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Global Environmental Change Strategy

Conviction Equities

Why invest?

  • Responsible consumers want to support companies that generate a positive impact. At the same time, they are interested in financial returns.
  • We aim to invest in companies that improve our lives, minimize our footprint, and perform financially as well as to construct equity portfolios with a sound mix of established names and disruptive newcomers.
  • The companies we pick for our portfolio contribute to at least one of our impact yardsticks (“impact pillar”) and one or a number of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To measure the companies’ positive effect on the environment and/or society, we aim to establish which portion of their revenues contributes to our key performance indicators.
  • Companies that provide solutions to climate and environmental challenges are likely to gain market share and face fewer regulatory issues than competitors.

"As an impact investor, you look for environmental benefits as well as financial performance – we can offer both."

Pascal Dudle, Head of Listed Impact

Our investment process

Our target companies, innovation leaders in the area of “clean” technology, should benefit from the global trend towards more sustainable urbanization and industrialization. They also help to minimize the impact of human activity on the planet. We believe increasing demand for their solutions will lead to market-share gains, pricing power, and rising stock prices. Moreover, such companies are less exposed to tighter regulation than their competitors.

Making sustainability a business objective can pay off. Stocks of such companies have the potential to beat their peers and the general market, in our opinion. As part of our integrated investment process, we also use information on companies’ handling of sustainability to spot potential risks.

The investment universe consists of approximately 400 companies scattered across multiple sectors. After a close look at potential candidates including the evaluation of thematic, financial and sustainability aspects, we arrive at a portfolio of 50 to 70 stocks.

Investment team

Pascal Dudle, Head of Listed Impact and portfolio manager of the Global Environmental Change strategy, has more than 20 years of investment experience. He is supported by a team of investment experts able to conduct financial as well as sustainability analyses. Being active asset managers, we rely on our own in-house fundamental research.

Global Environmental Change Composite

 
 

Source: Vontobel. The composite inception date is January 1, 2009. The composite‘s gross rates of return are presented before the deduction of investment management fees, other investment-related fees, and after the deduction of foreign withholding taxes, brokerage commissions and transaction costs. An investor’s actual return will be reduced by investment advisory fees. The composite‘s net rates of return are presented after the deduction of investment management fees, brokerage commissions, transaction costs, other investment-related fees and foreign withholding taxes. Results portrayed reflect the reinvestment of dividends and other earnings. The comparison to an index is provided for informational purposes only and should not be used as the basis for making an investment. There may be significant differences between the composite and the index, including but not limited to the risk profile, liquidity, volatility and asset composition. The composite benchmark is a blend of the benchmarks of all accounts associated with the composite (AWACB = Asset Weighted Aggregate Composite Benchmark), weighted by the market value of the portfolios assigned to the composite at the beginning of the month. Past performance not an indication of future results. Returns more than one year are annualized. Please refer to the Disclaimer tab for additional explanations regarding composite disclosure and other Important Information.

Global Environmental Change

Composite description

The Global Environmental Change Composite includes all share classes of pooled funds and all segregated accounts invested in publicly listed companies that provide products and services along the whole value chain, which have the potential to tackle today’s pressing environmental challenges including, but not limited to, resource scarcity, climate change and environmental pollution. Such companies’ solutions represent a large fraction of the business, generate a direct or indirect positive impact and are well aligned with the UN SDG framework. Portfolios within this composite are managed benchmark-agnostic and consist of stocks from developed as well as emerging markets.

Benchmark description

The Global Environmental Change Custom Benchmark is calculated using the benchmarks of the portfolios in the composite. The benchmark is rebalanced monthly based on the beginning values of portfolios included in the composite.

Benchmark composition

As of December 31, 2023 the breakdown of the benchmark is: 87.36% MSCI World Net Total Return Index, 12.64% MSCI AC World Net Total Return Index. The breakdown of the custom benchmark for different time periods is available upon request.

Firm definition

Vontobel Asset Management is a multi-boutique asset management firm established in 1988 and regulated by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA. For GIPS purposes, Vontobel Asset Management is defined to include assets managed in the Fixed Income, the Vontobel Conviction Equities, the Quantitative Investments and the Vontobel Multi Asset boutiques across all global offices and includes both the management of institutional segregated accounts and pooled funds.

Claim of compliance

Vontobel Asset Management claims compliance with the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS®).

