Bencis invests in accordance with the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI) and factors in environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) in all its investment decisions. Bencis has been a signatory to the UNPRI since 2014.
We continuously strive for, and focus on, better performance. Results and financial returns are a consequence of what we do, not an objective in itself. We believe that long term success follows hard work and incremental improvement.
As a member of the European Venture Capital Association, Bencis is bound by the Invest Europe Code of Conduct:
Bencis supports the Ten Principles of UN Global Compact:
Since 2019, Bencis has incorporated United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in its ESG framework and reporting.
Where applicable, the key material themes, as identified through the ESG framework, are linked to the SDGs and underlying targets. By establishing a roadmap with objectives that aim to improve performance on the selected key material themes, companies can contribute to the selected SDGs.
Bencis supports the adoption of the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. Since 2020, Bencis started reporting on PRI’s climate-related disclosures.
So far, climate related risks and opportunities have been implicitly assessed within the annual ESG review. For example, an industry and geographical ESG risk exposure analysis is conducted using MSCI data, which includes exposure to climate change risks. Furthermore, carbon footprint assessments are conducted, and other climate change related risks and opportunities are assessed if they are deemed material.
From next year onwards, the TCFD recommendations will be more explicitly incorporated in the annual ESG review. Portfolio companies will be asked to assess the likelihood and impact of climate-related risks and opportunities, and how these have been factored into the organisation’s strategy and products.
Furthermore, the industry and geographical risk exposure analysis will be extended with the use of modelling tools (e.g. EasyXDI) to assess physical and transitional climate-risks.
In 2020, Bencis Capital Partners has been subject to an internal ESG review process as well, applying a similar approach as conducted for each of its portfolio companies. The five identified material themes include business travel, talent management and retention, responsible investing, corporate compliance and integration of sustainability principles. An action plan has been established, aiming to improve ESG performance on each of those themes in the coming years.
Furthermore, in 2009, Bencis offset CO2 emissions resulting from corporate travel for the first 10 years Bencis existed (1999-2009). In 2020, Bencis offset its carbon footprint for the next 10 years (2009-2019) via sustainable forestry project all over the world, including the creation of it’s own Bencis Forrest in the Netherlands. Per 2020, CO2 emissions due to corporate travel have been compensated on an annual basis through similar forestry projects.
Bencis fully supports the Paris agreement (2015) which aims to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future. Within Bencis we are in the progress of implementing the steps towards reaching these goals throughout our portfolio.
