Schroder Digital Infrastructure Fund

SRI Style:

Sustainability Tilt

SDR Labelling:

Unlabelled with sustainable characteristics

Product:

OEIC

Fund Region:

Global

Fund Asset Type:

Equity

Launch Date:

18/02/2011

Last Amended:

Jan 2024

Dialshifter ():

Fund Size:

£15.15m

(as at: 31/12/2024)

Total Screened Themed SRI Assets:

£58000.00m

(as at: 31/12/2022)

Total Responsible Ownership Assets:

£737573.00m

(as at: 31/12/2022)

Total Assets Under Management:

£737573.00m

(as at: 31/12/2022)

ISIN:

GB00B50MLC91, GB00B53VQ629

Objectives:

The Fund aims to provide capital growth by investing in equity and equity related securities of companies worldwide which help to advance the development of the global digital infrastructure and which the Investment Manager deems to be sustainable investments.

The Fund is actively managed and invests at least 80% of its assets in a concentrated range of equity and equity related securities of companies worldwide (including emerging markets and less developed markets), which the Investment Manager deems to be sustainable investments, which are investments that contribute towards more environmentally resilient, socially inclusive and / or innovative digital infrastructure.

Kindly refer to the Fund’s Key Investor Information Document (KIID) for the full investment policy.

 

Sustainable, Responsible
&/or ESG Overview:

Digital infrastructure plays a key role in promoting economic competitiveness, social inclusion and reducing energy consumption. The strategic importance of these assets is understood by governments, businesses and individuals.

 

Every industry is digitizing and are totally reliant on digital infrastructure. Secular trends such as, the growth in data transfer speeds, increase of connected devices and the build out of the ‘Internet of Things’ all lead to an attractive long term investment opportunity.

 

In developed markets the opportunity is focused on the upgrading of digital infrastructure. In emerging markets the opportunity is the build out of infrastructure in underserved countries to ensure they do not fall behind economically and socially.

 

With ESG at the core of its investment process, the fund is uniquely positioned to aid the development of digital connectivity in emerging and developed markets, in turn helping to achieve UN SDG 9, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

Primary fund last amended:

Jan 2024

Information directly from fund manager.

Fund Filters

Sustainability - General
Sustainability policy

Funds that have policies that consider (environmental and social) sustainability issues. Strategies vary but are likely to consider environmental issues like climate change, carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, resource management, environmental impacts; and social issues like equal opportunities, human rights, labour standards, diversity and adherence to internationally recognised codes. See fund information.

Sustainability focus

Find funds which substantially focus on sustainability issues

Sustainability theme or focus

Find funds where there is a significant emphasis on (environmental and social) sustainability. Funds with a 'sustainability theme' typically place more emphasis on the area than funds with a 'sustainability policy' - meaning that it is more likely to drive investment selection. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.

Encourage more sustainable practices through stewardship

A core element of these funds aim to encourage higher sustainability standards across business practices through responsible ownership / stewardship / engagement / voting activity

UN Global Compact linked exclusion policy

Find funds that use the UN Global Compact to inform or help direct where they can or cannot invest and will typically not invest in companies with significant breaches (low standards) - although strategies vary. (The UNGC covers a wide range of issues - search 'UNGC'). See https://unglobalcompact.org/

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) focus

Find funds that specifically aim to invest (and manage assets) in ways that help to address all or some of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). See https://sdgs.un.org/goals).

Green / Sustainable property strategy

Fund has a strategy that focuses on sustainability issues in the property sector - they may eg use GRESB / BREEAM scores to inform investment decisions.

Environmental - General
Limits exposure to carbon intensive industries

Funds that limit or 'reduce' their exposure to carbon intensive industries (ie sectors which are major contributors to climate change. Funds vary - some funds may be 'underweight' in this area which means they may have some investment in highly carbon intensive areas. Funds of this kind may choose companies they consider to be 'best in sector' and encourage ever higher standards. Strategies vary. See fund information for further details.

Environmental damage and pollution policy

Funds that have written policies explaining the approach they take when companies damage the environment or are significant polluters. Funds of this kind may work with companies to encourage higher standards, or exclude companies - sometimes dependent on the situation. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.

Favours cleaner, greener companies

Funds that aim to invest in companies with strong or market leading environmental policies and practices. Strategies vary - in particular the balance between 'financial' aspects and environmental benefits. Some may invest substantially in solutions or 'positive impact' companies - others may invest in more conventional companies providing certain environmental criteria are met. See fund information for further detail.

