Vontobel first provider of certificates with ESG sustainability logo in Switzerland and Germany

Customer demand for sustainable products that take ecological and social factors into account along with governance is rising continuously. The subject is set to continue to gain in importance. Supranational efforts, such as the EU action plan to finance sustainable growth are currently being implemented. These are intended to commit the financial sector to sustainable investment.

Vontobel anticipated this development and has subjected its own product range in the field of certificates to an examination according to ESG criteria. Consequently, in the case of certificates linked to stocks, Vontobel first examines each underlying security for standard exclusion criteria (e.g. no companies that invest in nuclear energy or weapons). In a second step, sectors and companies are evaluated according to sustainability criteria and a final selection is made. The following applied in this regard: The lower the sector evaluation, the higher the company evaluation has to be to ensure it can be classified as sustainable. In the case of a product with several underlying securities, all have to be qualified as sustainable to receive the ESG label.

Certificates whose underlying securities correspond to Vontobel’s ESG criteria are now classified by the ESG logo and can simply be selected via a new filter in the product search. As a result, interested investors can now find such products even faster in the Vontobel investment universe.

According to Vontobel, investment products are only sustainable if the investor participates in the rising prices of the underlying security, since only then is the sustainable development associated with the underlying security supported. Therefore, leveraged products and products where the investor bets on falling prices of the underlying security are not rated as sustainable.

"The classification of our certificates according to ESG criteria is a reaction to constantly increasing customer demand. Through identification with the ESG logo, we not only promote alternative investment classes, but once again underline our pioneering spirit in the field of certificates," noted Roger Studer, Head of Vontobel Investment Banking.

Vontobel sustainable investment certificates
Switzerland: https://vonto.be/EN_sustainable_investment_products
Germany: https://vonto.be/DE_Nachhaltige_Anlageprodukte (German only)

Sustainability at Vontobel
Ever since Vontobel was founded, sustainability has been an important part of our corporate culture in various forms. Today, our commitment is evident in four areas: sustainable investment as well as economic, ecological and social sustainability. As an active member in numerous organizations for sustainable development, we have committed ourselves to sustainable development and are co-signatory of various initiatives that support sustainable investment. We have received numerous prizes for our sustainable solutions. In 2018, ISS-oekom evaluated Vontobel's sustainability performance for the first time and awarded us the status "Prime". https://www.vontobel.com/en-ch/about-vontobel/responsibility/

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