Responsible Investing

We invest in approximately 3,500 companies worldwide for our clients. With invested assets of approximately EUR 25 billion, we can contribute to a better future for the current and future generations.

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Our vision on responsible investing

We invest in approximately 3,500 companies worldwide for our clients. With invested assets of approximately EUR 25 billion, we can contribute to a better future for current and future generations. We believe that sustainability and good returns reinforce each other and that taking ESG aspects into account in investment choices yields more for now and in the future. A company that takes social developments into account is expected to perform better than a company that does not take them into account. That is why responsible investment is an integral part of our investment policy.

sustainable development goals

UN Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) consist of 17 sustainability goals that have been agreed by the countries that are members of the United Nations, including the Netherlands. The SDGs aim for a positive impact on society and the environment and contribute to the focus of our ESG policy. To identify ESG risks and opportunities, we work with two sustainability themes and corresponding SDGs. We attach extra importance to the themes of Climate and Economy, production and consumption. In our engagement policy, we emphasize these five SDGs.

We exclude companies and governments that do not meet our criteria for responsible investment, including: 

  • Companies involved in the production or distribution of controversial weapons.
  • Nuclear weapons produced in a country that has signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty are an exception to this.
  • Companies that seriously and systematically violate the UN Global Compact.
  • Companies that are involved in the production of and/or trade in products that, in normal use, lead to death or personal damage – also to others, and who have (demonstrated) no willingness to discuss this ('it kills and harms and engagement has proven to be ineffective'), such as tobacco.
  • Government bonds from countries with seriously deficient government.

We use an ESG questionnaire for the selection of external asset managers. Third party asset managers must have an ESG policy and adopt and implement our exclusion list. In addition, the external asset managers of liquid categories must have signed the PRI. Before 1 January 2022, in line with our ESG policy and the IMVB covenant, we will embed the OECD guidelines and the UN Guiding Principles in the contracts with external asset managers.

The remuneration policy of BSG Asset Management/Fund Management does not contain a variable component linked to financial performance. The remuneration policy does not stand in the way of the integration of sustainability risks. We report ourselves and to our clients on a quarterly basis about the implementation of our involvement policy on our website. For our clients, we report annually to the PRI, the VBDO and the SER (IMVB covenant).