This Sub-Fund is mainly constituted as a high-quality, large market capitalization equity portfolio invested in around 30 European leading companies (i.e. having a leadership position due to their market share, innovation capabilities, brand recognition or superior management talents) combining superior returns and growth opportunities characteristics over the next 3-5 years.
It promotes environmental characteristics but does not have as its objective sustainable investment. However, it will have a minimum proportion of 1.2% of sustainable investments.
The environmental characteristic promoted is to maintain a lower weighted average carbon intensity than the MSCI Europe Equity NR, paying attention to issuers’ activities, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate strategy. The index is a standard reference representing the Sub-Fund’s universe but is not aligned with the environmental characteristics promoted by this Sub-Fund.
The objectives of the sustainable investments that this Sub-Fund partially intends to make may include but are not limited to:
- environmental objectives such as climate change mitigation through resource efficiency: for example through investments in companies with revenues from products or services that help reduce the consumption of energy, raw materials, and other resources
- social objectives such as major disease treatment: for example through investments in companies with revenues from products for the treatment or diagnosis of major diseases of the world.
To ensure sustainable investments that this Sub-Fund intends to make do not cause significant harm, the Investment Manager assesses whether these companies do no harm through an internally-designed methodology which covers principal adverse impact, controversies, misalignment with SDGs and ESG/governance quality.
The Investment Manager takes into consideration and seeks to minimize the following potential principal adverse impacts of its investments: 1) GHG Intensity of Investee Companies, 2) Violations of UN Global Compact principles and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and 3) Exposure to Controversial Weapons.
The ESG approach is embedded in the investment process as ESG considerations can be an important driver for risks associated with an investment and for maintaining or improving the Cash Flow Returns on Investment (CFROI®. Source: Credit Suisse Holt) of a company. The Investment Manager first performs a negative screening and a norms-based screening to filter the investment universe. ESG related information is then directly integrated into the proprietary Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) models of companies. The portfolio construction will consider the overall ESG score as well as the contribution to risk that arises from ESG exposures. Company specific and portfolio factors including ESG developments are considered when monitoring the portfolio and deciding to exit positions.
The ESG analysis, conducted internally or externally, covers 100% of the portfolio’s equity holdings.
This Sub-Fund intends to have a minimum of 90% of its assets aligned with the environmental characteristics promoted, including a minimum of 1.2% in environmentally and/or socially sustainable investments.
The binding criteria used to attain each of the environmental and/or social characteristics promoted by the Sub-Fund are integrated in control systems, to ensure pre- and post trade checks. Compliance is monitored by the Risk department on an ongoing basis.
The Investment Manager may use data reported directly by issuers or sourced from third-party data providers such as MSCI ESG Research or Sustainalytics. The service and data quality provided by third-party ESG data providers are reviewed regularly.
Depending on the metric considered, some data may be estimated by data providers. Although the Investment Manager applies a thorough selection process of third-party providers, their processes and proprietary ESG methodology may be flawed. As a result, there is a risk of incorrectly assessing an issuer, resulting in an inappropriate capture of ESG risks and potential incorrect inclusion or exclusion in the product. This is expected to have limited impact on the overall environmental and/or social characteristics promoted by the product.
The investment due diligence process ensures that the investment decisions comply with the objectives and the investment strategy of the Sub-Fund. The consideration of sustainability-related risks is integrated into the investment decision-making process to ensure better-informed investment decisions as well as awareness of the risk exposure. The first level of due diligence is conducted by the Investment Manager, while the second level is conducted by the Risk department.
Engagement with investee companies may occur. It can be conducted collaboratively as well as, on an ad-hoc basis, directly by the investment team.
The Investment Manager exercises its voting rights, in line with the voting policy which follows sustainability principles.
No reference benchmark has been designated for the purpose of attaining the environmental or social characteristics promoted by this Sub-Fund.
For more information, please see the fund’s Sustainability-related disclosures.
