THEAM, BNP Paribas Investment Partners’ (BNPP IP’s) manager of index-based investment solutions), has won the 2016 Innovation Award at Agefi’s Grands Prix des ETF for its BNP Paribas Easy Low Carbon 100 Europe® UCITS ETF. It received the award, which recognises leading ETF (exchange-traded fund) innovation in the equity category, on 11 February, at the second edition of the Grands Prix des ETF. The event was organised by French business and financial periodical Agefi in tandem with TrackInsight, the ETF analysis platform.
This award recognises the pioneering role played by BNPP IP, which in 2008 became the first investment management company to launch a Low Carbon ETF. Benchmarked to the Low Carbon 100 Europe® index, BNP Paribas Easy Low Carbon 100 Europe® UCITS ETF replicates the performance of 100 major European companies with the lowest CO2 emissions in their respective sectors.
This award demonstrates the innovative capability of BNPP IP, which helped modify the methodology of the Low Carbon 100 Europe® index, alongside Euronext and Carbone4, in November 2015. It is now possible to identify companies that make a positive contribution to the energy transition, whether through their operating performance or through the products sold to clients. This Low Carbon index fund combines responsible investment and a diversified exposure to European equities. Investing in this Low Carbon ETF means investing in a portfolio with half the CO2 emissions of the companies in a traditional Europe index.
This award underscores BNPP’s long-standing commitment to a low-carbon economy. After signing the Montreal Carbon Pledge in May 2015, implementing a carbon-linked investment policy, signing up to the Portfolio Decarbonization Coalition and publishing the carbon footprint of equity funds in its Parvest line in November 2015, BNPP IP has again demonstrated its ability to innovate and play a pioneering role in low-carbon investments.
Frédéric Janbon, Chief Executive Officer of BNPP IP, comments: “We are very happy to have received this award, which illustrates our commitment to responsible investment. Our many initiatives in recent years allow us to offer our clients, both institutional and retail, a broad selection of investment solutions based on our research and innovation.”
Denis Panel, Chief Executive Officer of THEAM, adds: “The Low Carbon ETF helps fund energy transition by directing investments to companies that are the most active in reducing CO2 emissions and that make the biggest contribution to limiting global warming to less than two degrees.”
Anthony Attia, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Euronext Paris, comments: “We congratulate BNP Paribas Investment Partners on this award, which illustrates that the new version of the Low Carbon 100 Europe® index and its related tracker were very well received. Innovation lies at the heart of offering investors index products that measure companies’ environmental performance.”