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Overview and introduction
ESG and Vontobel: the sustainable issuer
28.10.2020
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Anyone who issues structured products and AMCs, like Vontobel does, must be able to demonstrate especially clearly to investors that they are a reliable partner. Sustainability not only affects issuer risk, but also goes hand in hand with a reliable capital base and a forward-looking entrepreneurial thinking of a company. Vontobel's commitment to sustainability has a long history.
At Vontobel, we have been offering sustainable investment solutions as an essential part of our product range since the 1990s. In the first half of 2020, Vontobel’s sustainable assets under management increased from over CHF 30 billion (as of 12/31/2019) to over CHF 32 billion (as of 06/30/2020).
In 2020, Vontobel once again received an above-average rating from the UN initiative “Principles for Responsible Investment” (PRI) for our sustainable investment strategies. In the 2020 reporting, we are above average in five out of seven assessed modules. We have been a signatory to this UN PRI initiative since 2010. The initiative now has over 3,400 signatories worldwide, primarily from the financial industry.
ESG = much more than environmental protection
Vontobel is also one of the founding members of the Climate Foundation Switzerland, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2018. But ESG criteria go far beyond environmental concerns. In 2018, our overall sustainability performance was assessed for the first time by the international sustainability rating agency ISS ESG, and we were given “Prime” status.
Vontobel received particularly high ratings in the following areas: range of sustainable investment products, volume of sustainably managed funds, data and IT security, adherence to compliance guidelines, and shareholder structure. This makes Vontobel one of the top 6 percent in the reference group of 44 asset managers worldwide.
Vontobel has been a signatory to the “UN Global Compact” since 2017. With this compact, we make the commitment to ensure that our business activities and strategies follow ten universally recognized principles regarding human rights, labor standards, environmental protection, and anti-corruption. In addition, we do a fundraising appeal in November and December of every year where the company doubles employee donations to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Further information on sustainability at Vontobel can be found in our Sustainability Report. The Sustainability Report follows the standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
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