Global investment manager Franklin Templeton announced today the establishment of a set of 2021 sustainability goals and priorities, encompassing ESG investing, diversity and inclusion, and the environment.

The company’s 2021 initiatives include the recent establishment of its Stewardship and Sustainability Council to guide the continued evolution of ESG infrastructure and best practices, announced last month, with responsibility for setting and supporting a common research agenda for stewardship and sustainability across the firm, in addition to tackling topics such as data requirements, transparency, and reporting.

On the diversity and inclusion front, Franklin Templeton committed to publicly disclose gender and ethnicity representation data as per the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment Information Report (EEO-1), and also introduced plans to invest in female and Black entrepreneurs and expand strategies to increase the attraction, recruitment and development of underrepresented employees, including a focus on further building inclusive leadership capabilities.

The firm’s environmental goals include expanding its Scope 3 emissions reporting, setting emissions targets and launching an Environmental Committee to advance existing green initiatives.

Jenny Johnson, President and CEO, said:

“The events of the past year, including the global pandemic and ongoing racial and social injustices, have further reinforced the importance of global citizenship both as a business imperative and as part of our responsibility as industry leaders.

“At Franklin Templeton, we have embedded principles of corporate citizenship into our company culture and our investment strategy. While there is more work to be done, we continue to make important strides to keep these values at the core of what we do for our stockholders, clients, employees and communities.”