• All funds submitted by the Austrian market leader were awarded the FNG Label and the top rating of three stars
• Every third euro invested in Austria is in a sustainable investment product
• Japan equity fund ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK JAPAN receives award for the first time
• Please note that investing in sustainable investment funds entails risks as well as opportunities

Strict criteria, a clear investment process, and many years of expertise pay off, as illustrated by the results of Erste Asset Management in this year's award of the FNG Label by Forum Nachhaltige Geldanlagen (FNG; Forum for Sustainable Investments)¹. All 17 funds submitted by the Austrian market leader were awarded the quality label for sustainable investment funds, capturing the top rating of three stars.

The FNG Label is one of the most prestigious and important labels in the German-speaking world and is therefore regarded as a clear quality criterion for sustainable funds. Of all the products that met the minimum criteria and were therefore authorised to bear the FNG Label, 130 funds were awarded the top rating of three stars. Also, the sustainability-oriented Japan equity fund ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK JAPAN received this honour for the first time.

Every third euro invested is held in a sustainable investment product

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important to investors. While funds that take into account the criteria E (“Environment”), S (“Social”), and G (“Governance”) in the investment process were still considered niche products a few years ago, ethical-ecological investing is now firmly established.

This is also substantiated by current market data. According to the latest market report on sustainable investments (“Marktbericht Nachhaltige Geldanlagen”)² published annually by Forum Nachhaltige Geldanlagen, every third euro invested in Austria is already held in a sustainable investment product.

"Fortunately, with the Austrian Ecolabel and the FNG Label, we have genuine labels of quality that provide information about ESG quality in addition to transparency. With this year's label, we are particularly pleased that we were once again able to score highly in the area of "institutional credibility". This not only recognizes our pioneering role, but also acknowledges the annual enhancements we have made since then. This year, for example, a mandatory ESG basic training course with a final test was rolled out for all Erste AM employees, the first biodiversity policy was adopted and the Responsible Investments team was increased to 6 ESG analysts," says Walter Hatak, Head of Responsible Investments at Erste Asset Management, who is delighted with the FNG Label.

Sustainability labels are becoming more important and provide guidance to investors

Erste Asset Management (Erste AM) has been one of the pioneers in the German-speaking market for sustainable investments for over 20 years. The first environmental equity fund was launched back in 2001. This was followed in 2006 by the co-operation with WWF Austria.

However, the increasing abundance of products and funds in the sustainability sector makes clear standards and guidelines all the more important. As a result, independent sustainability labels are also becoming increasingly relevant. They provide guidance to investors in the world of sustainable investing with uniform standards and clearly defined test criteria. "There is a very strong demand for quality labels on the sustainable fund market. This has been shown by the reactions to the European Commission's Disclosure Regulation. Unfortunately, however, this demand cannot be satisfied by classifying a fund as Article 8 or 9. These classifications merely define how transparently the underlying processes must be disclosed," comments Walter Hatak.

What are the distinctive features of funds that bear the FNG Label?

The FNG Label is based on a minimum standard, which includes certain transparency criteria, the consideration of labour and human rights, and environmental protection. The companies the respective fund invests in must be explicitly scrutinised for sustainability criteria. If other requirements defined in a tiered model (for example institutional credibility and dialogue with companies in the form of engagement and voting) are also met, the label can bear up to three stars. In addition, all funds must undergo an extensive review process every year.

About us

Erste Asset Management GmbH (Erste AM) is an international asset management company with a strong position in Central and Eastern Europe. Erste Asset Management is backed by the financial strength of Erste Group Bank AG (Erste Group). At its locations in Austria, Germany, Croatia, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, Erste AM manages assets of EUR 73.2 billion (as of 3 October 2023). Erste Asset Management has been operating successfully in the market since 1965.

Risk notices

ERSTE FAIR INVEST

The fund employs an active investment policy and is not oriented towards a benchmark. The assets are selected on a discretionary basis and the scope of discretion of the management company is not limited. For further information on the sustainable structuring of ERSTE FAIR INVEST and information in line with the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector and the Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852), please refer to section 12 and the Appendix, “Sustainability Principles”, of the current prospectus. When deciding to invest in ERSTE FAIR INVEST, please take into account all features and goals of ERSTE FAIR INVEST as described in the fund documents.

