The Swiss firm goes all-in on ESG factors in its decision making.

Credit Suisse Asset Management announced plans to adopt ESG factors into all of its investment decisions. The firm said that any fund with more than CHF 20 billion in assets will implement ESG criteria into its framework. The company has more than 30 actively managed funds with that level of AUM. After fully implementing these factors into the framework of those funds, it will move into other funds as well.

It will bolster the fund range for ESG standards to CHF 100 billion by the end of 2019.

Credit Suisse Asset Management Adopts ESG Standards

The company said it will adopt these ESG factors to “define the investment universe (negative screening), integrate financially material ESG information into the investment process and define the dialogue with companies (proxy voting and engagement)”.

“I am convinced that the integration of ESG criteria into our investment process will create lasting performance benefits, positioning us to generate attractive investment returns for our clients over the long term,” said Credit Suisse Asset Management head of Switzerland and EMEA Michel Degen.

ESG Hiring Boost

The firm has been on a major ESG and “impact investing” kick since 2017. At the time, the firm launched its Impact Advisory and Finance (IAF) Department.

Earlier this year, it expanded its team to improve its ESG reach. The firm hired Daniel Wild in April from RobecoSAM. Wild is the firm’s global head of ESG strategy.

In September, the company also hired ex-UBS bankers James Gifford and Helen McDonald as well as former Lombard Odier banker Guillaume Bonnel. Those hires bolstered the firm’s impact investing reach.