In 2015, the BBFAW initiated the first-ever international collaborative initiative aimed at encouraging major global food companies to strengthen their management systems and processes on farm animal welfare.
The collaboration involves the participating investors writing annually to the companies covered by the Benchmark, commending leading and improving companies on their performance, and encouraging poorer performers to improve. These letters also explain that investors see farm animal welfare as a business risk that needs to be managed effectively and as a potential future source of business opportunity and growth. The participating investors follow up these letters by raising farm animal welfare related issues with companies as part of their wider engagement with these companies.
These efforts have had a significant influence, with many companies now pointing to investor engagement and the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare as key influences on their approach to farm animal welfare.
As of January 2022, 32 investors, representing £1.9 trillion in assets under management, were participants in the Global Investor Collaboration on Farm Animal Welfare. The participants are:
Aberdeen Standard Investments
AMP Capital Ethical Leaders Fund
Australian Ethical Investment
Aviva Investors
Bâtirente
BNP Paribas Asset Management
Boston Trust Walden
Brunel Pension Partnership
Candriam
Cardano
Castlefield Investment Partners LLP
CCLA
Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church
Coller Capital
EdenTree Investment Management
Epworth Investment Management
Ethical Partners Funds Management
Greenbank
Karner Blue Capital
KBI Global Investors
Länsförsäkringar Fondförvaltning AB
NEI Investments
NN Group
OpenInvest
Robeco
RRSE
Simplicity
Sonen Capital
The Sustainability Group of Loring, Wolcott & Coolidge Trust, LLC
Trillium Asset Management
Triodos Investment Management
Vaudoise Assurances Holding SA
To join the Global Investor Collaboration on Farm Animal Welfare or to find out more, please contact: secretariat@bbfaw.com.