Everything you need to know about sustainability and sustainable investing 🍃🌱💚
Sustainable thinking and action are playing an increasingly important role in the context of climate change – and this also applies to investing. Here you will find interesting insights and valuable tips on the topic of sustainability in investing 👉
Despite political headwinds, the outlook for sustainable investing is positive. Renewable energies are continuing to gain ground, but this trend is not yet fully reflected on the capital market. Read more in the blog post by Walter Hatak, Head of Responsible Investments.
With the rapidly growing power requirements of modern AI applications, renewable energies, high-performance grids, and flexible storage solutions are coming into focus. Read why the energy question is becoming a decisive factor in the digital future in our new blog post.
The COP30 climate conference in Brazil did produce a new package of measures—but there was no major breakthrough. Read today’s blog post to find out why the phase-out of fossil fuels is still a long way off, what new initiatives have been launched, and how the results are being assessed.
Water is not only a vital resource. The raw material also plays a decisive role in the manufacture of many products. Increasing droughts and dry spells are therefore also posing new challenges for the economy. In today’s blog post, we therefore explain how companies are preparing for increasing water risks and what opportunities there are for investors to invest in innovative water management technologies.
Social impact investing combines the goal of financial returns with a positive social and environmental impact. But how exactly does this work and is it even possible to achieve returns and a positive social impact at the same time?
Despite political headwinds, the outlook for sustainable investing is positive. Renewable energies are continuing to gain ground, but this trend is not yet fully reflected on the capital market. Read more in the blog post by Walter Hatak, Head of Responsible Investments.
With the rapidly growing power requirements of modern AI applications, renewable energies, high-performance grids, and flexible storage solutions are coming into focus. Read why the energy question is becoming a decisive factor in the digital future in our new blog post.
The COP30 climate conference in Brazil did produce a new package of measures—but there was no major breakthrough. Read today’s blog post to find out why the phase-out of fossil fuels is still a long way off, what new initiatives have been launched, and how the results are being assessed.
Clean tech stocks continued to catch up in the third quarter. Above all, the energy demand generated by AI remains a key driver for renewable energies and environmental technologies.
After a long period of uncertainty, there is now clarity for the renewable energy sector in the USA. The legal framework for the coming years is far better than expected. This brings new opportunities for environmental stocks, as the initial market reactions have shown.
The stock market year to date has been volatile. Tariffs, geopolitical uncertainties and the new US tax law have dominated the headlines. The latter turned out better than expected for the environmental technology sector. Many companies have recently taken a more positive view of the future and the sector could also be worth a look from a valuation perspective.
Water is not only a vital resource. The raw material also plays a decisive role in the manufacture of many products. Increasing droughts and dry spells are therefore also posing new challenges for the economy. In today’s blog post, we therefore explain how companies are preparing for increasing water risks and what opportunities there are for investors to invest in innovative water management technologies.
Social impact investing combines the goal of financial returns with a positive social and environmental impact. But how exactly does this work and is it even possible to achieve returns and a positive social impact at the same time?
Today’s World Environment Day focuses on environmental and climate protection under the slogan “Our Power, Our Planet.” Find out how we, as an active investor, are driving sustainable change in companies in today’s blog post.
The recently published US budget draft also contains interesting passages on the future of the Inflation Reduction Act and the associated subsidies for renewable energies. In an interview, environmental equity fund manager Alexander Weiss explains what the draft means for investors and why the market reacted positively to it.
The topic of biodiversity is rapidly becoming more and more recognized as a material issue among sustainable investors. Here are some insights on what . Research analyst Irina Gagloeva writes in todays blog post about what the sustainable investment industry is focusing on when it comes to biodiversity.
The first quarter had a few surprises in store for the markets. The US tariff announcements shook the markets to the core and caused a volatile stock market environment. The environmental technology sector was not spared either. What is the outlook for the sector? We asked fund managers Clemens Klein and Alexander Weiß in a double interview.
Climate protection has long since arrived in the financial industry. Even though there has recently been political headwind for ESG in some countries, the topic remains important for investors. This is because taking sustainability factors into account makes sense for companies in a number of ways. You can find out more about this in the article.
