11/25/2021

The FNG label is only awarded to funds which meet the quality standards for sustainable investments as defined by the Nachhaltige Geldanlagen Forum and which have been verified by an independent audit of the University of Hamburg. This certification contributes to the recognition of Ethos’ 25 years of expertise in sustainable finance.

The three Ethos investment funds which had been submitted for certification to the German Forum for Sustainable Investments (FNG) obtained this Thursday a two-star FNG label for the year 2022. This label, which must be renewed every year, certifies that the funds meet the quality standards for sustainable investments as defined by the independent body FNG.

The three certified funds are two Swiss equity funds and one European equity fund:

  • Vontobel Fund (CH) - Ethos Equities Swiss Mid & Small (managed by Vontobel)
  • Ethos II - Ethos Swiss Sustainable Equities (managed by Banque Cantonale Vaudoise)
  • Clartan - Ethos ESG Europe Small & Mid Cap (managed by Clartan Associés)

According to FNG, the certified funds "pursue a professional and transparent sustainability approach" whose implementation has been "verified by an independent audit by the University of Hamburg and supervised by an external committee". The quality standards include requirements for presenting the sustainable strategy of the fund, an analysis of each security in the portfolio using ESG criteria as well as the obligation to exclude from the investment universe companies that are active in sectors such as weapons, nuclear, coal mining, oil sands or fracking.

The three Ethos funds received two of the three possible stars for a "particularly ambitious and comprehensive" sustainable strategy according to FNG. As sustainable funds multiply, this certification validates Ethos’s approach to sustainability. "We are very happy to have obtained this label for three of our funds, says Vincent Kaufmann, CEO of Ethos. The FNG label is an independent label and certainly one of the most credible in Europe. It recognises Ethos’ 25 years of expertise in sustainable finance."

This labeling is a first step for Ethos, which will now submit its entire range of investment funds to independent certifications

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