Managing, assessing, measuring and educating are just some of the imperatives and projects that have been at the heart of AG2R La Mondiale’s (AG2R) ESG approach – the central driver of its investment strategy – over the past 15 months. The operational implementation of the Group's sustainability commitments within an increasingly demanding French and European regulatory framework, particularly in terms of reporting, requires tools for managing portfolios and evaluating assets that provide a holistic view and approach to ESG performance and risks.

According to AG2R, real estate is on the front line in the fight against global warming, responsible for 37% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. With a domestic real estate portfolio of 210 assets worth €6.8bn, AG2R has developed and implemented a new ESG analysis grid for the properties it holds, based on best practices observed in the market. It covers 20 indicators: Eleven relate to the environment and consider factors such as emissions, climate risks, water management and certifications; six focus on societal issues, such as disabled access, mobility and well-being labels and three on governance, such as environmental appendices in leases.

This isn’t the only new development the fund launched recently. Following new ambitions based on intermediate implicit temperature targets for 2025 and 2030 set out in the revised version of its climate policy published in 2023, it built a new ESG portfolio management tool. Among the indicators that can be read directly with respect to both its portfolios and benchmarks on its dashboard are temperature, ESG ratings, quality of social dialogue, sustainable investment ratings as defined by the taxonomy and key performance indicators. A good example of this is AG2R's approach to the 93 management companies of the 200 private equity funds it invests in, where its annual survey now includes questions on energy efficiency and the representation of women on their boards.