NGS Super will roll its green shares option into a socially responsible investment (SRI) option later this year.
Despite Super Ratings reports showing a move away from standalone SRI options towards environmental, social and governance (ESG) overlays, chief executive of NGS Super Anthony Rodwell-Ball said the investment options had been developed in response to member demand.
He said its current Green Shares option had a purely environmental focus whereas the SRI option would inject slightly more social and governance factors into investment decisions excluding tobacco, pornography and armaments.
Although members would gain access to an investment option that lent itself to ESG considerations, Rodwell-Ball said the fund’s portfolio was still managed responsibly.
He said NGS Super was the first institutional investor into Social Venture Australia’s social benefit bond, investing half a million dollars into providing preventative social security programs.
The fund has achieved double-digit returns amid market volatility, reinforcing the value of long-term investment strategies for its members.
Australian super funds notched a third consecutive year of strong returns, with the median balanced option delivering an estimated 10.1 per cent over the 2024-25 financial year, but an economist has warned that the rally may be harder to sustain as key risks gather pace.
AustralianSuper has reported a 9.52 per cent return for its Balanced super option for the 2024–25 financial year, as markets delivered another year of strong performance despite the complex investing environment.
The profit-to-member super fund’s MySuper default option has returned 9.85 per cent for the financial year 2024–25.