• All sixteen submitted sustainable and ethical funds receive FNG label and top marks
• Social impact fund ERSTE FAIR INVEST* as debutant awardee

The sustainable and ethical line of funds by Erste Asset Management (Erste AM) received several awards from Forum für Nachhaltige Geldanlagen e.V. (FNG; Forum for Sustainable Investments) at this year’s call. All 16 funds submitted by Erste AM received the FNG label, the quality standard for sustainable investment funds in German-speaking countries. In addition, all funds submitted received the top rating – a quality label with three stars. For the first time, the label was also awarded to the social impact fund ERSTE FAIR INVEST, which was launched in the previous year.

“The FNG label is one of the most important awards for sustainable funds in the German-speaking region. The fact that all of our submitted funds not only received the label, but did so with 3 starts, shows that our funds meet the very highest quality standards. Sustainable investments are an essential cornerstone for achieving climate goals, as public investments alone are far from sufficient to ensure the needed transformation of the economy. We are very proud to make this positive contribution to changing the world together with our clients”, comments Walter Hatak, Head of Responsible Investments with Erste Asset Management.

310 investment funds from 112 investment fund houses were scrutinised

The FNG label is only awarded to funds that meet a certain minimum standard. These include transparency criteria and the consideration of labour & human rights, environmental protection, and anti-corruption measures and policies. In addition, funds that excel in the areas of "institutional credibility", "product standards" and "portfolio focus" receive up to a maximum of three stars.

In total, 310 investment funds from 112 investment houses had applied for the label. Of the products that fulfilled the minimum criteria, 100 funds received top marks.

The Erste AM funds with FNG label:

• ERSTE ETHIK AKTIEN GLOBAL
• ERSTE ETHIK ANLEIHEN
• ERSTE GREEN INVEST
• ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND
• ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND EM CORPORATE
• ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND EURO CORPORATE
• ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND GLOBAL HIGH YIELD
• ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND GLOBAL IMPACT
• ERSTE RESPONSIBLE RESERVE
• ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK AMERICA
• ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK EUROPE
• ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK GLOBAL
• ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK DIVIDEND
• ERSTE STOCK ENVIRONMENT
• ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT

Market leader and pioneer in sustainable investments

The demand for sustainable and responsible investments has been on the rise for years. Erste Asset Management is the market leader in Austria with sustainably invested assets under management of EUR 15.4bn (as of 30 October 2022) and is one of the most important players in the DACH (i.e. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) region. The company has a long track record in the field of sustainability. As early as 2001, Erste AM launched the first environmental equity fund. In 2006, the cooperation with WWF Austria followed and in 2009, Erste AM was the first investment company in Austria to sign the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI). The most recent milestones include last year’s expansion of the Coal Divestment Policy to exclude coal-fired generation and the integration of the Paris climate targets.

For more information, please visit www.erste-am.at and www.forum-ng.org/en/

About FNG:

FNG (Forum Nachhaltige Geldanlagen e.V.) is the trade association for sustainable investments in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and represents over 230 members who are committed to more sustainability in the financial industry. It awards the transparency logo for sustainable investment funds, publishes the FNG sustainability profiles and has developed the FNG seal for sustainable investment funds. FNG is also a founding member of the European umbrella organisation Eurosif.

About the FNG seal:

The FNG label is the quality standard for sustainable investment funds in the German-speaking region. The holistic methodology of the FNG label is based on minimum standards. These include transparency criteria and the consideration of labour and human rights, environmental protection, and anti-corruption measures and policies as summarised in the globally recognised UN Global Compact. All companies in the respective fund must also be fully scrutinised for sustainability criteria, and the product must come with an explicit sustainability strategy. Investments in nuclear power, coal mining, significant coal-fired power generation, fracking, oil sands, weapons, and armaments are taboo.

About us:

Erste Asset Management (Erste AM) coordinates, and is responsible for, all asset management activities within Erste Group Bank AG. At our offices in Austria, Germany, Croatia, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, we manage assets of EUR 82.21bn (June 2024).