Nature & Biodiversity
Illegal deforestation exclusion policy

Find funds that have policies in place explaining that they avoid companies involved in illegal and/or unsustainable deforestation. This may relate to palm oil, cattle farming or other concerns. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.

Avoids genetically modified seeds/crop production

Find funds that aim to avoid investing in companies that produce genetically modified seeds or crops. (This does not typically include avoiding companies such as supermarkets). See fund literature for further information.

Climate Change & Energy
Coal, oil & / or gas majors excluded

Funds that avoid investing in major coal, oil and/or gas (extraction) companies. Funds vary: some may exclude all companies that extract oil. Others may have exposure to oil extraction via more diversified energy companies. See fund literature to confirm details.

Fracking and tar sands excluded

Funds that avoid companies involved in fracking and tar sands - which are widely regarded as controversial methods of oil and gas extraction. Strategies vary. See fund information for further information.

Arctic drilling exclusion

Funds that avoid companies that are involved in extracting oil from the Arctic regions. See fund literature for further details.

Fossil fuel reserves exclusion

Funds that avoid investing in companies with coal, oil and gas reserves. See fund information for further details.

Encourage transition to low carbon through stewardship activity

A core element of these funds will aim to encourage the transition to lower carbon activities through responsible ownership / stewardship / engagement / voting activity

Nuclear exclusion policy

Find funds that have policies which say they avoid or limit their investment in the nuclear industry. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.

Fossil fuel exploration exclusion - direct involvement

The fund manager excludes companies with direct involvement in fossil fuel exploration (eg coal, oil and gas companies)

Paris aligned fund strategy

This fund has a strategy that aims ensure its holdings will gradually reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in line with targets set at COP21 in Paris. The ultimate aim is to achieve ‘net zero emissions by 2050’ and a ‘maximum global temperature increase of +1.5 to +2 degrees above preindustrial levels’. Strategies and opinions vary. Read fund information.

Social / Employment
Labour standards policy

Find funds that have a labour standards policy - which can be expected to mean that the fund will invest in / favour companies that have higher standards in this area - although fund strategies can vary significantly (as with all policy areas). See eg https://www.ilo.org/international-labour-standards

Fast fashion exclusion

Find funds that exclude companies involved in the ‘fast fashion’ sector - these funds will typically be of the view that this area is unsustainable and prone to low environmental and social standards.

Diversity, equality & inclusion Policy (fund level)

Find individual funds that have a written diversity policy – where the fund manager will aim to select companies with a carefully considered, sound approach to diversity. This should ideally cover a range of issues including gender, ethnicity, disability, beliefs, sexual orientation, etc.

Mining exclusion

All mining companies excluded

Ethical Values Led Exclusions
Tobacco and related product manufacturers excluded

Companies are excluded if they are involved in any aspect of the production chain for tobacco products, including cigarettes, vaping, e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco and cigars.

Armaments manufacturers avoided

Find funds that avoid companies that manufacture products intended specifically for military use. Fund strategies vary - particularly with regard to non-strategic military products. See fund literature for fund specific details.

Civilian firearms production exclusion

Find funds with a written civilian firearms exclusion policy - meaning that they will not invest in companies that make (or perhaps also sell) handguns made for non-military users.

Alcohol production excluded

Find funds that avoid investment in companies involved in the production of alcohol. Strategies vary; some funds allow a small proportion of profits to come from this area. See fund literature for further information.

Gambling avoidance policy

Find funds that avoid companies with significant involvement in the gambling industry. Some funds may allow a small proportion of profits to come from this area. See fund policy for further details.

Human Rights
Human rights policy

Find funds that have policies relating to human rights issues. Funds of this kind typically require companies to demonstrate higher standards, although some fund managers work to encourage improvements. Investee companies are often judged against internationally agreed norms or standards. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.

Child labour exclusion

Find funds that have policies in place to ensure they do not invest in companies that employ children.

Oppressive regimes (not free or democratic) exclusion policy

Find funds with policies that exclude companies or other assets where regimes are not democratic, or where people may be oppressed. May use eg. Freedom House research. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.

Modern slavery exclusion policy

The fund has a policy which excludes assets with involvement in Modern Slavery

Meeting Peoples' Basic Needs
Green infrastructure focus

Fund focuses on (ie directs a significant proportion of its investment towards) green infrastructure, eg the clean energy supply chain. See fund details.

Banking & Financials
Banking exclusion

Will not invest in any banks.

