ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT
Investing in funds with environmental awareness
A fund for the environment
With the ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT, you are choosing a fund that invests globally in companies whose products and services meet specific sustainability criteria. The focus is on renewable energies and energy efficiency, water treatment and supply, recycling and waste management, as well as sustainable mobility.
As the effects of global warming become increasingly evident and natural resources such as water grow scarcer, demand for solutions in these areas is rising. This also drives the economic growth of companies that offer these solutions. This is where the fund invests.
The partnership between Erste Asset Management and the WWF supports the further development of the fund’s environmental and sustainability criteria. An independent Environmental Advisory Board regularly reviews compliance with the fund’s guidelines. As part of this process, experts – including a representative from the WWF – assess the application of the positive and exclusion criteria, as well as relevant environmental and sustainability aspects of the companies. Please note that investing in securities involves risks as well as opportunities.
Global equity fund with a focus on environmental technology
Environmental benefits of the companies in the fund
Clearly defined criteria
Your money is invested in accordance with clearly defined sustainability criteria.
Focus on sustainability
The fund aims to make a positive contribution to nature, the climate and society (in accordance with Article 9 of the EU Disclosure Regulation).
Broad diversification
You make broadly diversified investments in various companies from the environmental sector.
Price fluctuations
The price of the fund can fluctuate significantly due to various influencing factors.
Exchange rate changes
Due to the investment in foreign currencies, the fund value may be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates.
Capital loss possible
Capital loss is a possible consequence of investing in the stock market.
Invest in a better future.
Shape the future sustainably by investing in the ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT, which supports environmentally friendly projects. There are risks and advantages when investing in funds.
Think of your environment.
Invest as little as 50€ in a sustainable investment fund. Please note that besides the advantages there are also risks.
If you click on "Buy fund" or "Open Fund Savings Plan", you will be redirected to George, Austria's most modern banking system.
Certified as sustainable
Sustainability certifications offer investors guidance when selecting funds that take environmental and social criteria into account.
The ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT holds two of the most prestigious quality certifications for sustainable investments in the German-speaking world: the Austrian Ecolabel and the FNG seal, both awarded the top rating of three stars. Furthermore, the fund has held the Impact Label from LuxFLAG since 2026.
Joint Investments in a Sustainable Future
In Austria, WWF Austria and Erste Asset Management have been working together since 2006. As part of the ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT, the WWF – one of the largest and most renowned organisations for environmental protection – contributes its specialist expertise to the development and refinement of environmental criteria. The partnership helps to ensure that selected environmental aspects are incorporated into the fund’s selection process. At the same time, Erste AM is waiving a portion of the fund’s management fees. This contribution supports various WWF projects for environmental and climate protection in Austria and around the world.
Sustainability criteria based on the WWF’s technical expertise
To qualify for the ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT, companies must meet specific sustainability criteria. These include, for example, companies that develop technologies to promote the expansion of renewable and environmentally friendly energy, reduce water consumption, or enable new recycling processes. In addition, social factors such as workplace safety and human rights are also assessed. High standards are also set for corporate governance and ethics.
In the first step, the Responsible Investments team at Erste Asset Management identifies companies that meet the fund’s positive and exclusion criteria. The Environmental Advisory Board, established by the WWF, supports the fund's management. The Environmental Advisory Board, initiated by the WWF, supports the fund management. Please note that investing in securities involves risks as well as opportunities.
WWF: Money Drives Solutions for Greater Environmental and Climate Protection
A healthy, diverse natural environment and a stable climate are the foundation of all life. We need clean water and healthy food, fertile soil, and a climate in which people can thrive. Only by protecting the climate and nature more effectively now can we preserve a livable planet and secure a better future for all.
Currently, we are consuming resources faster than nature can regenerate them. We emit more greenhouse gases than forests and oceans can absorb. The Earth's natural systems have reached their limits. A clear change in direction is urgently needed!
Money is a powerful tool for turning words into action. By applying defined environmental and sustainability criteria, financial resources can be channelled specifically towards companies and solutions designed to contribute to the desired transformation goals. Private investors can take environmental and sustainability considerations into account in their investment decisions and thereby support relevant initiatives.
Vibrant Rivers and Natural Paradises
Austria needs healthy rivers. They perform vital functions such as flood protection and groundwater preservation, provide habitats for animals and plants, and offer people spaces for recreation.
Currently, however, only 14% of water bodies are in very good condition. The main reason is overuse. Extensive hydropower development, widespread valley infrastructure, strict regulations, and water extraction have significantly worsened the situation. Additionally, global warming is accelerating this deterioration. Action is urgently needed to ensure sufficient water availability in the future.
That’s why WWF is committed throughout Austria to protecting the last intact rivers and restoring degraded water bodies. Over the years, funding from the partnership centred on the ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT has helped to support numerous initiatives aimed at protecting and restoring water bodies.
Protecting forests in Southeast Asia
With funding from the partnership centred on the ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT, Erste AM supports on-the-ground work in one of the largest contiguous forest areas in South-East Asia. The Dawna Tenasserim region is a truly unique ecosystem. Due to its geographic location, it is home to a wide variety of plants and animals, including many endangered species.
