Bottom-up best ideas selection of sustainable companies based on fundamental analysis, sustainability thesis and thematic exposure. Invests very broadly across most sectors and is an all cap strategy.

Global Sustainable Equity

Benchmark

MSCI World (N)

Objective

The Global Sustainable Equity Strategy seeks to provide value-added investment results over the MSCI World Index by investing in attractively valued companies with strong fundamental valuation, as well as a long-term sustainable business model. The strategy is actively positioned to benefit from themes such as water and energy conservation, demographics and other important trends. In short, we believe that combining a traditional valuation discipline with sustainability analysis enhances the possibilities for value-added returns.

Investment philosophy and process

Our investment philosophy and process combine our bottom-up fundamental research with rigorous sustainability analysis. We actively look for companies that appear attractively valued and can benefit from secular themes, such as energy and water conservation, health care, demographics and other long-term trends. Sustainability has emerged as, arguably, the largest growing consideration as companies look to achieve long-term viability and profitability. Shareholders own much more than a company’s financial statement --- they have invested in its management, buildings, employees, culture, regulatory environment, governance and brand equity. We look at the whole picture when making investment decisions.

Our fundamental research is driven by a global team of experienced analysts. They focus on deep non consensus research and cash flow modeling that seek to define a security’s intrinsic value based on its future cash flows. We use a companywide, proprietary valuation model to make our projections as comparable as possible. Through this process, we aim to identify the best investment ideas across sectors and geographies from a stock specific standpoint. This component of the process provides strong traditional valuation support to our stock selection strategy.

The Sustainable Investors team integrates these inputs into a best-ideas portfolio of stocks that it believes are attractively valued and have a strong sustainability profile. In doing so, the Team draws upon its members’ years of experience and utilizes the firm’s proprietary risk management tools.

Global Sustainable (Ex-US) Equity

Benchmark

MSCI World Free ex-US

Objective

The Global Sustainable (ex-US) Equity strategy seeks to provide value-added investment results over the MSCI World Ex-US Index by investing in attractively valued companies with strong fundamental valuation, as well as a long-term sustainable business model. The strategy is actively positioned to benefit from themes such as water and energy conservation, demographics and other important trends. In short, we believe that combining a traditional valuation discipline with sustainability analysis enhances the possibilities for value-added returns.

Investment philosophy and process

Our investment philosophy and process combine our bottom-up fundamental research with rigorous sustainability analysis. We actively look for companies that appear attractively valued and can benefit from secular themes, such as energy and water conservation, health care, demographics and other long-term trends. Sustainability has emerged as, arguably, the largest growing consideration as companies look to achieve long-term viability and profitability. Shareholders own much more than a company’s financial statement - they have invested in its management, buildings, employees, culture, regulatory environment, governance and brand equity. We look at the whole picture when making investment decisions.

Our fundamental research is driven by a global team of experienced analysts. They focus on deep non consensus research and cash flow modeling that seek to define a security’s intrinsic value based on its future cash flows. We use a companywide, proprietary valuation model to make our projections as comparable as possible. Through this process, we aim to identify the best investment ideas across sectors and geographies from a stock specific standpoint. This component of the process provides strong traditional valuation support to our stock selection strategy.

The Sustainable Investors team integrates these inputs into a best-ideas portfolio of stocks that it believes are attractively valued and have a strong sustainability profile. In doing so, the Team draws upon its members’ years of experience and utilizes the firm’s proprietary risk management tools.

Emerging Markets Sustainable Equity

Benchmark

MSCI Emerging Markets (net)

Objective

The Emerging Markets Sustainable Equity strategy seeks to identify high long-term capital growth companies that provide products and services with a clear environmental and social benefit along with a high degree of resource efficiency. These tend to be young fast growing companies that address the sustainability challenges of the 21st century in emerging markets. These include UN Millennium Goals such as:

1. Eradication of extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education,
3. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
4. Ensure environmental sustainability.

The portfolio manager seeks to manage exposure to value and growth using a blended style (i.e. style agnostic), which can vary in emphasis depending on the phase of the market cycle. The strategy is benchmarked to the MSCI Emerging Markets Index with an ex-ante tracking error of up to 10 percent.

Investment philosophy and process

The Emerging Markets Sustainable Equity strategy applies a positive selection approach to identify companies that make positive contribution and address large and growing environmental (e.g. "climate change", "water") and social related challenges ("social development"). The strategy targets pure play, quality companies offering products, services and solutions with clear environmental benefits and a high degree of resource efficiency in sectors whose growth potential, in our opinion, has been underestimated by the market. "Climate change" covers the subsectors of cleaner energy & mobility, renewable & energy efficiency, waste & recycling. "Water" reflects utility, technology & infrastructure, treatment and efficiency. The third theme "social development" divides into healthcare products & operations, access to finance, access to communication, affordable housing, reduction of healthcare costs, nutrition as well as education.

Our investment process relies on the identification of potential investment opportunities through qualitative and quantitative disciplines that are then subjected to intensive fundamental research to select the best ideas for the strategy. In determining the attractiveness of a stock we may also utilize qualitative research from a relatively small number of specialist sources which have been developed over a long time period and have a history of adding value. These external sources complement and challenge our internal research findings.

US Sustainable Equity

Benchmark

S&P 500 Index

Objective

The US Sustainable Equity strategy seeks to provide value-added investment results over the S&P 500 Index by investing in attractively valued companies with strong fundamental valuation, as well as a long-term sustainable business model. The strategy is actively positioned to benefit from themes such as water and energy conservation, demographics and other important trends. In short, we believe that combining a traditional valuation discipline with sustainability analysis enhances the possibilities for value-added returns.

Investment philosophy and process

Our investment philosophy and process combine our bottom-up fundamental research with rigorous sustainability analysis. We actively look for companies that appear attractively valued and can benefit from secular themes, such as energy and water conservation, healthcare, demographics and other long-term trends. Sustainability has emerged as, arguably, the largest growing consideration as companies look to achieve long-term viability and profitability. Shareholders own much more than a company’s financial statement – they have invested in its management, buildings, employees, culture, regulatory environment, governance and brand equity. We look at the whole picture when making investment decisions.

Our fundamental research is driven by a team of experienced career analysts. They focus on deep non consensus research and cash flow modeling that seek to define a security’s intrinsic value based on its future cash flows. We use a companywide, proprietary valuation model to make our projections as comparable as possible. Through this process, we aim to identify the best investment ideas across sectors from a stock-specific standpoint. This component of the process provides strong traditional valuation support to our stock selection strategy.