The European automotive industry is undergoing a transformation on the one hand, and is in crisis on the other. Both consumers and carmakers in Europe seem to be struggling with the question of the future of mobility. We therefore take a fact-based look at the direction in which the (car) journey could go.
Kenya is one of the largest economies in sub-Saharan Africa and is currently the most heavily weighted country on the African continent in the ERSTE RESPONSIBLE MICROFINANCE fund. Fund manager Martin Cech therefore recently visited the country and a number of companies and microcredit borrowers.
The Voting & Engagement Report 2023 provides interesting insights into our voting behavior and our corporate dialogues over the past year. In terms of engagement in particular, there are some new companies with which we are actively engaging to promote greater sustainability.
Around 8.7 million different species live on Earth – and they all provide important “ecosystem services”. This is precisely why the protection of biodiversity is essential. In the area of engagement, this year we are focusing on the chemical and pharmaceutical industry and are making contact with one of the world’s largest corporations in this sector.
The basis for a sustainable transformation is solid structures at the management level of companies – this also applies to the oil and gas industry. However, the most recent example of a prevented shareholder proposal shows that there is still a lot of room for improvement in this area too.
How are sustainability factors integrated into the equity analysis and what aspects does a fund manager look at in the companies? Our Austrian equity fund manager Bernhard Haas explains this using an example company.
Companies have to deal intensively with the risks and opportunities that the climate crisis brings for their business model. These factors therefore also play a major role in our investment process. Stefanie Schock, Senior Research Analyst in our Responsible Investments team, explains how this works for the ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT equity fund.
We also supported numerous shareholder motions during this year’s Annual General Meeting season. However, there were also occasional disagreements regarding motions and fundamental shareholder rights.
The forest ecosystem is not only an important carbon store, but also a habitat for a variety of plants and creatures. In this interview, Robert Pröll, farmer, national park ranger, and speaker at this year’s sustainability conference, explains why we need to protect the “miracle of the forest” more than ever in the fight against the climate crisis.
Sustainable finance is a dynamic process that aims to make the financial system sustainable. In his guest article, Michael Schmidt, member of the Sustainable Finance Advisory Board of the German Federal Government, explains why the many different initiatives on the topic of sustainable finance are needed and which three points are necessary for the sustainable transformation of our financial system.
Droughts and water shortages are also increasing in Europe – what can be done about them? When investing, it certainly makes sense to take a close look at the water risks of companies. If you want to go one step further, you can also specifically integrate the topic of water into your portfolio.
In order to further improve sustainable company analysis, the Responsible Investments team at Erste Asset Management developed the Climate Score last year. The score combines various environmental data to identify the sustainable leaders and laggards in each economic sector. Read the blog post to find out how the score works and what it can be used for.
Strict criteria, a clear investment process, and many years of expertise pay off, as illustrated by our results in this year’s award of the FNG Label by Forum Nachhaltige Geldanlagen (FNG; Forum for Sustainable Investments). All 17 funds submitted by Erste Asset Management were awarded the quality label for sustainable investment funds, capturing the top rating of three stars.
Investors are increasingly focusing on environmental, social and governance criteria when it comes to their investments. But how can investors even know which products and funds are truly sustainable? One way of separating the wheat from the chaff is to use sustainability labels.
Although environmental and social issues dominated the shareholder resolutions in this year’s voting season, their approval by investors declined. There are many reasons for this. In any case, Erste AM is increasing its support for environmental and social motions.
The booming fashion industry is also confronted with a wide range of challenges due to climate change. These could prompt the entire industry to rethink.
This year’s September went down as the warmest in measurement history. Especially in our regions, it was a welcome extension of the summer for many. However, the warmer temperatures clearly show us the consequences of climate change. The risks this entails for the economy and companies and how we take these into account in our investment processes is the topic of our new ESGenius Letter.
Recent studies have provided insights into the challenges to human prosperity resulting from the climate and biodiversity crises. The main conclusions are that the world is currently not on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in time, nor the Climate Change Goals or those on biodiversity.
In the Climate Report, published for the first time this year, Erste Group reports on progress, targets and measures towards a net-zero emissions portfolio by 2050 and net-zero operations by 2030. Climate risks and their impacts are also a topic.