ERSTE GREEN INVEST

The fund employs an active investment policy and is not oriented towards a benchmark. The assets are selected on a discretionary basis and the scope of discretion of the management company is not limited. For further information on the sustainable structuring of ERSTE GREEN INVEST and information in line with the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector and the Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852), please refer to section 12 and the Appendix, “Sustainability Principles”, of the current prospectus. When deciding to invest in ERSTE GREEN INVEST, please take into account all features and goals of ERSTE GREEN INVEST as described in the fund documents.

ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND GLOBAL IMPACT

The fund employs an active investment policy and is not oriented towards a benchmark. The assets are selected on a discretionary basis and the scope of discretion of the management company is not limited. For further information on the sustainable structuring of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND GLOBAL IMPACT and information in line with the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector and the Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852), please refer to section 12 and the Appendix, “Sustainability Principles”, of the current prospectus. When deciding to invest in ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND GLOBAL IMPACT, please take into account all features and goals of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND GLOBAL IMPACT as described in the fund documents.

ERSTE STOCK ENVIRONMENT

The fund employs an active investment policy and is not oriented towards a benchmark. The assets are selected on a discretionary basis and the scope of discretion of the management company is not limited. For further information on the sustainable structuring of ERSTE STOCK ENVIRONMENT and information in line with the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector and the Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852), please refer to section 12 and the Appendix, “Sustainability Principles”, of the current prospectus. When deciding to invest in ERSTE STOCK ENVIRONMENT, please take into account all features and goals of ERSTE STOCK ENVIRONMENT as described in the fund documents.

ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT

The fund employs an active investment policy and is not oriented towards a benchmark. The assets are selected on a discretionary basis and the scope of discretion of the management company is not limited. For further information on the sustainable structuring of ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT and information in line with the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector and the Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852), please refer to section 12 and the Appendix, “Sustainability Principles”, of the current prospectus. When deciding to invest in ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT, please take into account all features and goals of ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT as described in the fund documents.

ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND

The fund employs an active investment policy and is not oriented towards a benchmark. The assets are selected on a discretionary basis and the scope of discretion of the management company is not limited. For further information on the sustainable structuring of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND and information in line with the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector and the Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852), please refer to section 12 and the Appendix, “Sustainability Principles”, of the current prospectus. When deciding to invest in ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND, please take into account all features and goals of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND as described in the fund documents.

ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND EM CORPORATE

The fund employs an active investment policy and is not oriented towards a benchmark. The assets are selected on a discretionary basis and the scope of discretion of the management company is not limited. For further information on the sustainable structuring of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND EM CORPORATE and information in line with the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector and the Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852), please refer to section 12 and the Appendix, “Sustainability Principles”, of the current prospectus. When deciding to invest in ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND EM CORPORATE, please take into account all features and goals of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND EM CORPORATE as described in the fund documents.

ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND EURO CORPORATE

The fund employs an active investment policy and is not oriented towards a benchmark. The assets are selected on a discretionary basis and the scope of discretion of the management company is not limited. For further information on the sustainable structuring of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND EURO CORPORATE and information in line with the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector and the Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852), please refer to section 12 and the Appendix, “Sustainability Principles”, of the current prospectus. When deciding to invest in ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND EURO CORPORATE, please take into account all features and goals of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND EURO CORPORATE as described in the fund documents.

ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND GLOBAL HIGH YIELD

The fund employs an active investment policy and is not oriented towards a benchmark. The assets are selected on a discretionary basis and the scope of discretion of the management company is not limited. For further information on the sustainable structuring of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND GLOBAL HIGH YIELD and information in line with the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector and the Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852), please refer to section 12 and the Appendix, “Sustainability Principles”, of the current prospectus. When deciding to invest in ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND GLOBAL HIGH YIELD, please take into account all features and goals of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE BOND GLOBAL HIGH YIELD as described in the fund documents.

ERSTE RESPONSIBLE RESERVE

The fund employs an active investment policy and is not oriented towards a benchmark. The assets are selected on a discretionary basis and the scope of discretion of the management company is not limited. For further information on the sustainable structuring of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE RESERVE and information in line with the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector and the Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852), please refer to section 12 and the Appendix, “Sustainability Principles”, of the current prospectus. When deciding to invest in ERSTE RESPONSIBLE RESERVE, please take into account all features and goals of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE RESERVE as described in the fund documents.

ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK AMERICA

The fund employs an active investment policy and is not oriented towards a benchmark. The assets are selected on a discretionary basis and the scope of discretion of the management company is not limited. For further information on the sustainable structuring of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK AMERICA and information in line with the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector and the Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852), please refer to section 12 and the Appendix, “Sustainability Principles”, of the current prospectus. When deciding to invest in ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK AMERICA, please take into account all features and goals of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK AMERICA as described in the fund documents.

ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK DIVIDEND

The fund employs an active investment policy and is not oriented towards a benchmark. The assets are selected on a discretionary basis and the scope of discretion of the management company is not limited. For further information on the sustainable structuring of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK DIVIDEND and information in line with the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector and the Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852), please refer to section 12 and the Appendix, “Sustainability Principles”, of the current prospectus. When deciding to invest in ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK DIVIDEND, please take into account all features and goals of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK DIVIDEND as described in the fund documents.

ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK EUROPE

The fund employs an active investment policy and is not oriented towards a benchmark. The assets are selected on a discretionary basis and the scope of discretion of the management company is not limited. For further information on the sustainable structuring of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK EUROPE and information in line with the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector and the Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852), please refer to section 12 and the Appendix, “Sustainability Principles”, of the current prospectus. When deciding to invest in ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK EUROPE, please take into account all features and goals of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK EUROPE as described in the fund documents.

ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK GLOBAL

The fund employs an active investment policy and is not oriented towards a benchmark. The assets are selected on a discretionary basis and the scope of discretion of the management company is not limited. For further information on the sustainable structuring of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK GLOBAL and information in line with the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector and the Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852), please refer to section 12 and the Appendix, “Sustainability Principles”, of the current prospectus. When deciding to invest in ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK GLOBAL, please take into account all features and goals of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK GLOBAL as described in the fund documents.

ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK JAPAN

The fund employs an active investment policy and is not oriented towards a benchmark. The assets are selected on a discretionary basis and the scope of discretion of the management company is not limited. For further information on the sustainable structuring of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK JAPAN and information in line with the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector and the Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852), please refer to section 12 and the Appendix, “Sustainability Principles”, of the current prospectus. When deciding to invest in ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK JAPAN, please take into account all features and goals of ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK JAPAN as described in the fund documents.

ERSTE ETHIK AKTIEN GLOBAL

The fund employs an active investment policy and is not oriented towards a benchmark. The assets are selected on a discretionary basis and the scope of discretion of the management company is not limited. For further information on the sustainable structuring of ERSTE ETHIK AKTIEN GLOBAL and information in line with the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector and the Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852), please refer to section 12 and the Appendix, “Sustainability Principles”, of the current prospectus. When deciding to invest in ERSTE ETHIK AKTIEN GLOBAL, please take into account all features and goals of ERSTE ETHIK AKTIEN GLOBAL as described in the fund documents.

ERSTE ETHIK ANLEIHEN

The fund employs an active investment policy and is not oriented towards a benchmark. The assets are selected on a discretionary basis and the scope of discretion of the management company is not limited. For further information on the sustainable structuring of ERSTE ETHIK ANLEIHEN and information in line with the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector and the Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852), please refer to section 12 and the Appendix, “Sustainability Principles”, of the current prospectus. When deciding to invest in ERSTE ETHIK ANLEIHEN, please take into account all features and goals of ERSTE ETHIK ANLEIHEN as described in the fund documents.

Legal notice: Forecasts are no reliable indicator of future value developments. Please note that an investment in securities also involves risks in addition to the opportunities described above.

Important legal notes

This document is an advertisement. All data is sourced from Erste Asset Management GmbH, unless indicated otherwise. 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 § 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 § 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 Key Information Document is 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. This document serves as additional information for our investors and is based on the knowledge of the staff responsible for preparing it at the time of preparation. 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. Please note that investments in securities entail risks in addition to the opportunities presented here. The value of shares and their earnings can rise and fall. Changes in exchange rates can also have a positive or negative effect on the value of an investment. For this reason, you may receive less than your originally invested amount when you redeem your shares. Persons who are interested in purchasing shares in investment funds are advised to read the current fund prospectus(es) and the Information for Investors pursuant to § 21 AIFMG, especially the risk notices they contain, before making an investment decision. 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.

Please consult the corresponding information in the fund prospectus and the Information for Investors pursuant to § 21 AIFMG for restrictions on the sale of fund shares to American citizens. Misprints and errors excepted.