Financial institutions exclusion

Exclude all companies in the banking, insurance, finance and related sectors.

Predatory lending exclusion

Fund excludes financial services companies with widely criticised, aggressive lending practices where interest rates are typically very high, includes ‘doorstep lending’)

Exclude banks with significant fossil fuel investments

Will avoid banks that have a large part of their loan book (or other assets) invested in fossil fuels companies - particular coal, oil and gas.

Governance & Management
Avoids companies with poor governance

Find funds that aim to avoid investing in companies with poor governance practices.(e.g. board structure, management practices etc.) Views may however vary on what counts as 'poor' practices - and funds may not immediately divest as they may prefer to work to encourage higher standards. See fund literature for further information.

UN sanctions exclusion

Exclude companies that are subject to United Nations sanctions. See eg https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/content/un-sc-consolidated-list

Anti-bribery and corruption policy

Find funds that have policies explaining how managers will respond to assets / companies that do not comply with relevant anti-bribery and anti-corruption standards or laws. Strategies vary; options include stewardship/ engagement and divestment - or a combination. See fund literature for further information.

Digital / cyber security policy

Find funds that have policies explaining how the fund managers take into account digital/cyber security related risks. Funds with cyber policies will typically favour companies with higher standards or that are helping to solve problems - but strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.

Encourage board diversity e.g. gender

Fund managers encourage the companies they invest in to have more diverse board structures (e.g. more women on boards)

Encourage higher ESG standards through stewardship activity

A core element of these funds will aim to encourage higher ESG standards through responsible ownership / stewardship / engagement /voting activity

Fund Governance
ESG integration strategy

Find funds that factor in 'environmental, social and governance' issues as part of their investment decision making process. A focus on 'ESG' typically means a fund is carrying out additional research to help reduce ESG related risks. It does not necessarily mean a focus on sustainability. Strategies vary. See fund literature.

Asset Size
Invests in small, mid and large cap companies / assets

Find a fund that invests in a combination of small, medium and larger (potentially multinational)companies.

Invest in supranationals

International entities or bodies with agreed remits that are broadly similar to those that may otherwise be undertaken by individual governments eg the UN

Impact Methodologies
Aims to generate positive impacts (or 'outcomes')

Funds that aim to help or support the delivery of positive social or environmental impacts (or societal/real world outcomes) by investing in companies they regard as beneficial to people and / or the planet. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.

Positive social impact theme

Find funds that specifically state that they aim to deliver positive social (i.e. people related) impacts and/or outcomes.

Invests in sustainability / ESG disruptors

Find funds that specifically set out to invest in companies that are regarded as 'disrupting' existing business practices - typically through the development of innovative (sustainability aware) products and/or practices.

Aim to deliver positive impacts through engagement

Fund aims to deliver positive environmental and or social impacts (real world benefits) through its engagement with investee assets

How The Fund Works
Positive selection bias

Find funds that focus on finding and investing in companies with positive / beneficial attributes. This strategy can be applied in addition to exclusion criteria and engagement/stewardship activity.

Data led strategy

Find funds that make stock selection (and ongoing fund management) decisions based on ESG data or company ratings (normally supplied by third parties) rather than focusing on what individual companies do, how they operate or their plans for the future

Significant harm exclusion

Aims to avoid companies that do significant harm. This originates from the EU’s sustainable finance ‘DNSH’ (do no significant harm) work, which is not necessarily used by UK investors.

Focus on ESG risk mitigation

A major focus of these funds is the careful management of environmental, social and governance (ESG) related risks - typically by avoiding or being underweight in companies seen as posing major risks in these areas (i.e. not necessarily by using themes, exclusions etc).

Unscreened Assets & Cash
All assets (except cash) meet published sustainability criteria

All assets held in the fund - except cash - meet the sustainability criteria published in fund documentation.

Intended Clients & Product Options
Intended for investors interested in sustainability

Finds funds designed to meet the needs of individual investors with an interest in sustainability issues.

Intended for clients who want to have a positive impact

Finds funds designed to meet the needs of individual investors with an interest in ‘Impact investment funds’ which help or support the delivery of positive social or environmental impacts (or societal/real world outcomes) by investing in companies they regard as beneficial to people and / or the planet. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.

Available via an ISA (OEIC only)

Find funds that are available via a tax efficient ISA product wrapper.

