he Climate Global Credits strategy invests globally in corporate bonds with explicit climate targets that contribute to the goals of the Paris Agreement. The strategy starts with a 50% lower carbon footprint than the broader corporate bond market, and aims to decarbonize 7% per year while outperforming its Paris-aligned benchmark. It will be managed by Victor Verberk, Reinout Schapers and Peter Kwaak from Robeco’s Global Credit team.
The Climate Global Bonds strategy comprises a global aggregate portfolio of fixed income assets. The strategy aims for a lower carbon footprint relative to the global investment grade bond universe and an average of at least 7% decarbonization per annum, while outperforming its Paris-aware benchmark. It will be managed by Jamie Stuttard, Regina Borromeo and Bob Stoutjesdijk from Robeco’s Global Fixed Income Macro team.
The strategies will be measured against newly created climate indexes, developed jointly by Robeco and Solactive using an innovative approach since these benchmarks are not yet available to the market. Climate change considerations are fully integrated into the investment process and portfolio construction, and engagement carried out by Robeco’s Active Ownership team is also part of the strategy.
Victor Verberk, CIO Fixed Income and Sustainability at Robeco: “As global leader in sustainable investing we are very committed to the Paris Agreement. In fact, we recently announced our ambition to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 across all of our assets under management. Launching these strategies and making them available to our clients is a clear example of our strong conviction that investing is not only about creating wealth but also about contributing to wellbeing. It provides investors with the opportunity to be at the forefront of the transition to a low-carbon economy. These strategies bring to life our commitment to the Paris Agreement, combine our leading global position in sustainable investing with our long history and expertise in fixed income, and are a further step in our efforts to combat climate change and lower the carbon footprint of our investments.”
Maureen Beshar, Head of US & Canada: “Robeco has been a global leader in sustainable investing since the 90s. The launch of these new Paris Aligned Climate fixed income strategies is a testament to our innovative approach. In addition, the strategies underline our commitment to provide our US & Canadian clients with investment solutions designed to achieve their financial and sustainability goals while pursuing superior investment returns. It also provides our clients with an opportunity to be at the forefront of the transition to a low-carbon economy.”
About Robeco
Robeco is a pure-play international asset manager founded in 1929 with headquarters in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and 17 offices worldwide. A global leader in sustainable investing since 1995, its unique integration of sustainable as well as fundamental and quantitative research enables the company to offer institutional and private investors an extensive selection of active investment strategies, for a broad range of asset classes. As at 30 September 2020, Robeco had EUR 158 billion in assets under management, of which EUR 138 billion is committed to ESG integration. Robeco is a subsidiary of ORIX Corporation Europe N.V. More information is available at www.robeco.com.