Asset manager Robeco has issued a “call to action” for sustainable investment, which it claims does not detract from performance.
The firm is responding to rising interest in environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment.
“Investors are increasingly looking to create more sustainable portfolios to meet the demands of their sponsors, participants and regulators,” said Gilbert Van Hassel, chief executive officer of Robeco.
A 102-page guide sets out Robeco’s sustainability approach. It targets pension funds and financial institutions and looks at megatrends and the correlation between investment performance and the integration of ESG factors into the investment process.
The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals are instrumental to taking sustainability to the next level by making it tangible and measurable, said Van Hassel.
In 2016, some $22.89 trillion (€20 trillion) of assets were being managed under responsible investment strategies globally – a 25% jump since 2014, according to a Global Sustainable Investment Alliance report. Of this sum, $12 trillion were European assets.
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