The sharp rise in interest rates is weighing more heavily on environmental and renewable energy equities than on assets from other sectors. Clemens Klein, fund manager of ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT, explains in an interview why this is the case, why environmental shares remain very attractive, and why this could even be a good time to enter the market.
With a view to the Ukraine war, the multiple regions of crisis or the extreme inflation, one would be forgiven for thinking that sustainability issues were taking a back seat when it came to investing. Gerold Permoser, Chief Investment Officer of Erste Asset Management, claims that this is not the case and that there is a lot of potential for investors. In a recent press talk, he and Heinz Bednar, CEO, presented five key drivers for ESG investments.
Climate and environmental protection are central elements of voestalpine’s sustainability strategy. The conservation-minded use of resources such as raw materials and energy along the entire production chain has been firmly anchored within the group for years. Minimising the environmental impact of processes and products also plays a central role, as Stefan Schuster, Group Environmental Management at voestalpine AG, writes in his guest article.
In 2018, Bayer acquired the US agrochemical and agricultural chemicals company Monsanto. However, the deal, valued at around USD 64 billion, raised a number of questions. As a result of the merger, Bayer has since found itself responsible for a number of controversial practices of the US company. This is associated not only with sustainability risks but also with a potential risk of billions through various class actions.
The decline in crude oil prices has led to a trend reversal in the energy market this year: while many power companies have recently raised their profit forecasts, the major oil companies suffered massively from the recent drop in crude oil prices. Meanwhile, in the effort to reach climate targets, the trend toward renewable energies continues unabate
Microfinance fund manager Martin Cech recently went on an investor trip to Uzbekistan. While he wrote about the banks and microfinance institutions he visited in the first part of his travel report, he describes his impressions of the visits to some borrowers in the second part.
Martin Cech, fund manager of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE MICROFINANCE, visited a number of banks and microfinance institutions from the fund’s portfolio during an investor trip to Uzbekistan. He reports on his impressions in the blog post.
The biodiversity crisis goes hand in hand with the loss of ecosystems and thus threatens our everyday life on earth. At the same time, despite all the crisis, we must not lose sight of the miracle of nature. Read more in the lead article of our new ESGenius Letter on the topic of “Biodiversity”.
At Erste AM, we have been dealing with sustainable investment for many years and have also included biodiversity agendas in our considerations. With our new biodiversity guideline, these issues are to be integrated even more formally into our processes. In addition, we are defining concrete biodiversity goals in the investment process that we want to achieve by 2030.
Franz Essl is an ecologist and a recognised expert on biodiversity and the protection of species diversity. In addition, he was named Scientist of the Year 2022 by the Club of Education and Science Journalists last year. In this interview, he explains what the term biodiversity encompasses and why politics and business must finally act to stop the loss of biodiversity.
The biodiversity of our planet provides the basis for life and the economy. The crisis facing global biodiversity puts quality of life and health at risk, as well as prosperity and economic development. Companies can also act and take measures. After all, biodiversity is on everyone’s agenda.
The regulatory environment for biodiversity-related risks is constantly changing. Investments in companies that are well prepared will benefit from this trend. Such companies prove to be robust in dealing with new regulations. Biodiversity risks need to be carefully analysed to protect not only investors’ assets but also Mother Earth.
Statistics show that the water temperature of the oceans this year is significantly above the long-term average. This is accompanied by serious consequences for many ecosystems and once again shows the drastic consequences of the climate crisis.
ERSTE BOND EM CORPORATE becomes part of our sustainable Integration fund family. Péter Varga discusses what this sustainable change means for him as a fund manager and what it changes in his investment process.
The taxonomy alignment of a fund is comparable to the nutritional information of food. Investors can thus find out transparently to what extent a fund invests in “green activities”. Find out more about taxonomy alignment and how we manage it in our funds in the blog post by Analyst Hebing Dong.
By submitting shareholder proposals at annual general meetings and exercising voting rights, investors can lobby companies to take measures in the direction of social responsibility, environmental protection or better transparency. In the previous year, Erste AM exercised its voting rights at 495 companies. In the blog post, we show what this entails using three examples.
With our self-developed “ESGenius” App, we can track and document our ESG activities such as engagements. Two current examples show how the app helps us improve our ESG performance.
