Climate
Climate change is fundamentally reshaping our world and the global economy. Recognizing this, more than a hundred countries – including Switzerland – ratified the Paris Agreement in 2017. This sets our normative basis for our actions as investors.
Our expectations
SVVK-ASIR expects companies included in its members’ investment portfolios to align their business models with the goals of the Paris Agreement. This involves companies gradually adapting their product portfolios, production processes and operations and developing robust objectives and strategies.
Further information on our expectations and how they are incorporated into our engagement approach is set out in our Climate Stewardship Policy .
Strategy
Companies are selected for an engagement dialogue on climate issues according to SVVK-ASIR’s risk-based approach, which is based on the recommendations of the OECD Guidelines for Institutional Investors. The initial focus is on companies with the highest climate-related risks. This material relevance is then weighed against the potential for influence and the available resources.
Further details can be found in our Climate Stewardship Policy and in SVVK-ASIR's Engagement and Exclusion Policy .
Global collaboration
In line with the expectations outlined above and in order to lend more weight to our voice, SVVK-ASIR is a signatory to Climate Action 100+.
Climate Action 100+ is the world’s largest coalition of investors on climate issues. All signatories to the initiative share a common goal ‘to ask that the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters take necessary action on climate change’.
Escalation path
Where dialogue on climate issues proves unsuccessful, the appropriate response is governed by SVVK-ASIR's Engagement and Exclusion Policy , which sets out the binding principles of the escalation path.
Stewardship tools may be used depending on the format of the dialogue and the progress made. These tools include sending targeted letters to company management, supporting the exercise of voting rights at general meetings or – as a last resort – issuing a recommendation for exclusion.
Activities
Since 2018, SVVK-ASIR has continuously expanded its climate dialogue based on our risk-based approach, which prioritises the industries critical to climate transition:
2018: commitment to climate transition in the steel and cement industry .
2020: climate transition in the energy industry and at selected Swiss companies, including Holcim (co-lead in the Climate Action 100+ initiative since 2023).
2023: start of engagement with providers of Swiss real estate funds and the Swiss Pfandbrief member banks. Publication of the Climate Stewardship Policy .
2024: expansion of systematic climate dialogue with the most carbon-intensive sectors, in collaboration with our partner Robeco, and additional focus on biodiversity loss, a key driver of climate change.
2026: phase II of the dialogue with Swiss real estate investment trusts (REITs) and real estate funds.
CURRENT CLIMATE ENGAGEMENTS
Reference date : December 31 (without guarantee of completeness)