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.
All articles on the topic “Sustainability”
A very boozy Christmas
Who doesn’t know it – sitting together in a boisterous atmosphere, with a glass of champagne in your hand. Or two. Christmas is the celebration of joy, of Christmas markets, and of excessive alcohol consumption: a good reason for us to dedicate this ESG Letter to the topic of alcohol.
What does climate change have to do with alcohol? – Investment Board
The big chateaux in the Bordeaux region, Hofbräuhauses, and abbey distilleries: alcohol is a distinctive cultural good. It is not by accident that big events are always accompanied – and fuelled – by alcoholic beverages.
How organic is the vineyard?
Everybody is talking about organic wine. Commercials claim it is better for the environment, because the conservation-minded way of handling nature safeguards the habitat of a diverse range of organisms.
Alcohol Facts & Figures
Did you know that the fear of an empty glass has a name? Find out what it is and more interesting facts about the topic of Alcohol.
“Less is better” vs. “Drink responsibly”
What sort of responsibility do alcohol producers hold? Dr. Alfred Uhl, from the “Competence Centre Addiction“ tells us exactly what is meant by “drink responsibly”.
“Alcohol addiction is a chronic illness”
An addiction or alcohol dependency is a chronic illness that can manifest itself in numerous layers of problems. Intervention regimes have to take these into account by approaching the situation from a medical, psychological, and social angle. Dialog in Vienna offers such a comprehensive approach. Find out more in this blog post.
Alcohol producers against excessive consumption – Engagement
Alcohol enjoys a special privilege. No other drug is as socially accepted. This also manifests itself in the special status it is invested with by law: while cannabis – a market whose legal side is estimated to grow from USD 9.5bn in 2017 to USD 32bn by 2020 – is legal in only a handful of states, tobacco is subject to ever-more stringent regulations. By comparison, alcohol producers are relatively free to pursue their business.
Everything was better in the past!
The Austrian term “Komasaufen“, which refers to the practice of binge drinking, received the “Doublespeak Award” 2007. The award followed significant media coverage and discussion on the alcoholic excesses that young people were engaging in with extremely sweet alcoholic beverages.
Responsible Investment Universe
The definition of the investment universe is the most important step in the construction of a fund.
Certified Erste AM Funds
The Erste AM RESPONSIBLE funds are subject to constant scrutiny with regard to their sustainable quality.

Information availability and data protection and their impact on society
Interview with Gregor König, Head of Data Protection office Digital providers collect loads of data in the background. They are evaluated/analysed and, more and more often, are used for personalised marketing and/or product/service offers. What is your opinion in this context? Is this beneficial for the user, or is the opposite the case? And what is […]
The primal fear of “Profiling”
Many people harbour an undefined fear of psychologists. Maybe it is the fear of someone being able to look inside them and know what they are thinking. And, let’s be honest: how many times didn’t you think: “Thank God nobody knows what I am thinking right now”? But that was in the past. Nowadays, Google, Facebook, Amazon et al. know quite well what we are thinking. Apparently even better than we do ourselves or the people close to us.
Big data as a powerful tool – Investment Board
We communicate a great deal on social networks. For example, how nice our breakfast is or even the view from a very tall mountain we just climbed. Unfortunately, social networks operators are much less willing to communicate when it comes to the handling of gained user data.
This is where the term “commitment” comes in – in our new ESG article, we explain what it means.
Pro Big Data – What are we really afraid of in today’s digital world?
Do the Big Data advantages and opportunities outweigh the disadvantages and possible consequences in today´s digital world? Find out more in our blog.
Contra Big Data – When the algorithm knows too much
“If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to be afraid of”. What is at the core of this argument? More on our blog.
Big Data Facts & Figures
Only 0.5% of all accessible data is analyzed and used. More facts about Big Data can be found here.
Engagement – Better handling of user data
Large operators of social networks are decidedly less outspoken when it comes to their use of the data obtained. The companies we contacted did not want to talk about the maintenance of the private sphere nor about data protection. But that was not surprising.
The Physicists
Big Data contains a lot of good, but also a lot of controvery. Just think of social scoring, for example. Your friends, your media consumption, your daily habits, everything you do is recorded, evaluated, and channelled into a rating.
Responsible Investment Universe
The definition of the investment universe is the most important step in the construction of a fund.
Certified Erste AM Funds
The Erste AM RESPONSIBLE funds are subject to constant scrutiny with regard to their sustainable quality.
Hey Mrs. Robinson
Editorial: Gerold Permoser, CIO and CSIO of Erste Asset Management, comments on the topic of this issue.
The Life of Plastics – Investment Board
The Erste AM Investment Board gives a form to the responsive dialogue with and among sustainability research agencies.
“Disposable plastic is mostly responsible for plastic waste in the seas”
Interview with Axel Hein, marine expert at WWF Austria.
Company of this edition: Tomra Systems
The Company of the Month is selected due to recent developments and in connection with the topic ”Plastic”.
Plastic planet
79 % of the produced plastic waste are currently spread across the environment or in landfills. More facts about plastic can be found here…
Plastic in our Environment
The world consumes resources more quickly and at larger quantities than our population is growing.
A Brief History of Rubber
Lasting Words: “Everything used to be better. What is plastic today was natural rubber back then,” says Gerold Permoser, CIO and CSIO of Erste AM.
Responsible investment universe
The definition of the investment universe is the most important step in the construction of a fund
Certified Erste AM Funds
The Erste AM RESPONSIBLE funds are subject to constant scrutiny with regard to their sustainable quality.
Helping people to help themselves
There are investments that create a better world. Microloans give people in the Third World a chance to a better life and facilitate a stable yield for domestic investors.

World Water Day 2018: Smoke on the water – the water footprint of sustainable investments
The World Water Day was first introduced on 22 March 1993. The goal was to anchor the meaning of water and thus the efficient use of this critical resource in the collective consciousness. Despite the long history, the importance of water from the point of view of risk has only recently gained in relevance.
The source of life (Editorial)
Gerold Permoser is Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of Erste Asset Management. In this function he is in charge of the asset management activities and investment strategies of all investment funds of the Erste Asset Management Group in Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.
Sustainable use of water (Investment Board)
The Erste AM Investment Board gives a structured form to the ongoing and responsive dialogue with and among sustainability research agencies. The Board offers the chance to integrate in-house and external research. It also discusses rating details, the ESG’s assessment of the IPOs of new issuers and sustainability issues in general.
More than a drop in the bucket?
The World Water Day was first introduced on 22 March 1993. The goal was to anchor the meaning of water and thus the efficient use of this critical resource in the collective consciousness. Despite the long history, the importance of water from the point of view of risk has only recently gained in relevance.
Mega trend environmental technology
The global population will reach 10 billion people by 2100, with masses streaming into the cities. The environmental problems are becoming more challenging as we speak due to the exploitation of raw materials and the climate change, which has manifested itself via ever more frequent freak weather events. The call for the cautious handling of […]