Labels & Accreditations
SFDR Article 9 fund / product (EU)

Finds funds classified under Article 9 of the EU’s SFDR (Sustainable Finance Disclosure Requirements). Article 9 of the SFDR applies to financial products that have sustainable investment 'objectives' - including emissions reduction objectives. (These may currently be referred to as 'impact' funds or aiming to deliver clear, specific positive outcomes.) These rules do not currently apply in the UK so fund managers may leave this field blank.

Fund Management Company Information

About The Business
Specialist positive impact fund management company

Find fund management companies (or subsidiaries) that specialise in - or focus entirely on - investing in assets that are helping to deliver positive environmental and / or social impacts.

Responsible ownership / stewardship policy or strategy (AFM company wide)

Finds fund management companies that have a published company wide stewardship, engagement and / or responsible ownership policy or strategy that covers all investments. Stewardship typically involves encouraging higher ESG standards through voting and dialogue.

ESG / SRI engagement (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that actively encourage higher 'environmental, social and governance' and/or 'sustainable and responsible investment' practices across investee companies - typically where the aim is to encourage positive change that is aligned with the best interests of investors. Strategies vary. See additional information and options.

Vote all* shares at AGMs / EGMs (AFM company wide)

Find fund managers that vote all* the shares they own at Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings. A commitment to voting shares is a key indicator of 'responsible share ownership' demonstrating their support for or disagreement with management policy. (*situations can legitimately, occasionally occur where voting proves impossible, but in principle all shares should be voted.)

Responsible ownership / ESG a key differentiator (AFM company wide)

Find fund managers that consider responsible ownership and ESG to be a key differentiator for their business.

Sustainable property strategy (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that take sustainability criteria into account when selecting and/or managing all of their property / real estate investments.

Senior management KPIs include environmental goals (AFM company wide)

The leadership team of this asset manager have performance targets linked to environmental goals.

SDG aligned aims / objectives (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that aim to align all their investments (across all funds) to help meet the aims of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Responsible ownership policy for non SRI funds (AFM company wide)

Find funds run by fund managers that apply Responsible ownership or 'Stewardship' policies to all or most of their investment assets. This means active involvement (e.g. voting, dialogue) with the companies they invest in across funds (not normally limited to ethical or SRI options.) Read fund literature for further information.

Integrates ESG factors into all / most (AFM) fund research

Find fund management companies that consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues when deciding whether or not to invest in a company for all / almost all of their funds and other assets. This is increasingly seen as part of sound risk management.

In-house diversity improvement programme (AFM company wide)

Finds organisations / fund managers that have an in-house (company wide) diversity improvement programme - meaning that they are working to ensure that within their own businesses they employ people from diverse backgrounds - often typically focused on ethnicity and/or sex.

Diversity, equality & inclusion engagement policy (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that encourage the companies they invest in to have strong diversity, race, gender and other equality policies across all assets held, not simply screened or themed SRI/ESG funds. (ie Asset Management company wide).

Invests in newly listed companies (AFM company wide)

This asset management company invests in companies which have recently listed on a stock exchange (which is important as it can help grow new businesses).

Invests in new sustainability linked bond issuances (AFM company wide)

Asset management company has investments in bonds designed to meet sustainability requirements - however these assets may not be 'ringfenced' for this purpose. See fund manager website for details.

Offer structured intermediary training on sustainable investment

Fund management entity offers unstructured intermediary training on sustainable investment (ie for financial advisers and wealth managers)

Offer unstructured intermediary sustainable investment training

Fund management entity offers unstructured intermediary training on sustainable investment (ie for financial advisers and wealth managers)

Collaborations & Affiliations
PRI signatory

Find fund management companies that have signed up to the UN backed 'Principles of Responsible Investment'.

UKSIF member

Find fund management companies that are members of UKSIF - the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance association

UN Principles of Responsible Banking framework signatory-co wide

This asset manager has signed up to the UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) program which aims to encourage more responsible banking practices – focused on environmental and social issues.

Investment Association (IA) member

Fund management entity is a member of the Investment Association https://www.theia.org/

Resources
In-house responsible ownership / voting expertise

Find fund management companies that employ people to steer and support fund managers in voting shares at company AGM's and EGMs in ways that are consistent with encouraging higher ESG/sustainability standards.

Employ specialist ESG / SRI / sustainability researchers

Find a fund management company that directly employs specialist ESG/SRI/sustainability researchers or analysts. This allows asset managers to discuss environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities directly with companies.

