1. Smart energy / clean energy

Invests in the transformation of energy to a low-carbon future

• Captures strong growth potential of decarbonization, electrification, and digitization within the energy and the global economy

• Identifies early adopters, key enablers, and structural winners contributing to the energy transition

  • Our investment philosophy is grounded in the core belief that the integration of ESG factors into a disciplined, research-driven investment process leads to better-informed investment decisions and better risk-adjusted returns through an economic cycle.

  • Building on our proprietary data and research, we identify companies that generate a competitive advantage through sound business practices, efficiency improvements, and the creation of new solutions for the myriad challenges facing society over the coming decades.

  • Taking a long-term investment perspective, we analyze companies’ business models, market positioning and growth potential, and evaluate their financial performance and valuation. Based on this fundamental assessment, we seek to uncover attractive investment opportunities and implement them in concentrated, conviction-based equity portfolios.

2. Climate fixed income

Investing in bonds and striving to keep the global temperature rise well below 2°C

• At the forefront of the transition to a low-carbon economy

• Portfolio aim of 7% decarbonization per year, measured against a benchmark aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement

• Available as aggregate fixed income or credits, building on our experience in sustainability and fixed income investing

• Robeco is committed to contributing to the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement and recognizes the responsibility the asset management industry has to address climate change risks. We are committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. The Climate Fixed Income strategy invest globally in fixed income instruments in a way that strives to keep the temperature rise well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing efforts to limit the temperature rise even further to 1.5 °C.

• The strategy follows an active and contrarian investment style with explicit climate targets in line with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.

5. Green Bond

Investing in green bonds to create long-term positive environmental impact

Targeted impact investing that benefits the environment

• Proprietary green bonds framework to determine portfolio eligibility

• Combines our capabilities in global fixed income and sustainable investing

• The strategy aims to create positive environmental impact, whilst generating outperformance relative to its underlying benchmark, the Bloomberg Barclays MSCI Global Green Bond Index, over the long run.

• The underlying investment philosophy is based on the segmentation of fixed income markets and how they are not perfectly synchronous. Fear and greed cycles overshoot, creating dislocations in valuation and risk premiums. We believe that we can discover and exploit these market inefficiencies.

The Green bonds strategy is actively managed with a diversified exposure to the global green bond market. It exploits both active interest rate and credit strategies by investing in green bonds issued by governments, government-related agencies and corporates.

6. SDG Equity

Actively contribute to meeting the SDGs

• Invests in companies creating significant social and environmental impact via the UN SDGs

• Applies a proprietary SDG framework to systematically quantify companies’ SDG contributions

• Combines fundamental analysis with portfolio optimization methods to minimize risk

• Our investment philosophy is grounded in the core belief that the integration of ESG factors into a disciplined, research-driven investment process leads to better-informed investment decisions and better risk-adjusted returns through an economic cycle.

• Building on our proprietary data and research, we identify companies that generate a competitive advantage through sound business practices, efficiency improvements, and the creation of new solutions for the myriad challenges facing society over the coming decades.

• Taking a long-term investment perspective, we analyze companies’ business models, market positioning and growth potential, and evaluate their financial performance and valuation. Based on this fundamental assessment, we seek to uncover attractive investment opportunities and implement them in concentrated, conviction-based equity portfolios.

• The strategy applies a disciplined investment process that enables the construction of a concentrated portfolio reflecting high-conviction investment opportunities while reducing overall volatility. There are four decision steps:

an initial impact universe is built, 

corporate sustainability is enhanced, 

investment opportunities are identified, 

and the portfolio is constructed.

• The proprietary Robeco SDG framework maps companies on the different SDGs. An industry-specific set of KPIs supports objective, consistent decision-making and leads to a quantified rating, measuring a company’s contribution to the SDGs. Fundamental research then provides the basis for the selection of those companies that exhibit a strong competitive position and a solid financial performance. Portfolio construction is based on an optimization process that selects holdings and defines weightings. The calculation incorporates high-conviction ideas and ensures diversification among the SDGs.