Encouraging new practices

Our ongoing investment in ESG research, our team of experienced analysts, and our experience make us the preferred partner to help our clients implement their ESG commitments.

;
Wim Van Hyfte
Global Head of ESG Investments and Research
Our job now is to help our clients with voting, commitment, data and reporting, with all the ESG issues that they face, where we have real expertise and where we can help them.

SaisirOpportunites.svg

Creating more opportunities

Our independent ESG research works in synergy with the management teams, adding value and innovation. It ensures access to more opportunities for our clients, as well as a better understanding of long-term risks.

Innover.svg

Innovation 

We continue to develop our expertise and enrich our processes and our savoir-faire in order to offer our clients investment solutions that have a real, inclusive and long-lasting impact, for the benefit of all.

SourcePerfMultiples.svg

Sharing

Candriam donates part of its revenues to finance societal projects in the field of education, health, environment and social inclusion. We share our ESG expertise through the Candriam Academy, the world's first free online training platform on sustainable investment.

A unique approach to responsible investment

Unique because it is built on our proprietary research, which has been developed and enriched over more than 20 years, and on the recognised expertise of our team of ESG analysts, one of the largest such teams in Europe, which informs all of our investments.

Unique because our starting premise is that every company contributes to sustainability in two ways: through its activities, and through the way it is managed. This dual dimension is present in all our sustainability funds through our analysis and the ESG rating we produce for all the companies in which we invest.

Capture d’écran 2022-04-04 à 11.35.15.png

Exclusions

We have chosen to exclude industries such as tobacco, thermal coal, and controversial weapons (anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions, chemical and biological weapons, including white phosphorous) from all our funds.

Discipline.svg

Taking our responsibilities seriously

We believe that engagement with issuers and an active voting policy are essential to long-term value creation. Each year we attend 1,200 general meetings and vote on nearly 16,000 resolutions. We also lead or participate in some 50 collaborative initiatives to positively influence companies' sustainability strategies.

Construction.svg

Taking action

We are responsible in two ways: by investing directly in companies that provide solutions to the challenges we face, and by supporting, through the Candriam Institute for Sustainable Development, projects that work towards building a more sustainable society in the fields of health, education and ESG research, social inclusion and well-being, or the environment (circular economy, climate change and just transition).

Promoting dialogue as the key to success

We maintain an ongoing dialogue with the companies in which we invest, combining our ESG research with an engagement policy that places particular emphasis on fair working conditions, the energy transition, and business ethics.

Our shareholder commitment & votes in detail

Applying to ourselves what we ask of others

  • Being a long-term partner for our clients and stakeholders
  • Creating conditions for a rewarding and lasting professional life for our teams
  • Acting responsibly with regard to each and every employee
  • Applying rigorous governance and compliance processes
  • Publier un rapport annuel RSE décrivant nos actions en tant qu'entreprise responsable
  • Adopting an ambitious climate policy, aligned with the objectives of the Paris Agreement
ESG is an integral part of all our investment decisions.

Leaving nothing to chance

Our exclusion policy is applied to all our investments. We are continuously developing our non-financial criteria in order to accurately assess the sources of growth as well as long-term risks, and how these contribute to or jeopardise our sustainability objectives.

1. Exclusion

We exclude companies that are involved in controversial activities (e.g. alcohol, gambling, tobacco, etc.) and we ensure that our selection of companies complies with the major international agreements.

Candriam Exclusion Policy

2. ESG research

The team has developed its own ESG analysis methodology that is applied to three types of issuer: companies, governments, and supranational organisations. Company ESG analysts are specialised by ESG theme, in order to create expertise hubs to improve the development of strategies and provide the investment teams with a better understanding of the specific risks and opportunities associated with each of the three themes: E, S and G.

Our SRI publications

3. ESG rating

The ESG universe consists of the best-positioned companies based on ESG ratings resulting from the analysis of the company's activities and stakeholders and which have also passed the normative analysis and the control of exposure to controversial activities.

4. Valuation

In making recommendations, our analysts carry out an in-depth study of the company's business and financial profile by including ESG criteria when evaluating companies, using a comprehensive framework.

5. Long-term investor

We are an active investor in order to encourage transparency, promote sustainable practices, and support investment decisions. We maintain regular contact with companies via a direct dialogue, and we participate in or drive collaborative initiatives at the same time as exercising our voting rights.

Our shareholder commitment & votes in detail

Figures are worth a thousand words. 

€111bn

AuM

2006

Founding PRI signatory

1996

First SRI strategy

26

ESG experts

Impact investing

An impact investment is made with the intention of having a positive and measurable social and environmental impact, accompanied by financial performance. This notion of intentionality is fundamental. Impact investments have been designed with the aim of creating a significant positive impact for society or the environment.

Read more

FUNDS

Do you want to know more about our sustainable funds?

Latest analyses

  • Research Paper, ESG, SRI, Dany da Fonseca, Vincent Compiègne, Patrick Zeenni

    Beyond the Green Bond?

    Based on our long-standing views of the financial benefits of sustainability, we integrate some level of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) factor analysis across all our investment processes, and particularly for our sustainable investment strategies.
  • Astrid Pierard, Alix Chosson, ESG, SRI, Research Paper, Equities, Water

    Water risks: How to build water-conscious investment strategies?

    In a world grappling with escalating water issues, prioritizing water as a strategic business imperative has never been more critical. The operational and financial impacts of water-related risks have started materializing. Our conviction is that companies must consider and manage water as the long-term strategic and operational risk it can represent.
  • Once upon a time, mankind invented PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).
    Bastien Dublanc, Astrid Pierard, Jessica Carlier, ESG, SRI, Equities, Research Paper, Water

    PFAS: Genius gone wrong

    PFAS have been widely used for decades due to their unique properties in various domestic and industrial applications. They are resistant to water and virtually indestructible. They are also seen as the poison of the century. Where do we stand in terms of regulation? What are the PFAS-related risks? Where are the opportunities?
  • Fabrice Sauzeau, ESG, SRI

    On the road to sustainable Solvency II

    While these objectives are laudable, there are methodological obstacles. The initial objectives of Solvency II were harmonization, financial stability and policyholder protection. The text had therefore been conceived as a risk-based regulation, based on the valuation of the balance sheet on a mark-to-market basis and on capital requirements calibrated using Value at Risk (VaR) with a confidence level of 99.5%.
  • ESG, SRI, David Czupryna, Circular Economy

    Beyond Fossil Fuels: Why Green Investments Are Still the Future

    After a challenging period for green investing, marked by rising interest rates, supply chain issues, and overcapacity, companies committed to building a sustainable world could remain an attractive long-term option for investors seeking both financial returns and positive impact.

Find it fast

Get information faster with a single click

Get insights straight to your inbox