Energy Transition & Sustainability - Global Infrastructure Partners
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Energy Transition & Sustainability

RESPONSIBILITY

We aspire to be one of the world’s leading owners, developers, and operators of renewable energy assets, in line with GIP's commitment to facilitating the global energy transition. We have a team focused on decarbonization investment opportunities across our targeted sectors.

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Approach and Integration

At GIP, making a positive contribution to the communities in which we operate is fundamental both to our business and to the operations of our portfolio companies.

GIP’s Environmental, Social and Governance approach is results-focused and data-driven, seeking to integrate and manage Environmental, Social and Governance considerations throughout the life-cycle of an investment, with a view to enhancing the long-term value of our investments and delivering tangible improvements where feasible and appropriate.

We believe that respecting environmental, health & safety, labor, social, governance, and business integrity considerations are crucial underpinnings for GIP’s license to operate large-scale, critical national and economic infrastructure that impacts millions of people across the globe. As such, Environmental, Social and Governance concerns have long been at the core of GIP’s approach to investing and operating our businesses in a safe and responsible manner. Climate change and broader Environmental, Social and Governance trends have intensified that focus.

GIP strives to adopt Environmental, Social and Governance best practices and became a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (“UNPRI”) in 2020, providing third-party challenge and assurance internally and externally of our Environmental, Social and Governance performance. Furthermore, GIP endeavors to keep abreast of developments in Environmental, Social and Governance best practices through participation in industry group roundtables and leading collaboration with peers.

We also recognize the importance of industry leadership on climate action, and as part of our commitment to mitigate the impacts of climate change, GIP seeks to align itself and actively engages with leading organizations focused on climate change. GIP is a public supporter of the Task Force on Climate related Financial Disclosures (“TCFD”), and aims to align with TCFD practices and reporting (Please see TCFD Alignment Document); a founding member of the private equity group supporting the One Planet Sovereign Wealth Fund Framework (“OPSWF”), an initiative launched in 2018 to support the initiatives of TCFD, the acceleration of the integration of climate-related risks and opportunities into large, long-term asset pools and the goals of the Paris Agreement; and a member of the North American Chapter of Initiative Climat International (“iCI”).

Facilitating the Energy Transition

Facilitating the Energy Transition

GIP views energy transition as the single biggest investment opportunity, potentially requiring an estimated $5 trillion to $10 trillion of investments per year to reinvent the global energy system. GIP is aiming to capitalize on its leadership in renewables, expertise in midstream and transport infrastructure and strong relationships with business and government leaders to contribute efficiently to the world’s decarbonization.

ESG Investment Life-Cycle Integration

GIP seeks to thoughtfully integrate and manage our materiality-based and disciplined ESG approach throughout the investment life-cycle and aims to ensure we consider the key factors for a particular sector and country allowing us to concentrate on what we believe is most critical. ESG considerations for our equity investments are integrated into our investment process, from origination to exit, with the goal of enhancing positioning and long-term value and delivering results, while GIP’s ESG integration for credit products primarily focuses on negative screening during sourcing opportunities, evaluation of material ESG factors during due diligence, and where possible, ongoing monitoring after investment.

Integration of ESG Issues and Opportunities Throughout Life-Cycle of an Investment

GIP Graphic V2

GIP’s ESG integration approach for equity funds typically includes1

  1. Screening investment opportunities based on GIP’s Exclusions List and based on GIP’s desired ESG investment attributes;
  2. Identifying and assessing risks and opportunities during due diligence, including climate risk and decarbonization action;
  3. Developing and executing on an improvement plan during our ownership, refining that plan with the goal of driving up performance in line with peers, regulation and international best practice;
  4. Setting tailored targets for ESG improvements, including a rigorous decarbonization plan informed by science-based or best-in-class sector pathways; and
  5. Focusing on delivering tangible results to create an attractive ESG case for incoming buyers when GIP exits.

For our credit investments, we seek to ensure that reputational, financial, and legal risks to GIP and subsequently our investors have been addressed prior to a transaction completion due to our often limited level of influence and governance rights post investment.

1 For each investment, the approach will be applied to the extent feasible and appropriate in GIP’s discretion.

Responsible Investing Memberships

Pri

Signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (2020)

One Planet

Founding member of the private equity group supporting the One Planet Sovereign Wealth Fund (2020).

IC

Member of Initiative Climate International’s North American Chapter (2022)

TNFD

Member of The Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosure Forum (2023)

ilpa

Participant in ILPA’s EDCI, a benchmarking effort to aggregate general partner and limited partner ESG data by Boston Consulting Group (2022)

Him for Her

Member of Him For Her, focused on Board gender diversity (2022)

Thirty Percent

Thirty Percent Coalition, focused on Board gender diversity (2021)

ilpa

Signatory to the Diversity in Action Initiative (2023)

Out

Out Investors LGBT+ Network

TCFD

Public supporter of The Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (2022).

