Gilbert Van Hassel discusses leadership in sustainable investing and the S&P Global partnership deal.
“The asset management industry has seen many changes recently, perhaps the most exciting of which being the rate that sustainable investing has gained in popularity. Initiatives to tackle the major global problems of our times are opening up new markets, creating opportunities and producing more jobs. Clients are increasingly looking to build more sustainable portfolios, to meet the demands of their sponsors, participants and regulators.”
“And then there is the socioeconomic perspective and the many associated global challenges faced by our generation. While prioritizing growth above issues such as climate-change risks might lead to better returns in the short term, the long-term prospects for such a strategy are less rosy.”
Mr Hassel said „“Sustainability is important for everyone these days. We have seen many asset managers claiming to be leaders in this field, but only a few can say that it’s been part of their core business for more than 20 years. Robeco launched its first sustainability product in 1999. It’s not something we just do on the side; it’s part of the company’s DNA and fully integrated into all our investment processes. This won’t change – we will stay at the forefront and keep pushing the boundaries; so it is certainly an opportunity.”
“We have agreed to build on our successful relationship with S&P Global by transferring our ESG data collection activities and Corporate Sustainability Assessment to them. These are currently carried out by our sustainable investing center of expertise, RobecoSAM. We have been working with S&P DJI since 1999, when the DJSI World was launched based on CSA data.”
“Once the deal with S&P is finalized and the ESG data collection activities are part of S&P Global, Robeco will still work closely with S&P Global and provide advice on the CSA methodology. Robeco and RobecoSAM will continue to use their resources and collective research expertise to interpret ESG data and use it for investment purposes. We will pull from as many data sources as possible, including the CSA, to understand this information, research it and integrate it into our decision-making processes.”
Full interview on ROBECO
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