Dutch-based asset manager Robeco’s new fund aims to invest in companies that can help speed up decarbonisation of polluting sectors, as well as in clean energy
Robeco has launched a climate transition fund focused on investments in companies that will speed up the switch to a low-carbon global economy.
The RobecoSAM Net Zero 2050 Climate Equities fund will look for companies helping to mitigate climate change, “following a decarbonization pathway of around 7% annually on average”. It is classified as an article 9 fund under the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).
Portfolio managers Chris Berkouwer and Yanxin Liu will oversee investments in a broad set of companies seeking to drive decarbonisation, such as mining equipment suppliers that improve efficiency, nature-based assets or transition capital providers, as well as the more obvious low-carbon investments in clean technology, electric vehicle and battery storage sectors, according to Robeco.
The fund will also engage with those companies, whose businesses are most affected by the energy transition, in particular working to ameliorate the social impacts of their climate change strategies, such as job losses.
“The strategy’s portfolio covers a mix of between 30 and 40 promising stocks from best-in-class leaders and companies with serious improvement potential to have real-world impact in transitioning to net zero, in a diversified approach encompassing all sectors,” Robeco said.
The fund’s performance and the strategy’s carbon footprint will be measured against a dedicated benchmark, the MSCI World Climate Change Index.
