SFDR Category: Article 9
OUR APPROACH TO SELECTING SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENTS FOR FUNDS REFERRED TO IN ARTICLE 9 OF THE SFDR*:
This fund has a sustainable investment objective. It invests in economic activities contributing to an environmental and/or social objective. To achieve this objective, the management team makes discretionary investment choices based on an economic/financial analysis process and an internal analysis of environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria.
a. ESG selection criteria:
For corporates, the internal analysis of ESG criteria consists in selecting the issuers:
• that are the best positioned to meet the challenges of sustainable development;
• that comply with the principles of the United Nations Global Compact (i.e. human rights, labour law, the environment, anti-corruption), and which are therefore less exposed to the risks associated with these themes; and
• that are not engaged in controversial activities such as armament (securities of a company whose activity consists of manufacturing, the use or possession of anti-personnel mines, cluster bombs and/or depleted uranium weapons), tobacco, thermal coal.
For sovereign issuers, the internal analysis of ESG criteria consists in selecting:
• Countries that perform best across our four categories of sustainable development criteria: Human Capital, Natural Capital, Social Capital and Economic Capital;
• Countries that are not part of our highly Oppressive Regimes or dictatorships, based on the Freedom House Freedom in the World Index and the World Bank Voice & Accountability Index.
b. Selection methodology:
The companies selected by the management company are subject to a dual analysis:
• Analysis of their activity to assess their alignment with the major challenges of sustainable development. For example, regarding the transition to a circular economy, the management company will consider a company producing recycled steel to be more sustainable than a company producing steel exclusively from iron ore; and
• Analysis of how the company manages players interacting with the company: its employees, its customers, its shareholders, its suppliers and the environment. Here too, the management company will favour companies that adopt the most sustainable practices given their sector. For example, with regard to relations with its clients, the management company will favour pharmaceutical companies with balanced pricing practices and commercial policies. Similarly, with regard to relations with their employees, the management company attaches great importance to the fight against discrimination and compliance with social standards.
Our sovereign investible universe consists of those countries which perform best across our four categories of sustainable development criteria:
• Natural Capital: stock of naturel resources managed by the country;
• Social Capital: trust, norms and institutions which people can rely on to solve common problems and create social cohesion;
• Human Capital: human productivity to which the country participates through education and other initiatives;
• Economic Capital: assessing the level of economic activity viability.
c. A team of ESG analysts is responsible for assessing the selection criteria:
The analysis and selection of sustainable investments is carried out by a dedicated team of ESG analysts within Candriam. This team is made up of specialists whose mission is to analyse the exposure of companies and governments to the risks and opportunities associated with sustainable development. Selection criteria are expected to evolve over time, based on advances in ESG research and changes in company practices.
Sustainability-related disclosures
- Sustainability-related disclosures
a. General approach
- Transparency codes
b. Fund specific features
For more information on the sustainability of our investments and the integration of sustainability risks, please refer to Candriam’s transparency policies and codes and SFDR Article 9 fund sustainability information (available on our website: https://www.candriam.com/en/professional/sfdr/) and the fund prospectus (available on our website https://www.candriam.com).
* SFDR is the acronym given to Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on the publication of sustainability information in the financial services sector
Information on the sustainability aspects of the promoted fund is available on the SFDR* page of the https://www.candriam.com website. The decision to invest in the fund must take into account all the characteristics or objectives of the fund as described in its prospectus.
* European reference of the regulation and title: “Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability related disclosures in the financial services sector