ESG – Our commitment
Abris Capital Partners has always sought to combine our interests with those of our limited partners, our portfolio companies, and our employees. In doing so, we have built a culture of ethical behavior, transparency, and social responsibility in our investments and our operations.
Addressing Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) issues is an essential element of investment risk management that, when performed well, will lead to additional value creation. Therefore, we are committed to continue building upon our current ESG 2020 Universe program to enhance the value for the firm, our portfolio companies, and our Limited Partners.
Fulfilling this commitment, we have incorporated our Responsible Investment Policy and our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Monitoring Procedure into our investment process. From initial due diligence to Investment Committee approval to post-investment monitoring, we evaluate ESG considerations at all stages of the investment process and work closely with our portfolio companies to develop their own ESG policies and procedures. Once an investment is made, we continue monitoring ESG risks to ensure our limited partners' interests are well protected.
Principles for Responsible Investment
Abris Capital Partners is a signatory of the Principles for Responsible Investment ("PRI") and has used the following six principles as a framework to develop its ESG policy across all its investment activities. >> more
We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes.
We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices.
We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest.
We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry.
We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles.
We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles.
The Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact
Since December 2018, Abris Capital Partners has been committed to the UN Global Compact corporate responsibility initiative and its principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.
Our ESG Management Process
Abris Capital Partners actively advocates responsible investing by integrating environmental, social and governance factors (ESG) at each stage of the investment process.
Pre-investment
Abris formally incorporated ESG standards into its investment due diligence process. The Deal Leaders are responsible for reviewing all potential investment targets from a corporate responsibility perspective in order to understand the profile and potential ESG risks of each company.
Exclusion List
Each target company is verified against the Abris Exclusion List. Abris refrains from investments in businesses included in this List.
100-day Plan
Deal Leaders are expected to prepare a 100-day plan addressing all ESG issues and preparing an ESG Action Plan for the acquired company.
Post-investment
Abris is an active investor in all portfolio companies, cooperating and monitoring their operations to address all ESG issues.
Portfolio companies are supported by an internal Abris ESG Team through ongoing consultations or by delivering templates and tools e.g. set of the anti-bribery procedures.
Abris manages the ESG risks and creates value of portfolio companies also through constant monitoring:
Quarterly ESG calls;
Annual ESG monitoring visits;
Monitoring and reporting on key environmental, social and governance indicators;
Determining areas of materiality which require further focus from the investment team to create value or mitigate risk;
Each portfolio company appointed a Compliance officer responsible for ESG, who is supervised by a sponsor at the level of the management board.
The ESG Team
During the last years, Abris Capital Partners has built a dedicated ESG Team. The Team consists of four members who are in Warsaw and Bucharest. The ESG Team works closely with the investment teams and the portfolio companies to support their ESG efforts.
Relations with LPs
Abris discloses the ESG data in its quarterly investors' reports.
Our ESG market activity
We strive to help advance consistent ESG integration in the private equity industry.
In 2018, Abris was a Partner of the publication dedicated to the current and potential portfolio companies "Ethical and social standards are the pathway for small and medium enterprises to collaborate with large clients" ( Standardy etyczne i socjalne przepustką dla małych i średnich przedsiębiorstw do współpracy z dużymi klientami ).
Publication has been prepared by the Working Group for Business Ethics and Responsible Business Conduct Standards operating as part of the Advisory Board for Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility – a subsidiary body to the Minister of Investment and Economic Development of the Republic of Poland.
We are a member of several organizations supporting ESG standards:
Invest Europe
UN PRI
Polish Private Equity and Venture Capital Association – Abris was chief architect and first chair of ESG Committee at Polish Private Equity and Venture Capital Association
Robert Sroka, ESG Director is a member of several working groups appointed by the Polish state administration dedicated to the topics of sustainable development and business ethics.
Our ESG Reports
Abris ESG Report 2018
ESG whistleblowing contact:
Robert Sroka
r.sroka@abris-capital.com