Use specialist ESG / SRI / sustainability research companies

Find fund management companies that makes use of expert external research companies. This can help deliver specialist expertise and means resources are pooled with other investors.

Accreditations
PRI A+ rated (AFM company wide)

Finds organisations / fund managers that have an A+ PRI rating - meaning they are highly rated according to the 'Principles of Responsible Investment'

UK Stewardship Code signatory (AFM company wide)

Find fund managers that are signatories to the FRC UK Stewardship Code, which sets out a framework for constructive investor / investee relations where fund managers are encouraged to behave like responsible, typically longer term 'company owners'.

Engagement Approach
Regularly lead collaborative ESG initiatives (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that regularly initiate or run industry wide (collaborative) investor projects aimed at raising environmental, social and governance standards amongst investee companies.

Encourage responsible corporate taxation (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that are working with the companies they invest in to encourage more responsible corporate taxation.

Engaging on climate change issues

Fund manager has stewardship /responsible ownership strategy that is focused on addressing climate change with investee assets.

Engaging with fossil fuel companies on climate change

Asset manager has a stewardship /responsible ownership strategy that involves working with fossil fuel companies on climate change related issues. See fund manager website for details.

Engaging to reduce plastics pollution / waste

Asset manager has stewardship /responsible ownership strategy with involves encouraging investee asset to reduce plastic waste and pollution.

Engaging to encourage responsible mining practices

Asset manager has a stewardship / responsible ownership policy that means they are working to encourage more responsible mining practices - where environmental and social issues are properly dealt with by the companies they invest in.

Engaging on biodiversity / nature issues

The asset manager has a responsible ownership / stewardship strategy that focuses on biodiversity and nature issues relating to the assets they invest the aim of which will be to reduce harm and or deliver improvement. Strategies vary. https://tnfd.global

Engaging to encourage a Just Transition

Asset manager has a responsible ownership / stewardship strategy which means they are working to encourage the shift to more sustainable business practices in ways that respect and are sensitive to social issues and the impact change has on people effected by the changes that are taking place. https://www.transitionpathwayinitiative.org/ https://transitiontaskforce.net/

Engaging on human rights issues

Asset manager has responsible ownership / stewardship strategy in place which aims to address human rights issues in investee companies (and potentially their suppliers) with the aim of raising standards

Engaging on labour / employment issues

Asset manager has responsible ownership / stewardship strategy in place that aims to improve labour standards for the benefit of employees in investee companies (and potentially their suppliers)

Engaging on diversity, equality and / or inclusion issues

Asset management company has a stewardship strategy in place which involves working to raise diversity, equality and inclusion standards across investee assets

Engaging on governance issues

Fund managers have stewardship strategies in place that focus on improving governance standards across investee assets

Engaging on mental health issues

Asset manager has stewardship strategy in place which involves discussing mental health issues with investee companies - with the aim of raising standards

Engaging on responsible supply chain issues

Has a stewardship / responsible ownership strategy that encourages responsible supply chain - ie the managers will discuss environmental, social and governance issues with investee companies with the aim of raising standards

Company Wide Exclusions
Controversial weapons avoidance policy (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies (not funds) that avoid investment in 'controversial weapons' across all of their funds and other investment vehicles.

Review(ing) carbon / fossil fuel exposure for all funds (AFM company wide)

Find funds / fund managers that are reviewing, or have reviewed, their exposure to carbon intensive industries including (but not only) mining, oil and gas companies. (Typically with reference to climate change.)

Coal exclusion policy (group wide coal mining exclusion policy)

This asset manager excludes direct investment in the coal mining industry. Managers ability to do this may depend on the geographic regions in which they invest.

Climate & Net Zero Transition
Net Zero commitment (AFM company wide)

Fund management organisations that have pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to ‘net zero’. Strategies vary - this area is changing rapidly.

Voting policy includes net zero targets (AFM company wide)

Fund manager AGM / EGM voting strategy has processes in place that mean they will normally be expected to vote in a way that will encourage the transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Publish 'CEO owned' Climate Risk policy (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that have published a Climate Risk policy or statement that is signed / owned by their Chief Executive.

Net Zero - have set a Net Zero target date (AFM company wide)

This asset management company has set a date by which they plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas / CO2e emissions.

Encourage carbon / greenhouse gas reduction (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that are working with the companies they invest in to encourage reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbon transition plan published (AFM company wide)

Finds organisations / fund managers that have a company wide carbon transition plan - meaning that they have plotted a path to how they will move away from activities that produce or use carbon based energy sources (that emit greenhouse gases) towards clean, alternative, renewable energy sources.

