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The Global Impact Equity Fund

Annual Impact Report

In 2024, the rise of AI and ongoing geopolitical conflicts heightened the need for sustainable solutions to environmental and social challenges.

Companies are innovating, from datacenter cooling to financial inclusion and healthcare advances. Our impact investing framework seeks to identify and support these leaders, driving positive change while navigating evolving ESG debates.

  1. Introduction
  2. Impact Goals and Case Studies
  3. Impact Outcomes
  4. Read Full Annual Report
  5. Thematic Insights

Introduction: 2024 Annual Impact Report

View Transcript
Global Impact Equity Strategy 2024 Annual Impact Report Introduction Video

We're really excited to present to you our 2024 Global Impact Equity Annual Report.

2024 saw two themes really dominate markets, the rise of the prominence of artificial intelligence and unfortunately, geopolitical strife.

We believe that impact investing goes a long way towards solving for the sustainability challenges.

For instance, companies that help data centers cool their operations down, bringing greenhouse gases down and reducing the risk of global warming.

On the social front, companies that promote financial inclusion in underserved communities are ones we continue to remain very excited about over many years.

These companies, in our view, have tailwinds attached to their business model that should last for many years to come.

Our 2024 Annual report attempts to measure the impact from our portfolio companies by presenting case studies and key performance indicators.

We hope you enjoy our annual report.
 

In this video, Hari Balkrishna, Portfolio Manager at T. Rowe Price, offers a brief introduction to the 2024 Annual Impact Report.

2024 saw two themes really dominate markets, the rise of the prominence of artificial intelligence, and unfortunately geopolitical strife.

Our 2024 annual report attempts to measure the impact from our portfolio companies by presenting case studies and key performance indicators.

Our easy-to-use Global Impact Equity Portfolio Tool gives you the ability to see exactly what companies we invest in and how they fit into our impact investment framework. Our select company case studies provide deeper insights on the rationale for their inclusion from both an impact and financial perspective.

All of the companies within the portfolio sit under our impact pillars and impact sub pillars.

Select a sub pillar below to view companies and their case studies.

Climate and Resource Impact Pillar
Reducing Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)

Reducing Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)

Aimed at decreasing greenhouse gas emissions through renewable energy generation, energy efficiency, and supporting technologies that facilitate decarbonisation.

View Associated Holdings
33.87%
Nurturing Circular Economies

Nurturing Circular Economies

Promotes waste reduction and materials reuse, aiming for economies that minimize waste and maximise resource use.

View Associated Holdings
7.73%
Promoting Healthy Ecosystems

Promoting Healthy Ecosystems

Focuses on biodiversity, conservation, sustainable agriculture, and natural resource preservation aiming to restore ecosystems and promote sustainability.

View Associated Holdings
4.52%
Social Equity and Quality of Life
Improving Health

Improving Health

Focuses on companies advancing healthcare delivery, developing treatments, and improving affordability and access for better health outcomes.

View Associated Holdings
22.89%
Enabling Social Equity

Enabling Social Equity

Promotes equality and inclusiveness by providing services to underserved communities, enhancing education access, and ensuring equal opportunities for all.

View Associated Holdings
24.53%
Enhancing Quality of Life

Enhancing Quality of Life

Investments improve living standards via access to essential services like safety and cybersecurity, enhancing life quality in disadvantaged areas.

View Associated Holdings
4.84%

Pillars and sub-pillar are proprietary to T. Rowe Price and were developed for the purpose of aligning portfolio holdings according to the impact being delivered. Data shown for T. Rowe Price Global Impact Equity Fund as of December 31, 2024. Subject to change without notice. Figures may not total due to rounding.

Note: Effective 1 April 2025, we removed the third pillar, Sustainable Innovation and Productivity, from our impact framework. This decision was driven by several factors: (1) the Sustainable Innovation and Productivity pillar became redundant, as securities within the pillar report against impact objectives that fit within the other pillars; (2) adopting a two-pillar model aligns with regulatory developments in some countries related to impact measurement and reporting; and (3) simplifying to a two-pillar model enhances clarity for our clients. As part of this change and to enhance clarity around our framework, we also changed the "Enhancing Quality of Life" sub pillar to "Improving Safety & Security". As new information becomes available and we innovate upon our approach, individual alignments may change from time to time. In this case, changes will only be made if we believe it enhances clarity for our clients.

All of the companies within the portfolio are aligned to at least one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

Select a goal below to view companies and their case studies.

Data shown for the T. Rowe Price Global Impact Equity Fund as of December 31, 2024. Subject to change without notice. The securities represent 100% of the publicly traded securities in the portfolio. There were no holdings primarily aligned with UN SDGs 1, 4, 11, 13, 14, 15, or 17. Figures may not total due to rounding . Source for images: United Nations. The trademarks shown are the property of their respective owners. Use does not imply endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation of T. Rowe Price with any of the trademark owners. As new information becomes available and we innovate upon our approach, individual alignments may change from time to time. In this case, changes will only be made if we believe it enhances clarity for our clients. 

