The Emissions Line Almost No One Reports
Most Scope 3 reporting covers supply chain, travel, and waste. Category 15 — financed emissions from your employer-sponsored retirement plan — is almost always missing. Not because it's immaterial, but because it's never been measured.
Your plan's fund holdings finance carbon-intensive industries the same way a bank loan does. Under the GHG Protocol, those emissions belong on your disclosure. PCAF (Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials) provides the methodology; Investature provides the measurement.
We calculate the carbon intensity of your plan's actual holdings using the Weighted Average Carbon Intensity (WACI) metric — tonnes of CO2 per million dollars of revenue — and deliver an annual report you can put straight into your CDP response, your TCFD filing, or your sustainability report.
What the Data Shows
In a typical defined-contribution plan with a conventional fund menu, financed emissions run roughly 15 tCO2e per employee per year — comparable to all business travel and commuting combined. For some companies, the retirement plan's emissions are 30 times higher than all direct operations.
How this Connects to Your Commitments :
SBTi: Quantify plan emissions in your Scope 3 baseline. We provide the data in a format your verifier can use.
TCFD/ISSB: Annual financed-emissions report compatible with climate-risk disclosure frameworks.
Second Nature / Higher-Ed Carbon Commitment: Answer the question every university board asks: "Why are we divesting the endowment but ignoring the 403(b)?"
Board-Level Climate Pledges: Demonstrate that sustainability reaches employee benefits, not just operations. Zero additional CapEx required.
By making investment impacts visible and actionable, organizations gain an additional lever for driving measurable progress toward sustainability objectives.
Our Offerings
Investature helps sustainability leaders measure and use the environmental impact of their investments, turning retirement plans and portfolios into tangible contributions to sustainability goals.
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Measure What Traditional Sustainability Programs Often Miss
Investature's proprietary financed emissions impact model enables organizations to analyze, measure, and report on the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their investment choices. Get a an overview of our platform by clicking here.
Our Financial Emissions Calculator provides ongoing analysis of the environmental footprint of investment portfolios and helps organizations incorporate investment-related emissions into broader sustainability programs.
Key Benefits
Quantify financed emissions associated with investments
Support ESG and sustainability reporting efforts
Evaluate the impact of alternative investment strategies
Understand how investment decisions influence environmental outcomes
Incorporate investment impacts into climate action plans
For many organizations, financed emissions represent a significant opportunity to accelerate sustainability outcomes without operational disruption.
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Align Investment Strategy With Sustainability Objectives
Investature provides investment consulting services that help organizations evaluate investment allocation opportunities while balancing financial performance and environmental impact.
We work alongside organizational leaders to identify investment options that align with sustainability priorities while maintaining strong fiduciary standards and long-term financial objectives.
Our advisory services can support:
One-time investment evaluations
Ongoing investment guidance
Climate action plan integration
Sustainable investment option analysis
Investment strategy reviews
We specialize in identifying opportunities that support both financial and environmental outcomes.
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Turn Sustainability Into Part of Your Organizational Culture
Successful sustainability programs depend on engagement.
Investature develops customized education programs that help employees understand the connection between investment decisions, personal financial goals, and environmental impact.
Through tailored workshops, communications strategies, and educational resources, organizations can create stronger employee participation and deeper alignment around sustainability initiatives.
Program Components
Employee workshops and presentations
Sustainable investing education
Financial sustainability awareness campaigns
Communication strategy development
Customized learning experiences
Ongoing educational support
These programs help employees become active participants in organizational sustainability efforts rather than passive observers.
"Investature is filling a much-needed gap in the marketplace by giving employees the education and resources they need to turn their financial assets into climate's greatest superpower."
- Sean McPhillips, Corporate Responsibility Executive, Palo Alto Networks
FAQs
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We use PCAF-aligned methodology applied to your plan's actual fund holdings. For each fund, we calculate the Weighted Average Carbon Intensity (WACI) based on the underlying companies' reported emissions and revenue. The result is a portfolio-level emissions figure in tonnes CO2e that you can include in your Scope 3 disclosure.
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Yes — when the financial analysis supports the recommendation. DOL guidance (2022 final rule) confirms that fiduciaries can consider climate and ESG factors as part of a risk-return analysis. We evaluate every fund on financial merit first and document the rationale for your plan committee. We act as a 3(21) investment fiduciary; you retain final decision authority.
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Our Financed Emissions Calculator integrates with Morningstar for fund-level holdings and carbon data. We cross-reference with MSCI ESG ratings and company-reported emissions where available. All methodology and sources are documented in your deliverable.
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Most engagements start with a baseline emissions assessment of your current plan — that's a fixed-fee project you can scope in a 30-minute call. From there, you can expand into fund recommendations, employee education, or ongoing advisory. Pricing scales with plan complexity, not assets under management.