RobecoSAM Sustainable Water Equities Z USD

In July, global equities experienced a significant rebound. The US central bank sounded a bit more relaxed recently, despite several interest rate increases year-to-date. However, the investment environment is still challenging due to supply chain issues, inflation and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Many countries in Europe have faced significant droughts in recent weeks as well as higher temperatures than usual. Especially northern Italy has suffered under an extreme drought. Parts of India have faced significant floods since June. In California, the dry weather and heat waves have led to severe forest fires.

The fund is allowed to pursue an active currency policy to generate extra returns and can engage in currency hedging transactions.

In principle the fund does not intend to distribute dividend and so both the income earned by the fund and its overall performance are reflected in its share price.

The fund's sustainable investment objective is to help mitigate the global challenges related to scarcity, quality, and allocation of water. Water and sustainability considerations are incorporated in the investment process by the means of a target universe definition, exclusions, ESG integration, and voting. The fund only invests in companies that have a significant thematic fit as per Robeco's thematic universe methodology. Through screening on both Robeco's internally developed SDG Framework and Robeco’s exclusion policy, the fund does not invest in issuers that have a negative impact on the SDGs, are in breach of international norms or where products have been deemed controversial. Financially material ESG factors are integrated in the bottom-up fundamental investment analysis to assess existing and potential ESG risks and opportunities. The integration of ESG factors in the investment analysis does not have a sustainability indicator. In addition, where a stock issuer is flagged for breaching international standards in the ongoing monitoring, the issuer will become subject to exclusion. Lastly, the fund makes use of shareholder rights and applies proxy voting in accordance with Robeco's proxy voting policy.

RobecoSAM Sustainable Water Equities is an actively managed fund that invests globally in companies offering products and services across the water value chain. The selection of these stocks is based on fundamental analysis. The fund has sustainable investment as its objective within the meaning of Article 9 of the European Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation. The fund contributes to water infrastructure and to distribution of tap water, and collection and treatment of wastewater and focuses on companies which supply to the value chain of water or which offer products or technologies which are more water efficient than others in their category. This is done by investing in companies that advance the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs): Good health and well-being, Clean water and sanitation, Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Sustainable cities and communities, Responsible consumption and production, Life below water and Life on land. The fund integrates ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) factors in the investment processand applies Robeco’s Good Governance policy. The fund applies sustainability indicators, including but not limited to, normative, activity-based and region-based exclusions, and proxy voting. The fund also aims to achieve a better return than the index. The strategy integrates sustainability criteria as part of the stock selection process and through a theme-specific sustainability assessment. The portfolio is built on the basis of an eligible investment universe that includes companies whose business models contribute to the thematic investment objectives. The assessment regarding relevant SDGs uses an internally developed framework, more information on which can be obtained at www.robeco.com/si. Benchmark: MSCI World Index TRN. The majority of stocks selected will be components of the benchmark, but stocks outside the benchmark may be selected too. While the investment policy is not constrained by a benchmark, the fund may use one for comparison purposes. The fund can deviate substantially from the issuer, country and sector weightings of the benchmark. There are no restrictions on the deviation from the benchmark. The benchmark is a broad market-weighted index that is not consistent with the sustainable objective of the fund.

Risk management is fully integrated into the investment process to ensure that positions always meet predefined guidelines.