Stockholm (NordSIP) – Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB) has begun reporting on the carbon footprint of its equity funds.
The Swedish Investment Fund Association has been recommending member companies report their funds’ carbon footprints since last year. Consequently, SEB, which raised the sustainability level for all its funds last month, has been reporting on how much carbon dioxide SEB’s equity funds emit in relation to their benchmark indices through a new format since May 2017.
“We want to deliver more than just a number, so we have chosen to show customers what the funds’ CO2 values represent in comparison to car and air travel, for example,” said SEB Head of Sustainability in Investment Management Hans Ek.
“We begin with yearly reports for our equity funds, since it is easier to calculate the carbon footprint for these funds, as they are based on the constituent companies’ emissions. If we can get information on carbon emissions for at least 75 per cent of a fund’s holdings, it will be shown in the report.”
SEB reports will also show emissions by companies in the funds in relation to e.g. the typical Swedish household’s average monthly energy use, or a round-trip flight from Stockholm to London.
“We have also included the funds’ indices in the reports to more clearly show what we are comparing with,” according to Ek. “The tool that we have purchased to produce the reports can also be used to see how the value in a particular fund changes depending on which companies the fund invests in.”
Only reports for SEB equity funds are made available thus far. However, SEB is currently cooperating with the Swiss consulting firm South Pole to produce similar reports for fixed-income funds.
‘Sophisticated customers’ have access to more detailed reports.
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