Responsibility

At GIP, making a positive contribution to the communities in which we operate is fundamental to our business and companies with which we work.

ESG at GIP

GIP’s ESG approach is results-focused and data-driven, integrating and managing ESG considerations throughout the life-cycle of an investment, focused on enhancing long-term value and delivering tangible improvements. We believe that respecting environmental, health & safety, labor, social, governance and business integrity considerations underpins GIP’s license to operate large-scale, critical national and economic infrastructure that impacts millions of people across the globe. As such, ESG 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 ESG trends have intensified that focus.

GIP is committed to adopting ESG 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 ESG performance. Furthermore, GIP endeavors to incorporate developments in ESG best practices through participation in industry group roundtables and leading collaboration with peers. We also recognize the importance of industry leadership and therefore aligned our practice with leading ESG organizations.

“We have conviction that there is a strong link between rigorous, outcome-focused ESG practices and better investment performance. As ESG tailwinds continue to accelerate, we believe that our ability to generate demonstrable results during our ownership will enhance the long-term value of our investments.”

Adebayo O. Ogunlesi
GIP Chairman and Managing Partner
From ‘Letter to Investors’, GIP 2021 ESG Report

Dedicated ESG Team

GIP has a dedicated ESG team with responsibility for ensuring the consistent application of our approach, working hand in hand with our Investment and Business Improvement teams and portfolio companies. To execute GIP’s ESG objectives and support the desired intensity of improvements, GIP has significantly expanded its team in recent years, comprised of members with former investment backgrounds, regulatory and policy backgrounds, ESG specialists with industrial / corporate backgrounds and specialists with development / impact backgrounds. 

GIP’s ESG Team is led by a GIP Partner  who reports directly to the Office of the Chairman and advises the Investment Committee. In addition, to accelerate the desired intensity of improvements and to provide detailed oversight, GIP created a cross-functional ESG Committee in 2020. GIP’s ESG Committee oversees the ESG program.

ESG Memberships

ESG Approach and Integration

Our ESG approach is harmonized  across all our equity and credit funds.  Our policy and approach are guided by responsible investing best practices including the UNPRI, World Bank Group Environmental, Health and Safety Guidelines, International Finance Corporation Performance Standards, and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board. View our ESG policy here.

Our materiality-based and disciplined ESG approach is applied throughout the investment life-cycle and aims to ensure we consider the key factors for a sector and country, allowing us to concentrate on what we believe is most critical. We expect to have variations in our investment approach and integration of ESG depending on type of investments (e.g., industry sector, geography, equity / credit, ownership structure / influence).  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 ongoing monitoring after investment.

GIP’s ESG integration approach includes:

1. Screening investment opportunities based on GIP’s Exclusions List (negative screening) and based on GIP’s desired ESG investment attributes (positive screening);
2. Identifying and assessing risks and opportunities during due diligence;
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 ambitious and tailored targets for ESG improvements, including a rigorous decarbonization plan; and
5. Focusing on delivering tangible results to create an attractive ESG case for incoming buyers when GIP exits.

Giving

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

Below are two examples of GIP’s program:

Engineering Tomorrow is a non-profit organization founded by Bill Wooburn, a former GE executive and a founding partner at GIP. The mission of Engineering Tomorrow is to expose high school students to engineering, with a focus on historically underrepresented populations in this field. Engineers develop labs that address relevant and pressing global problems that require an engineer’s expertise to solve, such as renewable energy, water reuse, and health and disease control. These virtual labs are delivered to over 200 schools annually. Since 2014, the program has served more than 32,000 students and 76% of participating students indicate an increased interest in engineering as a career after participating in these unique labs.

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, before becoming a founding partner of the AIP in the UK. Launched in 2021, the AIP aims to raise increase diversity in the industry. The AIP will provide training, mentoring, job opportunities and ongoing career support. AIP’s flagship Fellowship program will build on the success of the US program, which successfully placed over 90% of its participants into permanent positions within private equity and alternative asset managers.

• Disclaimer.
• _{While GIP seeks to integrate certain ESG 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 ESG policy or make investments in companies that create a positive ESG impact while achieving its investment strategy. In addition, applying ESG 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 ESG 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 ESG factors. Please also see SFDR Disclosures.}