a.s.r. is committed to ensuring that it makes investment decisions responsibly and with integrity.
This Policy for Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) has been developed to allow a.s.r. to pursue a responsible and sustainable approach, whilst minimising any negative impact on its investment returns.
The a.s.r. SRI Policy has been extended over time to capture the progress of the market and changes in the society.
The first comprehensive SRI policy was agreed at a.s.r. Board level (previously Fortis Insurance Nederland) in 2007. This SRI policy describes the commitment of a.s.r. to exclude certain ‘non-sustainable’ practices from our portfolio and to focus on the ‘best-in-class’ investments per industry/sector. It also describes the modus operandi for the implementation of the policy. The objective is to have a full compliant portfolio, which is screened on a semi-annual basis by an external Research and Screening SRI Agency, Vigeo, and accredited by the certification of Forum Ethibel.
In 2010, the SRI criteria were slightly amended following the criteria from Forum Ethibel, and utilise their Excellence Register to identify the ‘best-in-class’ investments. In addition, a.s.r. expanded the semi-annual screening to include the constituents of the benchmarks used. This way, we are aware of the issues with non-sustainable companies in the first place, and we can decide on the most appropriate way to proceed whether not to invest in the company or get involved in ‘engagement to influence’.
The SRI policy is approved by the Board of Directors of a.s.r. Any interpretations or exceptions on the policy as well as the decision to invest, engage or exclude a company are taken by the a.s.r. (Centraal) Beleggingscomité.