Maple-Brown Abbott Australian Sustainable Future Fund

The Fund offers the opportunity to invest in companies we believe can deliver positive environmental or social outcomes aligned to one or more of our sustainable investment themes
Investments are assessed through negative and positive screening alongside fundamental valuation and analysis including integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities
The Fund is invested in Australian listed companies that we expect to positively contribute to a sustainable future

Positive screening and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

We use a negative and positive screening strategy, ESG integration and a comprehensive stewardship approach including company engagement and proxy voting. We apply a negative screen to our investment universe to exclude businesses that have material involvement in activities that detract from a sustainable future. We then apply a positive screen, further limiting the investment universe to companies that make a meaningful positive contribution to one or more of our sustainable investment themes. These themes are relevant to the Australian equity market and are informed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

How would the Fund suit clients’ investment portfolios?

The Fund is likely to be appropriate for investors who are seeking capital growth with an investment horizon of at least four years, have a high risk tolerance and are comfortable with the risks associated with investing in Australian equities.

Investment objective

The Fund aims to outperform the S&P/ASX 300 Total Return Index, after fees, over a four-year period.

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Fund facts
Inception date16/09/2009	Distribution frequencyQuarterly
BenchmarkS&P/ASX 300 Total Return Index	Minimum initial application$ 20,000
APIR codeMPL0544AU	Management fees and costs %*^0.90
Pricing frequency & cut-offDaily/2pm Sydney time on a Business Day	Buy/Sell spread %^0.19/0.19

*Management fees and costs for the Fund are made up of the management fee, indirect costs (if any) and estimated recoverable expenses.

^Additional fees and costs may also apply in relation to an investment in the Fund. For a full description of the fees and costs refer to the Product Disclosure Statement and Additional Information Booklet for the Fund.

The sustainable investment themes are:

Health and wellbeing – providing access to medical care and services or supporting an ageing and healthy population
Innovation and technology – advancing social outcomes through the provision of education and development of technology and innovative products and services
Circular economy – reducing waste and pollution through recycling, reuse and regeneration of materials and the sustainable use of natural resources
Low carbon future – providing the materials, infrastructure and technology needed for clean energy and reduced greenhouse gas emissions
Better communities – providing products and services (including but not limited to housing and building materials, leisure services, child care and communication services) that support a safe, prosperous and connected society
Sustainable infrastructure – designing and building the systems and structures to support socially and environmentally resilient urban development
Inclusive finance – enabling access to appropriate and affordable financial products and services
Food production and distribution – facilitating the production and distribution of safe, healthy, high-quality food

Our negative screen excludes companies that detract from a sustainable future. The Fund will not invest in companies that derive any revenue from one or more of the following business activities:

the manufacture of tobacco
manufacture, promotion, distribution or sale of controversial weapons or armaments (anti-personnel landmines, cluster munitions, chemical, biological and nuclear weapons)
the production, sale or distribution of ‘X’-rated images, videos or films.

Furthermore, the Fund will not invest in companies that derive more than 10% of their revenue from one or more of the following business activities:

the manufacture of alcohol
gambling
the extraction of fossil fuels including thermal coal, metallurgical coal, oil and gas
the generation of electricity from thermal coal
the extraction of uranium

In addition to these exclusions, we seek to not invest in companies that have a dominant supply chain exposure, either as a direct supplier or direct customer, to any of the excluded business activities. There is not a specific threshold for supply chain exposure, however, as an indicative guide, we will generally not invest in any company for which we estimate the supply chain exposure to excluded business activities to be greater than 50% of group revenue.

We use several valuation tools to rank our refined investment universe and generate stock ideas. Our experienced team then undertakes detailed quantitative and qualitative analysis to identify companies that are trading at a discount to our assessment of their underlying value. Qualitative analysis includes business and industry analysis, an assessment of the quality of management, key investment issues and risks and ESG factors.

The Fund provides exposure to a diversified portfolio constructed of our highest conviction opportunities which we expect to deliver strong risk-adjusted returns over the long term. We aim to invest across a broad selection of Australian companies and will typically hold 25–40 stocks.

Portfolio Managers

A team of experienced and dedicated investment professionals.

Christopher Hotop

Portfolio Manager, Australian Value Equities

Emma Pringle

Head of ESG and Portfolio Manager

Fund performance^

as at 31/03/2024

	1 mth %	3 mths %	1 yr % p.a.	3 yrs % p.a.	4 yrs % p.a.	5 yrs % p.a.	Since inception % p.a.*
Fund	4.1	7.8	12.6	11.6	18.7	9.0	7.3
Benchmark	3.3	5.4	14.4	9.4	16.0	9.2	8.1

From

^Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. No warranty can be given for future performance. Returns are volatile and may fluctuate quickly and significantly. Total return is based on the movement in net asset value per unit plus distributions and is before tax and after all fees and charges. Imputation credits are not included in the performance figures.
Source: Maple-Brown Abbott and S&P
* Inception date is 16 September 2009.