Other investors are just getting started on their work.
The €36 billion Fonds de Reserve pour les Retraites, Paris, "monitors and prevents extra-financial risks that may have an impact not only on its investments, but also its reputation," said a spokeswoman at the pension fund.
"Indeed, risks for the FRR may arise from failure by a company in which it invests to observe universally recognized principles, such as those of the United Nations Global Compact and good governance, but also the international treaties ratified by France," she said. "Those engagements are synthesized in our (socially responsible investment) strategy" covering the period 2013 to 2017.
She added that FRR will launch its new socially responsible investment strategy next year, for the period 2018 to 2022, and the question of moving to a focus on the sustainable development goals will be presented to the responsible investment committee. "At this stage, FRR never refers to SDG while selecting, accounting or monitoring its asset managers," added the spokeswoman.
A spokeswoman for the €26 billion Etablissement de Retraite Additionnelle de la Fonction Publique, Paris, said executives are working on how to implement the goals in the fund strategy and are at the very beginning stages on the topic.
And as executives at the $213.7 billion California State Teachers' Retirement System, West Sacramento, "review our own ESG policy with our governing board, we will review the SDGs fit within our policy," said a spokeswoman in an email.
Executives at Brunel Pension Partnership Ltd., which runs the £28 billion ($37.5 billion) Brunel Pension Partnership, Bristol, England, are exploring how to use the sustainable development goals framework "as we go forward with developing the asset pool," said Dawn Turner, CEO.
"We are looking at what others have done successfully in this field, but are aware that this is a new and exciting area. Brunel has made a clear commitment to using the sustainable development goals as part of its how it delivers its services and engages with stakeholders."
The goals "offer an effective way to look at opportunities and risks, to translate the impact of our investment activities into real economy outcomes and provide a useful means of engaging with stakeholders," added Ms. Turner. She added that executives will consider the goals, as appropriate, regarding manager selection, monitoring and reporting.
Meanwhile, the NZ$35.7 billion ($25.7 billion) New Zealand Super, Auckland, has not conducted a specific analysis of the goals relative to the portfolio, said a spokeswoman. Its current approach to responsible investment is based on a number of investor and corporate standards relevant to the U.N.'s goals, such as the U.N. Global Compact's principles.
The spokeswoman said the most relevant piece of work completed by the fund relates to the goal on climate change. In August, the fund announced a reallocation of NZ$950 million in capital to lower-risk companies from those with high exposure to carbon emissions and reserves.