Navigating through transitions

As a socially engaged wealth manager, we have the ability and the desire to contribute to the transition to a more sustainable economy. How our clients’ assets are invested is critically important in this regard. Our primary mission is to help our clients navigate through the inevitable changes and to allocate their capital to organisations and companies that are part of the three most important transitions of our age: Energy, Food and Materials.

1. We are committed to become a net-zero wealth manager by 2050, with an intermediate target of at least 50% CO2 reduction by 2030 ( base year 2019). 

2. With our 2030 and 2050 net zero goals, come ambitious carbon footprint reduction targets for discretionary AuM of -7% annually. 

3. We aim to (re)allocate our clients’ assets towards the opportunities presented by the transitions. This is done through our in-house funds as well as externally managed funds. 

4. We focus on three themes: Climate and biodiversity, Smart and circular economy and Living better for longer. Six of the United Nation’s seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 3, 7, 8, 12, 14 and 15) correspond to these themes.

5. We recognise that these themes need to contribute to the three most important transitions of our age: the energy, food and materials transition.

To efficiently leverage on our inhouse knowledge and experience with sustainability matters, we have set-up a Sustainability Centre, a group-wide competence centre with regards to sustainability. The members formulate and implement the responsible investment policies, prepare the exclusion lists and conduct collaborative engagements.   
However, at Van Lanschot Kempen, more direct sustainability expertise resides within the investment teams as well. The role of portfolio manager and analyst is combined, allowing for a 360 view of the companies we invest in. Portfolio managers conduct the engagement with individual companies, building on the expertise of the Sustainability centre.