Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 65.76
Liaison Shahrzad Tehrani
Submission Date Jan. 14, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of Washington, Bothell
PA-10: Sustainable Investment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.09 / 5.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Positive sustainability investment

Total value of the investment pool:
6,537,000,000 US/Canadian $

Value of holdings in each of the following categories:
Value of holdings
Sustainable industries (e.g., renewable energy or sustainable forestry) 88,000,000 US/Canadian $
Businesses selected for exemplary sustainability performance (e.g., using criteria specified in a sustainable investment policy) 685,000,000 US/Canadian $
Sustainability investment funds (e.g., a renewable energy or impact investment fund) 18,800,000 US/Canadian $
Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) or the equivalent 0 US/Canadian $
Socially responsible mutual funds with positive screens (or the equivalent) 0 US/Canadian $
Green revolving funds funded from the endowment 0 US/Canadian $

If any of the above is greater than zero, provide:

A brief description of the companies, funds, and/or institutions referenced above:
The UW’s investment portfolio includes sustainable industries including among others solar, wind, and renewable energy technologies. The UW has invested in sustainability focused funds. The UW also owns substantial sustainable university trust forest lands.

Percentage of the institution's investment pool in positive sustainability investments:
12.11

Part 2. Investor engagement

Sustainable investment policy 

Does the institution have a publicly available sustainable investment policy?:
Yes

None
A copy of the sustainable investment policy:
---

None
The sustainable investment policy:
University of Washington Treasury Office Global Climate Change Initiatives - proposed and adopted November 2013

The UW Investments Office Proposes the following actions to further the University’s efforts to support sustainability and the concern over global climate change:

1. Create New Research Assistant (RA) position
2. Increase alternative energy investments
3. Incorporate ESG factors into investment analysis and decision making
4. Explore opportunities for shareholder advocacy on climate change
5. Establish a framework for future engagement with students

These efforts are aligned with the broader university mission and will enhance the UW's position as a leader in sustainability.

From University of Washington's Statement's Investment Policy:

D. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. While fiscal goals are of central importance, due consideration shall be given to the degree of corporate responsibility exercised by the companies in which investments are made.
2. Direct investment in companies doing business in Sudan whose business activities support the Sudanese government in its continuing sponsorship of genocidal actions and human rights violations in Darfur is prohibited.
3. Direct investment in tobacco companies is prohibited.
4. Direct investment in coal companies whose principal business is the mining of coal for energy is prohibited.

None
Does the institution use its sustainable investment policy to select and guide investment managers?:
Yes

A brief description of how the sustainable investment policy is applied:
The UW used its Global Climate Change Initiative to guide the selection of an investment in a Global Environmental Opportunities funded January 2015. UWINCO also conducts an ESG risk and opportunity analyses for investments, avoids investments deemed to have material ESG risks, and votes climate oriented proxies.

Proxy voting 

Has the institution engaged in proxy voting, either by its CIR or other committee or through the use of guidelines, to promote sustainability during the previous three years?:
Yes

None
A copy of the proxy voting guidelines or proxy record:
---

None
A brief description of how managers are adhering to proxy voting guidelines:
Investment Policy delegates the following ESG authority to the UWINCO CIO: Engage in shareholder activism as appropriate on environmental, social, and governance issues including global climate change and human rights issues such as Burma (Myanmar).

Managers of custodied accounts are instructed to vote climate-related proxies according to ISS Climate Proxy Voting Guidelines.

Shareholder resolutions 

Has the institution filed or co-filed one or more shareholder resolutions that address sustainability or submitted one or more letters about social or environmental responsibility to a company in which it holds investments during the previous three years?:
No

Examples of how the institution has engaged with corporations in its portfolio about sustainability issues during the previous three years:
Climate-related proxies in custodied accounts are voted according to ISS Climate Proxy Voting Guidelines.

Divestment efforts and negative screens

Does the institution participate in a public divestment effort and/or have a publicly available investment policy with negative screens?:
Yes

A brief description of the divestment effort or negative screens and how they have been implemented:
1. While fiscal goals are of central importance, due consideration shall be given to the degree of corporate responsibility exercised by the companies in which investments are made.

2. Direct investment in companies doing business in Sudan whose business activities support the Sudanese government in its continuing sponsorship of genocidal actions and human rights violations in Darfur is prohibited.

3. Direct investment in tobacco companies is prohibited.

4. Direct investment in coal companies whose principal business is the mining of coal for energy is prohibited.

Approximate percentage of endowment that the divestment effort and/or negative screens apply to:
21

Investor networks 

Does the institution engage in policy advocacy by participating in investor networks and/or engage in inter-organizational collaborations to share best practices?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the investor networks and/or collaborations:
Intentional Endowments Network, Carbon Disclosure Project signatory

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable investment efforts is available:
https://www.uwinco.uw.edu/policies/

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The University of Washington's endowments and investments are consolidated, so these numbers are for the UW system as a whole.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.