‘Forward Looking Climate Metrics’ published / ITR (AFM company wide)

Finds organisations / fund managers that have published ‘forward looking climate metrics’ e.g. 'implied temperature rise' data that are a total of the asset management company's share (% owned) of all the investee company emissions of the assets they manage, as well as their own direct and other indirect emissions.

Carbon offsetting - offset carbon as part of our net zero plan (AFM company wide)

This asset management company plans to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (CO2e) emissions with the help of a scheme that will lock away an amount of carbon that is equivalent to the company’s own emissions – so that the end result is ‘net zero’. Calculations and scope vary.

In-house carbon / GHG reduction policy (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that are working to reduce their own (fund management company) carbon/greenhouse gas emissions.

Working towards a ‘Net Zero’ commitment (AFM company wide)

Finds organisations / fund management companies that are in the process of working out how to make a ‘net zero commitment’ - meaning that when that is finalised they will have started the process of reducing their total greenhouse gas emissions to'zero'.

Committed to SBTi / Science Based Targets Initiative

See https://sciencebasedtargets.org/

Transparency
Publish responsible ownership / stewardship report (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that publish a report detailing their responsible investment ownership - also known as 'Stewardship' - activity.

Full SRI / responsible ownership policy information on company website

Find companies that publish information about their sustainable and responsible investment strategies on their company website.

Publish full voting record (AFM company wide)

Fund management companies that publish a full record of how they vote their shares at AGMs (annual general meetings) and EGMs (extraordinary general meetings). Voting strategies have an important role to play encouraging higher environmental, social and governance standards.

Sustainability transition plan publicly available (AFM company wide)

This asset management company has published a plan that explains how they are to become a sustainable business - without significant negative environmental or social impacts.

Paris Alignment plan publicly available (AFM company wide)

This asset management company has published a plan that explains how they will align to the climate change commitments made at the Paris Climate Talks, COP21.

Net Zero transition plan publicly available (AFM company wide)

This asset management company has published a plan that explains how they are going to achieve net zero greenhouse gas / CO2e emissions.

Dialshifter statement

Find fund management companies that have supplied Dialshifter information. See Dialshifter tab within record for more information.

Sustainable, Responsible &/or ESG Policy:

Stage 1: ESG

The first component of the process is based on ESG, utilising the Schroders proprietary tool, CONTEXT™ system. CONTEXT™ is a tool that considers the sustainability of a company’s business model having regard to certain measures and uses both third party data and our own estimates and assumptions and is not an industry standard measure. As a large proportion of ESG inputs into CONTEXT™ are taken from 3rd party sources, the process relies heavily on external data which adjusts capital allocation, removing any perceived bias from the process.

 

Given ESG is the bedrock of the process, companies with bottom quartile ESG scores, of the 350 companies in the universe, are excluded. The better the CONTEXT™ score, the more capital can be potentially attributed to a company.

Investable range is then reduced by quantum of risk associated with ESG score.

 

As active investors, engagements with our holdings play a key role in our investment decision making. We engage with our holdings on all ESG factors. The philosophy of the team is that there is always room for improvement and no clear finish line and each company’s progress is monitored by the Global Listed Real Asset analysts and the Sustainable Investment team. In the event that we do not see improvement in these areas, the company would get a higher risk score which will result in a reduction of exposure to the company or we will divest from the company entirely.   

Process:

With regards to investment decision making, the fund utilises a unique and bespoke process .

As mentioned above, the process complies with the  three critical tenets of ESG integration: third-party data; exclusion of companies based on poor ESG scores; continuous engagement.

 

Stage 1: ESG

The first component of the process is based on an ESG score for each company, utilising the Schroders CONTEXT™ system. The better the ESG score, the more capital can be allocated to a company. The maximum potential investment in any holding by the fund is 8%, this quantum is then reduced depending on the company’s ESG score derived from CONTEXT™. A company with a high ESG score will have a maximum investible range close to 8% and a company with a low ESG score will have a maximum investible range much lower. The investment process has a bias of allocating larger amounts of capital to companies with higher ESG scores.

 

The ESG inputs in CONTEXT™ are taken from 3rd party sources and our own estimates and assumptions. As a proportion of ESG inputs into CONTEXT™ are taken from 3rd party sources, any perceived bias from the process is removed. Each company is ascribed an ESG score, companies with bottom quartile ESG scores of the 350 companies in the universe, are excluded.

