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Draft:EIRIS

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  • Comment: This is a wonderful advert for the organisation, but not such a good encyclopaedia article. Theroadislong (talk) 15:28, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

EIRIS was established in 1983 as the UK's first independent research agency for ethical investors. The organisation was originally funded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, the Quakers, the Church of England, and others.[1] It was founded at a time of increasing concern over Apartheid in South Africa. [2] Trevor Jepson, the founding chair of EIRIS, along with others, identified the need for investors to have access to information on companies operating in Apartheid-era South Africa.[3]

Areas of Activity

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EIRIS consisted of two main entities: the not-for-profit EIRIS Foundation and the subsidiary company Ethical Investment Research Services (EIRIS) Ltd. The EIRIS Foundation is a charity that supports and encourages responsible investment. EIRIS Ltd provided research on corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) and other ethical performance indicators to investor clients.[1]

EIRIS Ltd

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EIRIS was originally set up to provide fact sheets on individual companies and portfolios of shares. It provided lists of companies that met specific criteria, for example, not trading with Apartheid-era South Africa, and not having involvement in the armaments industry. EIRIS provided research only, it did not offer investment advice.[1]

The company produced the original research for the FTSE4Good index when it was launched in 2001. [4] The benchmark is a tool for investors seeking to invest in companies assessed to have good sustainability practices.[5]

The organisation tracked investment flows into ethical investment funds, and analysed their financial returns against those of the broader market. [6] [7] [8]

EIRIS was the provider of portfolio screening services to the Church of England in 2013 when the Financial Times uncovered that the church’s endowment was indirectly invested in the payday lender Wonga. The investment contravened the church's ethical investing policies which disallowed investments in lenders charging high interest rates.[9] The Church of England subsequently awarded the contract for portfolio screening to the US company MSCI. [10]

EIRIS merged with Vigeo in 2015 to become Vigeo Eiris.[11] The debt rating agency Moody's Corporation bought a majority stake in Vigeo Eiris in 2019. [12] Moody's integrated the Vigeo Eiris business into its ESG Solutions division, which it closed in 2024, resulting in redundancies. [13]

People

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Trevor Jepson

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Trevor Jepson was the founding chair of EIRIS and continued in his work there until 1997. He also helped to develop 'Stewardship', the UK's first ethical unit trust, which was launched by Friends Provident in 1984. Prior to his involvement in EIRIS, Trevor Jepson was secretary of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust.[14]

Peter Webster

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Peter Webster has been the CEO of the EIRIS Foundation since it was founded in 1983.[15] [16]

Alastair Hanton

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The banker and campaigner Alastair Hanton joined the EIRIS board in 1986, serving until 2020. In other roles, Hanton served as CEO of the National Girobank, supported the founding of the Fairtrade Foundation, and helped introduce the direct debits system in the UK.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Stephen Leather. "For the investor with a conscious." The Glasgow Herald. 13 January 1984. p. 7
  2. ^ Ethical Futures. (2016). "The Growth of Ethical Investment", p. 4. Available at [Ethical Futures](https://ethicalfutures.co.uk/assets/templates/ef/images/ef/whitepaper/Whitepaper-The%20Growth%20of%20Ethical%20Investment-0516.pdf).
  3. ^ Christopher Holdsworth and Roger Morton. "Trevor Jepson." The Guardian.3 March 2009. Trevor Jepson Obituary accessed October 20, 2024
  4. ^ "Half of FTSE firms not socially responsible". The Scotsman. 28 February 2001. p. 25. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  5. ^ "Taking the Moral SRI Ground". Sunday Tribune. 22 July 2001. p. 29. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  6. ^ "Investing in Ethics". The Scotsman. 7 November 2002. p. 37. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  7. ^ "Making Money". Sunday Independent. 9 April 2006. p. 122. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  8. ^ "Healthy profits from 'ethical' investing". The Guardian. 25 February 1989. p. 11. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  9. ^ Goff, Sharlene. "Church of England invests in Wonga backer." Financial Times, 25 July 2013. https://www.ft.com/content/1855c6bc-f544-11e2-b4f8-00144feabdc0.
  10. ^ Goff, Sharlene. "Church of England appoints US company to screen its investments." Financial Times, 30 January 2014. https://www.ft.com/content/47f30044-89b7-11e3-8829-00144feab7de.
  11. ^ Wheelan, Hugh. (2015). "Vigeo and EIRIS tie up and owners back business with €6.3m". Retrieved from [Responsible Investor](https://www.responsible-investor.com/v-e/).
  12. ^ Baker, Chris. (2019). "Moody's acquires ESG research and data firm Vigeo Eiris". Pensions & Investments. Retrieved from [Pensions & Investments](https://www.pionline.com/article/20190415/ONLINE/190419900/moody-s-acquires-esg-research-and-data-firm-vigeo-eiris).
  13. ^ "Moody's to Close ESG Solutions". Environmental Finance. Retrieved October 20, 2024, from [Environmental Finance](https://www.environmental-finance.com/content/news/moodys-to-close-esg-solutions-business-following-msci-tie-up.html).
  14. ^ Christopher Holdsworth and Roger Morton. "Trevor Jepson." The Guardian. 3 March 2009. Trevor Jepson Obituary accessed October 20, 2024
  15. ^ Azizuddin, Khalid. (2023). "Stakeholders wary of market consolidation as Moody’s closes ESG ratings business". Retrieved from [Responsible Investor](https://www.responsible-investor.com/stakeholders-wary-of-market-consolidation-as-moodys-closes-esg-ratings-business/).
  16. ^ "Morality Pay". The Observer. 5 February 1995. p. 40. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  17. ^ Felicity Lawrence. "Alastair Hanton obituary." The Guardian. 11 June 2021. Alastair Hanton Obituary accessed October 20, 2024
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