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Socially responsible investing

SRI at BCV

Methodology

Products

Partnerships

SRI at BCV

Methodology

Products

Partnerships

We seek to offer a wide range of responsible investment solutions that are in line with market best practices and generate competitive long-term returns.

Strategic focus

We’re committed to sustainable development, and we act on this commitment through our SRI policy, local partnerships, and participation in various external initiatives.

Broad implementation

We are gradually implementing our SRI policy in our investment products, whether for individual or institutional clients.

Transparency

We keep our clients up to date on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues and the ESG implications of their investments through our client advisors, who receive ongoing training in SRI.

Our methodology

We use in-house analyses to conduct negative screening, where we exclude companies whose activities do not comply with regulations or whose practices we deem incompatible with our SRI approach.

In applying this approach, we exclude:

controversial weapons
thermal coal
unconventional fossil fuels
companies that do not comply with the UN Global Compact
adult entertainment,
tobacco.

We integrate ESG risks and opportunities into traditional financial analysis and investment decisions drawing on carefully chosen information sources.

We base our investment decisions on quantitative ESG scores or metrics, with the aim of favoring companies that meet high ESG standards in various areas. This is done in two different ways:

Positive screening: we select companies with good ESG scores or indicators in order to build a portfolio with an ESG score or indicator higher than that of the benchmark.
Best-in-class selection: we select companies that outperform their peers on ESG metrics with respect to a given threshold.

We invest in companies that provide solutions to either environmental issues (such as renewable energy and energy efficiency) or social issues (such as education, healthcare, and poverty reduction), in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

We exercise our shareholder voting rights in order to encourage companies to improve their ESG-related practices, as well as to protect our investors’ capital over the long term. In our view, this approach can be a major driver of positive change in the overall direction of a company.

At the general meetings of both Swiss and non-Swiss companies, our ballot decisions are based on proxy voting recommendations provided by our partner Ethos. Today, we exercise our voting rights for companies whose stocks are held by 16 investment funds representing total assets of some CHF 3.8bn.

In addition, we conduct dialogue with companies to encourage them to apply ESG criteria in their spheres of influence. We do this through Ethos’s shareholder engagement services, which extend to both Swiss and international companies (access the news). BCV has also been a signatory to the investor-led initiative Climate Action 100+ since 2023.

Understanding key SRI concepts

Glossary of terms (in French only)

SRI

Socially responsible investing (SRI) is a part of sustainable finance. It refers to the practice of integrating ESG criteria in investment decisions, with the aim of generating attractive long-term returns while supporting the sustainable development of society.

ESG

In the financial sector, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are used to analyze potential investments from a non-financial standpoint. These criteria now underpin SRI.

ODD

Les Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU sont au nombre de 169 et recouvrant 17 thématiques. Ils visent à répondre aux défis mondiaux à l’horizon 2030, notamment ceux liés à la pauvreté, au changement climatique, à la dégradation de l’environnement, à la paix et à la justice.

Our products

Standard range

In our standard product range, investment decisions are based primarily on financial objectives. ESG-related constraints are not systematically taken into account.

ESG range

In our ESG range, we consider companies’ exposure to ESG risks and how those risks are managed. This helps reduce exposure to controversial activities and make our portfolios more resilient to ESG risks over the long term.

ESG Ambition range

For our ESG Ambition range, we apply the same approach as for the ESG range but go one step further – we allocate part of the assets to investments that will help drive positive change in the economy, the community, and the environment.

Our partnerships

Ethos
We entered into a partnership with Ethos, a recognized leader in sustainable finance in Switzerland, to create a Swiss center of expertise in sustainable finance. Under this partnership, a range of investment funds covering the main asset classes is managed.

University of Lausanne
We have a partnership with the University of Lausanne to promote research on the integration of ESG criteria into real-estate investments in Switzerland. This partnership has led to the publication of various studies on the topic.

UNPRI
We are a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI), which seek to promote a sustainable financial system.

SSF
We are a member of Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF), whose goal is to strengthen Switzerland’s position as a hub for sustainable finance.

PACTA
We voluntarily take part in the Paris Agreement Capital Transition Assessment (PACTA) climate compatibility test. We use PACTA to test a number of portfolios representative of our management approach.

Climate Action 100+
We take part in Climate Action 100+, an investor-led initiative to ensure the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters take necessary action on climate change.

File also available in: Allemand

Contact

info.rse@bcv.ch

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Socially responsible investing

SRI at BCV

Methodology

Products

Partnerships

SRI at BCV

Methodology

Products

Partnerships

We seek to offer a wide range of responsible investment solutions that are in line with market best practices and generate competitive long-term returns.

Strategic focus

Broad implementation

Transparency

Our methodology

Our products

Standard range

ESG range

ESG Ambition range

Our partnerships

Learn more