 

Stage 2: Valuation

The second component of the process is to value the company to see what quantum of capital should be allocated to a specific company. 

 

We use both traditional and non traditional forms of valuation. Traditional forms of valuation includes DCF and FFO multiples. Non-traditional valuation includes geo-spatial insights. The non-traditional insight provides an informational edge, particularly important with Digital Infrastructure where location can provide an asset with clear competitive advantages. An example of this could be a data-centre close to a power source, a large population and underground fibre cables.

 

Upside (or downside) to the current price is then calculated by building proprietary valuation models. Depending on upside (or downside) to current price, a company will be placed into deciles relative to the rest of the investment universe: the stocks with the most upside will sit in the top decile. These stocks will have capital allocated to them at the extreme/ maximum of their investable range (as calculated with the ESG score in phase I).  Those companies placed in the second decile (second most attractively priced grouping) will have slightly less capital allocated.  This process continues for the third, fourth, fifth etc. deciles. 

 

Once a risk score is provided and a valuation decile apportioned to that risk score, the rankings can be sorted to provide the managers with trading signals.

 

Whilst the investment process is very quant driven, the fund managers are looking for strong buy and sell signals rather than following each recommendation to a precise basis point of investment.

 

Process Conclusion

The process uses a transparent, quant driven, two stage investment process to identify the most sustainable Digital Infrastructure companies cities with the strongest operating platforms in those markets.

  • Stage 1 excludes companies with bottom quartile ESG scores based on the score ascribed by in-house proprietary database CONTEXT™.
  • Stage 2 values each company and systematically highlights the correct weight of a company in the portfolio.

 

Resources, Affiliations & Corporate Strategies:

Fund level resources:

The principal resource to establish the ESG credentials of any company is the in house proprietary database known as CONTEXT™ (we outline below a summary of the database)

  • CONTEXT™ provides a systematic framework for analysing a company’s relationship with its stakeholders and the sustainability of its business model, allowing us to identify market wide trends and insights. It is designed to support our investors’ understanding of the sustainability of companies’ business models and profitability, and provides structured, logical and wide-ranging data to support our analysts’ views. This consistent structure makes information sharing easier and allows us to identify market wide trends and insights. The database incorporates both internal and external data sources. 

The team also have access to a suite of Schroders developed internal research-based and quantitative ESG investment tools which provide a framework for our investors to incorporate ESG factors into their analysis. We have outlined the flagship tools below:

 

  • SustainEx™ scientifically combines measures of both the harm companies can do and the good they can bring to arrive at an aggregate measure of each firm’s social and environmental impact, allowing investors to target their ESG investments effectively. It quantifies the extent to which companies are in credit or deficit with the societies to which they belong, and the risks they face if the costs they externalise are pushed into companies’ own costs.

 

  • Our Country Sustainability Dashboard aims to provide a lens through which to analyse the sustainability of sovereign GDP growth. By assessing the ESG risks and opportunities that have historically driven growth, as well as those that may be influential in the future, it aims to provide investors with a long-term view of countries’ GDP growth as well as an indication as to whether the market is pricing in country sustainability factors across various asset classes.

 

The Real Asset team is supported by the Sustainable Investment team. This team has been embedded as part of our overall investment process. The Sustainable Investment team is further details below when explaining our firm level resources.

 

The two teams combine to speak to management teams about specific issues such as remuneration, board diversification, sustainability policies etc.

 

Firm level resources:

Our Sustainable Investment Team

Sustainability is fundamental to our investment principles at Schroders and we have an experienced and well-resourced Sustainable Investment team, who are embedded within our Investment function. As at March 2023, the team comprises over 50+ dedicated ESG professionals with over 400 years’ combined investment experience. We are a global team, spread across four regional hubs in London, Paris, Singapore and New York, aiming to ensure that sustainability is embedded through our global investment teams and client functions.

 

The team is led by Andrew Howard, Global Head of Sustainable Investment who is also a member of our Group Management Committee.  As team head, he oversees our approach to ESG integration, active ownership, our sustainability research and tools, and our reporting and product strategy.

 

Our Sustainable Investment team sits alongside investment teams rather than operating in a silo, which facilitates regular dialogue with our analysts and portfolio managers. It is organised into three pillars: 1) Sustainable Investment Management, incorporating integration, thematic research and models and data, 2) Active Ownership, encompassing engagement and voting and 3) Product, which entails our client, product and solutions activities. We also have regional sustainability specialists in Europe, Asia and North America, who work closely with our regional investment desks and clients globally. We outline their key responsibilities and areas of focus below.

