Reporting Awards ceremony in London.

Meanwhile, the Environment Agency took the Best RI Report award in the medium and small pension fund category, which includes funds with less than €25bn in assets under management.

Judges in the RI Reporting Awards use publicly available information to look for reporting best practice in terms of simplicity relevance, disclosure and process, the awards organisers said.

In the large pension fund category, US pension fund CalPERS and Sweden's Folksam received commendations.

In the medium and small pension fund category, Norway's Folketrygdfondet and Australian pension fund VicSuper were both commended.

The judges said PFZW had produced "by far and away the best report".

It was a standalone report with an in-depth review of all aspects of RI as integrated throughout portfolio, asset class by asset class, they said.

One judge said: "This dedicated report demonstrates a highly systematic, competent approach to mainstream RI, as well as a commitment to experimenting and exploring the boundaries of the discipline."

Meanwhile, the Environment Agency was praised for producing a comprehensive report using plain English, written to be accessible to members while giving a lot of meaningful detail.

"Bearing in mind that the Environment Agency is approximately 1% the size of PFZW," one judge said, "this is an extraordinary effort and would probably be short-listed if competing in the large funds category."

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