USS has made and continues to make significant commitments to reduce climate change.
- We’re aiming to be Net Zero for our investments by 2050, if not before
- We’ve invested £200m in Bruc Energy, a Spanish solar energy platform
- We have over £1.9bn either invested or committed to renewables
Responsible investing isn’t something that’s new to us, we’ve been involved in it for over twenty years. We do this by integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into our investment decisions.
Here’s just a couple of examples of how we’ve made a positive impact to climate change with your pension contributions.
Climate stewardship - Moto
One of our portfolio companies is Moto, a leading motorway services provider. Watch our video to find out more about Moto’s new site in Rugby, which has a number of sustainable features including ultrarapid electric vehicle chargers. USS and Moto – working together for members.
Bruc Energy
In 2021 we took a 50% stake in Bruc Energy, a Spain and Portugal renewables focussed investment vehicle. We have invested €225M (c.£200m) in return for the stake in a major pipeline of 4000 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) farms. Bruc Energy has an ambitious growth plan that goes beyond this to invest in other green energies, such as wind power. Spain’s long days of sunshine and its national target to reach 100% renewable-based generation by 2050 make it an attractive place to invest in solar energy.
Net Zero flight to Glasgow
A collaboration between Heathrow, BA, Airbus, BP, Glasgow Airport and NATS led to a Net Zero flight powered by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), from Heathrow to Glasgow Airport in September 2021 (we have significant direct holdings in both Heathrow and NATs). The flight was powered by sustainable aviation fuel blended at 35% with traditional jet fuel, and the remaining emissions were offset. The aim of the flight was to demonstrate how far the aviation industry has progressed in its efforts to decarbonise.
Making Responsible Investment decisions supports our ambition to be a long-term investor, so we can pay you the pension you’ve earned long into the future.
To take a deeper dive into the other ways that we’ve made a positive difference with your contributions, take a look at our latest Stewardship Code Report.
You can go a step further and choose to invest your Investment Builder contributions ethically. This gives you the option to make investment choices based on your own ethical or moral principles, and also to deliver a good financial return. These are investments that avoid investing in companies and sectors such as arms, the production of fossil fuels or the production and sale of tobacco.
Find out what investment options you have, including how you can invest your savings ethically, on our choosing how to invest your savings page.
Published: 24 May 2022
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