The protected area network in Southeast Asia is the largest and most extensive of its kind. Around 82% of the region remains fully forested. These vast, dense forests are home to many animals, including tigers, leopards, Asian elephants, wild cattle, Malayan tapirs, and Siamese crocodiles. Many of these species are rare, endangered, or endemic to this part of the world.
For many years, the WWF has been working alongside local partners on measures to protect the area and its biodiversity, and to curb deforestation and poaching. Through local partnerships, a cross-border alliance has been established to help preserve this precious landscape.
Focus on Megatrends in Environmental Stocks
The ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT invests globally in companies whose products and services meet specific sustainability criteria. The WWF helped to develop the fund’s positive and exclusion criteria and continues to contribute its specialist expertise to their ongoing development. Companies are selected on the basis of defined environmental and sustainability criteria. These companies operate in the following sectors, amongst others:
Renewable energy
Investments in Emerging Key Markets for Wind and Solar Energy
Energy efficiency
Investments in improved thermal insulation and more efficient technologies, such as lighting systems.
Energy supply
Investments in energy storage, optimization of energy transmission, and smart systems.
Water treatment and supply
Investments in infrastructure, cost and consumption reduction, hygiene, and addressing water scarcity.
Recycling and waste management
Investments to combat increasing waste volumes and reduce CO₂ emissions.
Sustainable mobility
Investments in new propulsion technologies such as electric vehicles or hydrogen-powered systems.
Megatrends are long-term, far-reaching changes in society, the economy and technology that have a significant impact on our lives. Promising companies may not be investable for sustainability reasons. However, it is not yet possible to predict which companies will benefit most from this trend in the long term.
Extract from the exclusion criteria for the ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT
* see column ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT
- Child labour
- Forced labour
- Discrimination at work
- Violation of human rights
- Destruction of natural living space
- Animal testing
- Food commodities speculations
- Nuclear energy
- Coal mining
- Tobacco and alcohol industry
Key figures on the companies in the fund portfolio
The EU Disclosure Regulation ensures transparency in sustainable investing. The following key figures provide an insight into selected characteristics of the fund portfolio.
Clean drinking water
The companies in the fund’s portfolio report that they have provided 7 million people with clean drinking water through the companies in which the fund has invested.
Energy supply
In 2022, they were able to supply 16 million households with energy from renewable sources.
CO2 reduction
The companies in the portfolio avoided a total of 678 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2023 (according to their reporting).
This is a snapshot. The composition may change over time. The indicators reflect the total impact of the companies held by the fund on the reporting date. It is not about the share of the ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT, but about the overall impact of the companies.
Disclaimer
This document is an advertisement. Please refer to the prospectus of the UCITS or to the Information for Investors pursuant to Art 21 AIFMG of the alternative investment fund and the Key Information Document before making any final investment decisions. Unless indicated otherwise, source: Erste Asset Management GmbH. Our languages of communication are German and English.
The prospectus for UCITS (including any amendments) is published in accordance with the provisions of the InvFG 2011 in the currently amended version. Information for Investors pursuant to Art 21 AIFMG is prepared for the alternative investment funds (AIF) administered by Erste Asset Management GmbH pursuant to the provisions of the AIFMG in connection with the InvFG 2011. The fund prospectus, Information for Investors pursuant to Art 21 AIFMG, and the Key Information Document can be viewed in their latest versions at the web site www.erste-am.com within the section mandatory publications or obtained in their latest versions free of charge from the domicile of the management company and the domicile of the custodian bank. The exact date of the most recent publication of the fund prospectus, the languages in which the fund prospectus or the Information for Investors pursuant to Art 21 AIFMG and the Key Information Document are available, and any additional locations where the documents can be obtained can be viewed on the web site www.erste-am.com. A summary of investor rights is available in German and English on the website www.erste-am.com/investor-rights as well as at the domicile of the management company.
The management company can decide to revoke the arrangements it has made for the distribution of unit certificates abroad, taking into account the regulatory requirements.
Detailed information on the risks potentially associated with the investment can be found in the fund prospectus or Information for investors pursuant to Art 21 AIFMG of the respective fund. If the fund currency is a currency other than the investor's home currency, changes in the corresponding exchange rate may have a positive or negative impact on the value of his investment and the amount of the costs incurred in the fund - converted into his home currency.
Our analyses and conclusions are general in nature and do not take into account the individual needs of our investors in terms of earnings, taxation, and risk appetite. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of the future performance of a fund.
More information
Energy hunger and energy transition
Behind the rapid advances that appear to be continuing unabated are billions in investments in data centres, chips, and, above all, one thing: electricity. The bottleneck is increasingly shifting away from pure computing power towards energy supply.
Sustainable water management
In this interview, fund manager Clemens Klein explains why water is also a relevant issue for investors, how drought and water scarcity affect the economy, and how innovative technologies can help us manage this precious resource more sustainably and efficiently.
Why environmental technologies are entering a new phase
What was long discussed primarily as an issue of climate protection and energy efficiency has now become a key concern regarding supply security and competitiveness.