Giving at GIP

GIP is committed to meaningfully helping the communities in which we live and work. We engage with several impactful initiatives that support our communities through strategic partnerships, charitable giving, team involvement, and other support. GIP’s charitable program is focused on social mobility and diversity, and is helmed by our flagship charity Engineering Tomorrow and various other charitable partners.

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Focused on Giving

Engineering Tomorrow is a public charity founded by Bill Woodburn, a founding partner of GIP. Engineering Tomorrow inspires high school students to pursue an engineering degree in order to create a larger, more diverse and intellectually curious engineering workforce to help solve the technology challenges of the future.

GIP and other engineering professionals develop labs for use by the students that address relevant and pressing technology problems that require an engineer’s expertise to solve, such as renewable energy, water reuse, and disease prevention. Since 2014, the program has served more than 300,000 students, and data suggests that 24% of students who engage in these labs go on to enroll as engineering majors in college.

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) supports talented individuals from underrepresented groups in pursuing careers across leading industries. GIP has been involved in SEO’s US Alternative Investments Program (AIP) for several years, and recently became a founding partner of the AIP in the UK. Launched in 2021, the AIP aims to raise increase diversity in the industry. The AIP provides training, mentoring, job opportunities and ongoing career support. AIP’s UK flagship Fellowship program will build on the success of the US program, which has placed over 90% of its participants into permanent positions with private equity and alternative asset managers.

Girls Who Invest (GWI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the investment management industry by attracting and advancing women investors, change-makers, and leaders. Research has proven that differences in perspective, experience, and investment approach can enhance long-term investing success. Girls Who Invest is committed to bringing more voices to the table to achieve this success.

Engineering Tomorrow
Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO)
Girls Who Invest
Focused on Giving

pexels-tiff-ng-2097616 1

Engineering Tomorrow is a public charity founded by Bill Woodburn, a founding partner of GIP. Engineering Tomorrow inspires high school students to pursue an engineering degree in order to create a larger, more diverse and intellectually curious engineering workforce to help solve the technology challenges of the future.

GIP and other engineering professionals develop labs for use by the students that address relevant and pressing technology problems that require an engineer’s expertise to solve, such as renewable energy, water reuse, and disease prevention. Since 2014, the program has served more than 300,000 students, and data suggests that 24% of students who engage in these labs go on to enroll as engineering majors in college.

SEO-min-(1)-NEW

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) supports talented individuals from underrepresented groups in pursuing careers across leading industries. GIP has been involved in SEO’s US Alternative Investments Program (AIP) for several years, and recently became a founding partner of the AIP in the UK. Launched in 2021, the AIP aims to raise increase diversity in the industry. The AIP provides training, mentoring, job opportunities and ongoing career support. AIP’s UK flagship Fellowship program will build on the success of the US program, which has placed over 90% of its participants into permanent positions with private equity and alternative asset managers.

GirlsWhoInvest-min-(1)-NEW

Girls Who Invest (GWI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the investment management industry by attracting and advancing women investors, change-makers, and leaders. Research has proven that differences in perspective, experience, and investment approach can enhance long-term investing success. Girls Who Invest is committed to bringing more voices to the table to achieve this success.

Investing in Sustainability

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Investing in Sustainability

Our aspiration is that a GIP investment is not only a net positive for investors but creates a well-operated experience for customers and the people that work there, as well as having a positive economic impact for the surrounding communities.

Disclaimer.
While GIP seeks to integrate certain Environmental, Social and Governance factors into its overall investment management processes, there is no guarantee that GIP will be able to successfully apply such standards or strategies or will otherwise be able to successfully implement its Environmental, Social and Governance policy or make investments in companies that create a positive Environmental, Social and Governance impact while achieving its investment strategy. In addition, applying Environmental, Social and Governance factors to investment decisions is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there is no guarantee that the criteria utilized by GIP, or any judgment exercised by GIP, will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor. GIP’s interpretations and decisions are expected to differ from others’ views and have evolved and will continue to evolve over time. In addition, there are variations taken in the firm’s Environmental, Social and Governance approach depending on the nature of the investment (e.g., sector, geography, ownership structure and control or non-control interest). For the avoidance of doubt, GIP does not expect to subordinate investment returns or increase investment risks as a result of (or in connection with) the consideration of any Environmental, Social and Governance factors. Please also see SFDR Disclosures.