List of composites and how to obtain a GIPS Report

To receive additional information regarding Vontobel Asset Management, including a GIPS Composite Report for the strategy presented in this advertisement and a list of all composite descriptions managed by the firm, contact the GIPS Office at gips@vontobel.com or write Vontobel Asset Management AG, GIPS Office (G27 611), Gotthardstrasse 43, 8022 Zurich, Switzerland.

Past performance and investment risk

Past performance is not indicative of future results. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Value and income received are not guaranteed and one may get back less than originally invested.

CFA Institute

GIPS® is a registered trademark of CFA Institute. CFA Institute does not endorse or promote this organization, nor does it warrant the accuracy or quality of the content contained herein.

Important Information

This document has been prepared and approved by a company of the Vontobel Group (“Vontobel”) for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer, solicitation or recommendation to buy or sell any investment securities or strategies discussed, to effect any transactions or to conclude any legal act of any kind whatsoever. This information should not be considered investment advice or any other kind of advice on legal, tax, financial or other advice or a recommendation to purchase, hold or sell any investment. No representation is given that the securities, products, or services discussed herein are suitable for any particular investor.

The index comparisons are provided for informational purposes only and should not be used as the basis for making an investment decision. Further, the performance of the composite and the Index may not be comparable. There are significant differences between the composite and the indices referenced, including, but not limited to, risk profile, liquidity, volatility and asset composition. Please note that an investor cannot invest directly in an index.

Environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) investing and criteria employed may be subjective in nature. The considerations assessed as part of ESG processes may vary across types of investments and issuers and not every factor may be identified or considered for all investments. Information used to evaluate ESG components may vary across providers and issuers as ESG is not a uniformly defined characteristic. ESG investing may forego market opportunities available to strategies which do not utilize such criteria. There is no guarantee the criteria and techniques employed will be successful. Unless otherwise stated within the strategy's investment objective, information herein does not imply that the Vontobel strategy has an ESG-aligned investment objective, but rather describes how ESG criteria and factors are considered as part of the overall investment process.

Any projections contained above are based on a variety of estimates and assumptions. There can be no assurance that the assumptions made in connection with the projections will prove accurate, and actual results may differ materially. The inclusion of projections should not be regarded as an indication that Vontobel considers the projections to be a reliable prediction of future events and projections should not be relied upon as such.

There can be no assurance that investment objectives will be achieved. Clients must be prepared to bear risk of a total loss of their investment.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of current or future performance. The return may go down as well as up, e.g. due to changes in rates of exchange between currencies. The value of invested monies can increase or decrease and there is no guarantee that all or part of your invested capital can be redeemed.

The MSCI data is for internal use only and may not be redistributed or used in connection with creating or offering any securities, financial products or indices. Neither MSCI nor any other third party involved in or related to compiling, computing or creating the MSCI data (the “MSCI Parties”) makes any express or implied warranties or representations with respect to such data (or the results to be obtained by the use thereof), and the MSCI Parties hereby expressly disclaim all warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to such data. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall any of the MSCI Parties have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

Please refer to Form ADV Part 2A for additional information on the strategy which includes Vontobel’s investment advisory fees.

Vontobel Asset Management, Inc. (Vontobel) is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, in the USA. Registration as an Investment Advisor with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission does not imply a certain level of skill or expertise. Advisory services for strategy discussed herein are offered through a Participating Affiliate structure between Vontobel Asset Management, Inc., Vontobel Asset Management AG, and Vontobel Asset Management Asia Pacific Ltd.

Although Vontobel believes that the information provided in this document is based on reliable sources, it cannot assume responsibility for the quality, correctness, timeliness or completeness of the information contained in this document. Except as permitted under applicable copyright laws, none of this information may be reproduced, adapted, uploaded to a third party, linked to, framed, performed in public, distributed or transmitted in any form by any process without the specific written consent of Vontobel. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Vontobel will not be liable in any way for any loss or damage suffered by you through use or access to this information, or Vontobel’s failure to provide this information. Our liability for negligence, breach of contract or contravention of any law as a result of our failure to provide this information or any part of it, or for any problems with this information, which cannot be lawfully excluded, is limited, at our option and to the maximum extent permitted by law, to resupplying this information or any part of it to you, or to paying for the resupply of this information or any part of it to you. Neither this document nor any copy of it may be distributed in any jurisdiction where its distribution may be restricted by law. Persons who receive this document should make themselves aware of and adhere to any such restrictions.

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