The updated Impact Investing Principles for Pensions, published in May 2025, provide a timely and practical roadmap for this shift. Developed by the Impact Investing Institute, the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), and Pensions for Purpose, the principles offer guidance that is fully aligned with fiduciary duty—showing how impact can be integrated at all stages of the investment process.
The four core principles outline how pension schemes of all sizes can get started or advance their impact investing approach:
- Identify your impact priorities
Define what matters to beneficiaries’ quality of life—such as climate resilience, public health, or thriving communities—and reflect these in your investment beliefs and policies. - Integrate impact across mandates
Use a Theory of Change to guide mandates, manager selection, and alignment—whether through full integration, dedicated carve-outs, or hybrid models. - Contribute to your intended impact
Actively support positive change using capital deployment, engagement, and influence—within the portfolio and across the market. - Measure, manage & report
Align measurement with your impact thesis using robust benchmarks. Evaluate progress over time and ensure transparency to beneficiaries and regulators alike.
The principles are designed to be flexible, acknowledging different starting points and resources. For pension funds in Norway exploring how to better align their capital with purpose, this framework offers clarity, credibility, and actionable steps.
Read the full principles:
Impact Investing Principles for Pensions – 2025 Edition
