Frankfurt (ots) – In the evaluation of its implementation of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), KfW achieved significant improvements in all evaluation categories with an overall excellent rating: this year KfW belongs to the top group of all 920 PRI signatories worldwide across all six principles, in other words KfW occupies the 1st quartile (best 25%) for all principles of the PRI evaluation. This also applies within the “Asset Owner” category, under which KfW falls.
By signing the UN-PRI about five years ago, KfW committed itself to continually implement the six principles, in particular to orientate its investment practices towards sustainability, to encourage other market players to make responsible investments and to report comprehensively on their sustainability related activities.
This last point also covers annual reporting to the PRI Secretariat on developed strategies and individual implementation measures undertaken to fulfil the principles. These reports serve as the basis for evaluating the activities of all signatories and the results are then compiled and published in an annual PRI Report.
A number of factors contributed to the improvement of KfW’s individual results in the period 2010 such as for example that the bank was one of the first bond market investors to develop an engagement process: KfW communicates in detail its sustainable investment process to issuers in which it invests; in this regard KfW discloses strengths and weaknesses in the respective sustainability ratings, thereby enabling issuers to incorporate the sustainability rating in further corporate strategy.
“We view the pleasing results from the PRI Report 2011 as recognition of our work in the last years, but we will not stop here. We will face the challenge of the qualitative competition within the continuously growing circle of investors who act responsibly and sustainably on the market.
We are also striving for good results in the coming years. Even more important for us is that the principle of responsible investing becomes established in the capital market. KfW wants to continue to contribute in this regard,” explains Dr Günther Bräunig, the member of the Executive Board of KfW Bankengruppe in charge of capital markets.
In this regard, KfW pursues the following objectives among others:
– Continue developing its own sustainability approach in the
investment process, for example through introduction of
exclusion criteria in April 2011, – Expand the engagement with issuers in which KfW invests, also
through the creation of comparative analyses within investor
groups to promote competition in sustainability. – Initiate and expand a German PRI network; initial concrete steps
were taken in May 2011.
In KfW’s view, capital market investors should take into consideration the consequences of their investment decisions regarding ecological and social developments. In this context, KfW developed and implemented its own innovative approach for responsible investment decisions. Detailed information on this topic and sustainable portfolio management at KfW, on the UNPRI and on the activities of the promotional bank to implement the principles can be found under:
Service:
The PRI comprise a total of six principles: 1. We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes.
2. We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices.
3. We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest.
4. We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry.
5. We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles.
6. We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles.
Contact:
KfW, Palmengartenstraße 5-9, 60325 Frankfurt
Kommunikation (KOM)
Tel. 069 7431-4400, Fax: 069 7431-3266,
E-Mail: presse@kfw.de, Internet: www.kfw.de/newsroom
For inquiries from journalist
Nathalie Drücke; Phone: +49 7431 2098; E-Mail:
nathalie.druecke@kfw.de
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