The Dutch fund manager ACTIAM has joined the Climate Bonds Standard Industry Working Group. ACTIAM used to be called SNS Asset Management (SNS AM).
ACTIAM has EUR 44.2 billion of assets under management (@ Dec 2013). It has a long history of using a responsible investment approach across its activities. ACTIAM already has several hundred million of Euro green bonds on its books, for a wide range of clients.
ACTIAM will be represented on the Industry Working Group by their Head of ESG-Research / Responsible Investing, Manuel Adamini.
Erik Jan van Bergen, CIO of ACTIAM, notes: “As a responsible investor with considerable climate bond exposure, ACTIAM wants to contribute actively to the development of market standards. We think that protecting green integrity is key to further growth of the climate bond market, and thus key to better investments for a better world. It will help bring mainstream asset owners and asset managers into the market, so much needed to deploy the vast amounts of capital necessary for investment to mitigate and adapt to climate change.”
The Climate Bonds Standard Industry Working Group provides advice about the development and application of the Climate Bonds Standard. Other members include representatives from Standard & Poor's, Aviva Investors and KPMG.
The Climate Bonds Standard is a broad collaboration developing industry standards and eligibility criteria for "what is green" for the climate bonds and green bonds market.
The most recently released have been Green Property Standards; rail and low-emission vehicle eligibility criteria are expected in the near future. Other workgroups are currently developing criteria for bioenergy and water infrastructure.
