Robeco, in close cooperation with RobecoSAM, launched the Robeco QI Global Sustainable Conservative Equities fund, which builds upon the successful conservative equity strategy and aims to provide equity returns at lower risk by exploiting the low-risk anomaly. Additionally, it aims to offer a significantly better sustainability profile than the reference index, the MSCI World All Country.
The fund will be managed by the Robeco Conservative equities team based in Rotterdam who currently oversee €16.9 billion AUM, as per the end of October 2016, and have a proven track record of delivering enhanced returns with lower volatility. Robeco has a distinguished heritage in developing quantitative factor-based investment solutions for its clients, with the Robeco Global Conservative Equities fund recently enjoying its tenth anniversary.
RobecoSAM, the investment specialist focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing, co-developed the strategy and is responsible for factoring in “Smart ESG” scores, reducing the environmental footprint of the portfolio by 20% (vs. MSCI World All Country), and avoiding investments in companies with controversial business practices.
Pim van Vliet, PhD, founder and Portfolio Manager of the Robeco Global Conservative Equity funds, said: “I am delighted that ten years after the launch of our first conservative equity strategy, Robeco has developed a new offering that, while fully based on the philosophy and research of the original strategy, simultaneously offers clients a very strong sustainable profile. The strategy will apply strict criteria based on high ethical standards, high ESG scores and a low environmental footprint.”
Daniel Wild, PhD, Head of Sustainability Investing Research and Development & Member of the Executive Committee, RobecoSAM, said: “Marrying the low-risk anomaly with ‘Smart ESG’ scores makes perfect sense. The two concepts complement each other and we are proud to see the strategy being launched. Sophisticated investors can now benefit from Robeco’s decade-long expertise in the conservative equity strategy and RobecoSAM’s two-decade-long history of SI.”
The fund, which is domiciled in Luxembourg and will be available for investors in Robeco’s key markets, is aimed at both institutional investors and retail investors, who are interested in both low-volatility investing and sustainability.
For Funds Society, Madrid
For Elena Santiso