Money Management, 7 December 2020
Robeco has launched a credit income fund targeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while aiming for a 4% to 6% income distribution.
The fund would be benchmark unaware and applied Robeco’s proprietary SDG assessment framework which screen companies that contribute positively to the SDGs.
The SDGs were a set of 17 goals and 169 targets for government, business and society with the aim to reduce inequality, eradicate poverty and protect the environment.
The fund would be an actively-managed global credit strategy that could invest in opportunities across different segments in the credit market, ranging from investment grade to emerging markets credits to high yield.
Stephen Dennis, head of Robeco Australia, said the launch of the fund in the local market provided investors the opportunity to tap into Robeco’s global expertise in credit investing, and market-leading approach to sustainable investing.
“Local wholesale and institutional investors are increasingly responding to the sustainability demands of their clients and members, and the ability to access the SDG credit income fund is a development that will be welcomed by them,” Dennis said.
September 2020 marked the fifth anniversary of the adoption of the SDGs and Robeco urged the global investment community to do more as part of the wider 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“Sustainable investing is not going away; in fact, it’s only going to continue to evolve and attract further investor demand,” Dennis said.
“Investors are in a unique position to direct capital to companies that provide solutions to sustainability challenges.
“Robeco’s focus on this area over a long period of time means we’ve been able to refine our processes, and continue to offer investors products that not only generate market-leading returns, but also contribute on a practical level to the objectives of the UN SDGs.”
