Launch of our first Sustainable Strategy
Developing an investment solution designed to generate a positive social and environmental impact, alongside a financial return.
Alignment of the client’s values with their wealth.
In 2016, a long-standing client approached us, as the family wished to invest for both impact and financial returns. At that time, our collection of discretionary strategies did not include a solution to meet this specific mandate, albeit assessment of ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) factors were increasingly embedded into the investment processes of our preferred fund managers. Further discussions with our client revealed the impact they were wanting to make extended beyond ESG factor investing and was more ambitious. Specifically - they wanted to make a demonstrable positive contribution to solving the environmental and social challenges the world faced.
We initially sought to satisfy this objective by building a sustainable advisory portfolio; working in conjunction with the clients to undertake in depth research into the fast evolving space and the identifying the relevant emerging investment opportunities. Additionally, we recognised the need to upskill ourselves as a team; with one of our Investment Committee members obtaining the Sustainable Investment Professional Certificate, awarded by Concordia University, Canada.
Our discretionary managed solution enables our clients to make a positive contribution towards a more sustainable world, align wealth with their values and generate attractive capital gains.
It soon became clear that these clients were not alone in a desire to ensure their investment portfolios were a force for good – a trend accelerated as wealth passes to younger generations and women increasingly take control of their own financial planning. Leveraging the research we had undertaken for our client and our growing expertise in this space, we created our first dedicated sustainable discretionary solution - designed to deliver growth with impact. For Affinity, sustainability means making economic prosperity long lasting, more socially inclusive and less dependent on exploitation of finite resources and the natural environment.
Having launched our Sustainable Growth Strategy in 2018, we see our role as helping mobilising capital towards the attainment of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); alongside educating ourselves, our clients and other stakeholders in how capital markets can be a catalyst for change. Our investment process is inspired by these SDGs, distilled into 8 investible themes namely – clean energy, education, future mobility, health and wellbeing, reduced inequality, resource efficiency, sustainable cities and water. In combination, we believe they present the most attractive and accessible investment opportunities, as well as reflecting the core ethics and values of Affinity as a business.
The clients who inspired us to set out on this path remain invested in our Growth Sustainable Strategy today. They – along with many other investors – are also helping to support the activities of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (DWCT). As a business, we continue to build our association, donating a portion of the fees collected through managing the Sustainable strategy to DWCT.
"Thank you for all your hard work in managing our investments… we're really proud of the direction you are taking as a company by investing in your people as well as the sustainability mandate."
