From today, three funds of the Sicav Mirova, the division of Natixis Asset Management dedicated to sustainable investments (SRI), are available to Italian retail investors. Specifically, alongside the Mirova Global Climate Change fund, an equity fund that invests in issues related to climate change, the Mirova Europe Sustainable Equity fund, an equity product dedicated to socially responsible investments focused on European securities, and the Mirova Euro Sustainable Corporate Bonds fund , a fund that invests in European corporate issues according to socially responsible criteria. Mirova's funds are distributed through the international platform of Natixis Global Asset Management.
“We are convinced that it is necessary to rethink asset management in order to take due account of the risks and opportunities deriving from a changing world – explains Philippe Zaouati, Deputy CEO of Natixis Asset Management and head of the new Mirova investment division -. Mirova's goal is to play an active and responsible role in financing the real economy and in offering solutions to those investors who are looking for returns, sustainability and value”.
“Mirova's offer demonstrates how the world of socially responsible investments is evolving – underlines Antonio Bottillo, managing director for Italy of Natixis Global Asset Management -. It is no longer just a matter of limiting ourselves to talking about ethics, but of actively contributing to transforming our economies into a positive and sustainable model. This new generation of products therefore represents a useful tool for Italian investors for those who want to seek long-term investment objectives with a careful eye on the changes that society and markets are undergoing and will undergo in the near future”.
Equity Funds
The investment process of Mirova's equity funds is based on stock selection based on fundamental analysis of companies that combine financial considerations with environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations. The analysis is aimed at ensuring that companies meet the following criteria: the ability to offer innovative solutions to address issues related to specific sustainable issues; the sustainable quality of the business model: the competitive position, the management team and the ability to finance growth; the overall quality of environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices.
MIROVA GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE: the fund invests in equity securities of issuers globally whose activities include the development, production, promotion of technologies, services or products that help contain or limit greenhouse gas emissions or that allow adaptation to the impact of climatic variations. The fund is not managed with reference to a specific benchmark.
MIROVA EUROPE SUSTAINABLE EQUITY: The investment objective of the fund is to outperform the MSCI Europe Dividend Net Reinvested Index in euro by investing in equities whose assets are related to sustainable investment themes. The fund follows an actively managed multi-thematic strategy, which combines strong views on sustainable themes with stock selection.
Bond funds
MIROVA EURO SUSTAINABLE CORPORATE BONDS: the fund invests mainly (at least 67%) in investment grade corporate bonds denominated in euro. The investment strategy is based on three sources of performance: directional exposure, sector allocation and issuer selection. This process combines macroeconomic considerations (analysis of macroeconomic factors, credit fundamentals and market indicators) with credit issuer assessment (analysis of issuer fundamentals, relative value of issues and technical factors).
The fund manager selects those issuers that adopt good practices on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues based on the analysis carried out by the internal financial research teams. The fund may also invest up to 33% in other instruments including supranational bonds (green and social bonds), non-euro denominated bonds, high yield, convertibles and emerging market bonds. Diversification is at the heart of the selection process which determines a portfolio made up of a minimum of 50 different issuers representing as many business sectors.