The companies in the portfolio come from a broad range of industries.

Select an industry below to view companies and their case studies. Click here for the full list of industries.

1. Software

Software

Application software enhances efficiency throughout the value chain, helping customers minimize their environmental impact or fostering SME development.

Fund: 12.95%
Index: 0.63%
Relative: 12.32%

View Associated Companies
2. Banks

Banks

Emerging Markets financial institutions enable financial inclusion, retail SME formation and economic growth.

Fund: 11.12%
Index: 0.14%
Relative: 10.98%

View Associated Companies
3. Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceutical companies provide innovative medical treatment at scale to improve patient outcomes.

Fund: 6.96%
Index: 1.12%
Relative: 5.84%

View Associated Companies
4. Life Sciences Tools & Services

Life Sciences Tools & Services

Life science tools companies help drive innovation and reduce manufacturing cost in healthcare which improves patient outcomes.

Fund: 6.61%
Index: 0.47%
Relative: 6.14%

View Associated Companies
5. Machinery

Machinery

Machinery companies include multi-industrial companies that enable environmental solutions such as metering or flow control products.

Fund: 6.57%
Index: 0.25%
Relative: 6.32%

View Associated Companies
6. Electrical Equipment

Electrical Equipment

Companies manufacturing and distributing electrical equipment like motors, transformers, and switchgear for industrial, commercial, and utility use.

Fund: 6.51%
Index: 0.30%
Relative: 6.21%

View Associated Companies
7. Commercial Services & Supplies

Commercial Services & Supplies

Commercial services companies include environmental and facilities services such as waste management and water treatment companies.

Fund: 5.91%
Index: 0.09%
Relative: 5.82%

View Associated Companies
8. Health Care Equipment & Supplies

Health Care Equipment & Supplies

Healthcare equipment companies provide medical technology such as robotic surgery or orthopedics which improves patient outcomes.

Fund: 5.62%
Index: 0.43%
Relative: 5.19%

View Associated Companies
9. Electronic Equipment Instruments & Components

Electronic Equipment Instruments & Components

Electronic equipment companies provide critical parts to environmental and healthcare solutions such as sensors or connectors.

Fund: 5.54%
Index: 0.20%
Relative: 5.34%

View Associated Companies
10. Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment

Companies in the semiconductor ecosystem improve energy efficiency across the value chain, resulting in significant reductions in emissions.

Fund: 4.28%
Index: 0.45%
Relative: 3.83%

View Associated Companies

Data shown for the T. Rowe Price Global Impact Equity Fund as of December 31, 2024. Subject to change without notice. T. Rowe Price uses the current MSCI/S&P Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) for sector and industry reporting. Index refers to MSCI All Country World ex-Australia Index (net of withholding tax).

At T. Rowe Price we implement limited sets of exclusions on our portfolios. View Our Exclusion Policy

Impact outcomes

The companies in which the Global Impact Equity Fund invests deliver positive contributions across several areas of impact. While the absolute level of impact associated with each company may be sizable, the extent to which impact is associated with any one strategy naturally relies on the level of investment made. As such, the below data1 are presented in two ways: (1) in aggregate at the company level and (2) normalised to represent the impact associated with USD 1 million invested in the Global Impact Equity Fund.

 

980.4 million

metric tons of CO2e2 avoided at the company level

198

metric tons of CO2e avoided per USD 1 million invested

ASML, Brookfield Renewable Partners, Canadian National Railway, Deere, Delta Electronics, Docusign, First Solar, Hubbell, Infineon Technologies, Ingersoll Rand, Linde, National Grid, PG&E, Roper Technologies, Schneider Electric, SPIE, TE Connectivity, Tesla, Trane Technologies, Waste Connections, Xylem

 

1.3 billion

cubic meters of water saved at the company level

494

cubic meters of water saved per USD 1 million invested

Veralto, Vertiv, Xylem, Docusign

 

3.3 million

metric tons of waste avoided at the company level

2

metric tons of waste avoided per USD 1 million invested

Trex, Waste Connections, Docusign

 

406.3 million

patients treated at the company level

46

patients treated per USD 1 million invested

Intuitive Surgical, Sonova, Stryker, Danaher, Thermo Fisher Scientific, AstraZeneca, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Eli Lilly

 

54.7 million

underbanked people served3 at the company level

12

underbanked people served per USD 1 million invested

Axis Bank, Bank Central Asia, Bank Rakyat Indonesia, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Nu Holdings, Popular, OneMain, Chailease

