(Paris) Nearly thirty international investment funds have announced that they are forming a coalition to raise awareness among companies in the technology sector of the effects of exposure to screens on the mental health and well-being of their consumers at the end of the chain, according to a statement Monday.
Initiated by Sycomore AM and Axa Investment Managers, the coalition brings together 27 institutional investors, including the American funds Boston Common AM and Trillium AM, and the asset manager Aviva Investors, which is very influential in the London financial centre.
These players, who have $2.11 billion in assets under management, explain that they are launching “a collaborative engagement initiative with companies from the tech sector”.
The investors intend to contribute to the implementation of good practices ranging from the mitigation of the risks of addiction to the safety of children online, or even the cooperation with the authorities to denounce online abuse.
Among the avenues announced, investors also want to push the companies they have under management to define short and medium-term objectives that allow shareholders to follow their developments on the subject.
“We are collectively aiming for a positive outcome, but if this is not satisfactory, we may have to implement our own escalation processes, such as lowering the ESG (environmental, social and governance criteria) rating , Editor’s note) of the company, the vote against management at the annual general meeting or the filing of a shareholder resolution”, warns Théo Kotula, ESG analyst at AXA IM and co-chairman of the coalition.
Thus, the 27 investors undertake to verify that “the companies contacted will develop action plans”, without however detailing a timetable or milestone.