 

3.65 billion

people provided with access to safe drinking water and sanitation at the company level

1303

people provided with access to safe drinking water and sanitation per USD 1 million invested

Linde, Veralto

Read the full annual report

Our 30+ page report contains:

checkmark  Portfolio alignment and changes (pg. 5)

checkmark  Impact outcomes and case studies (pg. 7)

checkmark  Active ownership (pg. 14)

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We remain steadfast in our view that the companies providing sustainable solutions are also helping their customers and clients save costs, improve efficiency, and enhance productivity.
Hari Balkrishna Hari Balkrishna Portfolio Manager
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The Global Impact Equity Fund

Since the launch of the fund in 2021, we have made several refinements to:

  • Strengthen investment process and improve data quality.
  • Enhance impact reporting focused on transparency and the environmental / social impact of investments.
  • Improve our engagement with the management teams of the companies that we own to increase our understanding of real-world impact.
Learn More About the Fund

For the latest portfolio holdings, positioning and reports, visit our detailed product page.

1 For illustrative purposes only. The impact outcomes provided here can be susceptible to potential inconsistencies due to lack of precise information. Companies do not measure or report in a consistent or uniform way. Where information is not available, we have not included a company’s contribution within the impact outcome. This means that these estimates may actually be conservative, but as companies get better at measuring impact, we expect these data points to become even more precise. Additionally, normalized data estimates the impact of the portfolio’s holdings and is calculated by multiplying each core impact KPI at the aggregate company level by the fraction of the company’s total enterprise value including cash (EVIC) that is owned by the portfolio based on a hypothetical investment of USD 1 million for the period end. Individual company results may vary significantly and may not achieve the same level of impact in the future. Based on company reported data, T. Rowe Price estimates, and Net Purpose estimates.

2 CO2e: carbon dioxide equivalent or CO2 equivalent. This metric is used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases on the basis of their global warming potential by converting amounts of other gases to the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide with the same global warming potential. Source: Eurostat.

3 Underbanked refers to people who do not have sufficient access to mainstream financial services.

Additional Disclosures

Holdings shown are for illustrative purposes only and are subject to change without notice.

The specific securities identified and described are for informational purposes only and do not represent recommendations or statement of opinion intended to influence a person or persons in making a decision in relation to investment. The specific securities identified and described do not represent all of the securities purchased, sold, or recommended for the portfolio, and no assumptions should be made that the securities identified and discussed were or will be profitable. T. Rowe Price may have ongoing business and/or client relationships with the companies mentioned in the report.

The use of impact key performance indicators ("KPI") is not intended to provide a forward-looking view on the likely performance of each issuer held in the portfolio. Instead, it is intended to document how we will assess the positive additional impact that each issuer’s economic activities are having on the real world. For example, we would note that increasing revenue streams from sustainable economic activities does not necessarily equate to increasing profits, nor does it necessarily equate to positive share price performance. Our investment analysis will also focus on the profitability and perceived value of each issuer and their sustainable initiatives, but this does not form part of the impact KPI.

Important Information

Equity Trustees Limited (“Equity Trustees”) (ABN: 46 004 031 298, AFSL: 240975), is the Responsible Entity for the T. Rowe Price Australian Unit Trusts ("the Fund"). Equity Trustees is a subsidiary of EQT Holdings Limited (ABN: 22 607 797 615), a publicly listed company on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: EQT).

This material has been prepared by T. Rowe Price Australia Limited ("TRPAU") (ABN: 13 620 668 895, AFSL: 503741) to provide you with general information only. In preparing this information, we did not take into account the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It is not intended to take the place of professional advice and you should not take action on specific issues in reliance on this information. Neither TRPAU, Equity Trustees nor any of its related parties, their employees or directors, provide and warranty of accuracy or reliability in relation to such information or accepts any liability to any person who relies on it.

Past performance is not a guarantee or a reliable indicator of future results.You should obtain a copy of the Product Disclosure Statement, which is available from Equity Trustees (www.eqt.com.au/insto) or TRPAU (www.troweprice.com.au/investor), before making a decision about whether to invest in the Fund named in this material.

The Fund’s Target Market Determination is available here www.eqt.com.au/trprice. It describes who this financial product is likely to be appropriate for (i.e. the target market), and any conditions around how the product can be distributed to investors. It also describes the events or circumstances where the Target Market Determination for this financial product may need to be reviewed.

Information and opinions presented have been obtained or derived from sources believed to be reliable and current; however, we cannot guarantee the sources' accuracy or completeness. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. The views contained herein are as of the date noted on the material and are subject to change without notice; these views may differ from those of other T. Rowe Price group companies and/or associates. Under no circumstances should the material, in whole or in part, be copied or redistributed without consent from T. Rowe Price.

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