 

  • Sustainable investment management

Our Integration team works with our investment teams to integrate our proprietary ESG tools and research into their investment processes. They are also responsible for the annual review and integration accreditation of all our investment desks.

 

Our Research team is responsible for conducting research into our key thematic areas and working in collaboration with investors to help them understand how these themes impact their portfolios.

Our Models and Data team is responsible for the maintenance and evolution of our suite of proprietary tools. They are also responsible for ESG data, ensuring we harness sustainability data effectively from both conventional and unconventional sources.

 

  • Active ownership

Our Engagement team partners with investors to have dialogue with the companies in which we invest, seeking to understand how prepared they are for a changing world and pushing them towards more sustainable practices. The team track the progress of these engagements and hold companies to account.

Our Corporate Governance team is responsible for voting in line with our Voting Policy and Principles.

 

  • Product

Our Product team is responsible for all the externally-facing aspects of our sustainability strategy. This includes our suite of products and solutions, client engagement and our engagement with regulators and industry bodies. We also have regional specialists who help our clients around the globe to achieve their sustainability objectives.

 

For us, sustainability is a core part of our firm-wide strategy and is fundamental to our ultimate objective which is to achieve better outcomes for our clients. The Sustainable Investment team work in partnership with many teams around Schroders including our investment teams, Investment Insights Unit, Product Governance and client teams. We also have a number of dedicated sustainable equity and credit analysts who are embedded within our investment desks, along with 50+ Sustainability champions across investment globally.

 

Source: Schroders, as at 31 March 2023,

 

What is more, Schroders is a member, participant or signatory to a number of reputable industry organisations in which we share know-how and collaborate on various industry initiatives. Please find a sample list below. A full list is available on our website: 

https://www.schroders.com/en/sustainability/active-ownership/industry-involvement/ 

 

  • UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) - Achieving an A+ rating for six consecutive years
  • Financial Reporting Council (FRC)
  • CDP
  • Climate Action 100+
  • United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)
  • Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment
  • Investment Association Corporate Governance and Engagement Committee
  • Investment Association Sustainability and Responsible Investment Committee
  • Asian Corporate Governance Association (ACGA)
  • Investor Forum
  • European Sustainable Investment Forum (EuroSIF)
  • Institute of Business Ethics (IBE)
  • International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN)
  • Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (formerly the National Association of Pension Funds)
  • SWESIF 
  • Eumedion
  • Green Bond Principles (GBP)
  • GRESB
  • Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative
  • Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA).

For further details on our industry involvement, please refer to pages 44-47 of our 2022 annual sustainable investment report.

 

 

 

 

Dialshifter

Our organisation is helping to support the Paris Climate Agreement and the Race to Net Zero by…

  • Working in partnership with asset owner clients on decarbonisation goals, consistent with an ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner across all assets under management;
  • Setting an interim target for the proportion of assets to be managed in line with the attainment of net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner; and
  • Reviewing our interim target at least every five years, with a goal of ratcheting up the proportion of assets covered until 100% are included, as efforts to structurally decarbonise economies play out.

SDR Labelling:

Unlabelled with sustainable characteristics

Voting Record

Disclaimer

Marketing material for professional clients only. The following risks may affect fund performance:

Risk Considerations – Schroder Digital Infrastructure Fund

  • Real Estate and Property Risk: Real estate investments are subject to a variety of risk conditions such as economic conditions, changes in laws (e.g. environmental and zoning) and other influences on the market.
  • Sustainability Risk Factor: The fund applies sustainability criteria in its selection of investments. This investment focus may limit the fund's exposure to companies, industries or sectors and the fund may forego investment opportunities that do not align with its sustainability criteria. The fund may underperform other funds that do not seek to invest based on such criteria. As investors may differ in their views of what constitutes sustainability, the fund may invest in companies that do not reflect the values of any particular investor.
  • Currency risk: The fund may lose value as a result of movements in foreign exchange rates.
  • Liquidity risk: In difficult market conditions, the fund may not be able to sell a security for full value or at all. This could affect performance and could cause the fund to defer or suspend redemptions of its shares.
  • Operational risk: Operational processes, including those related to the safekeeping of assets, may fail. This may result in losses to the fund.
  • Performance risk: Investment objectives express an intended result but there is no guarantee that such a result will be achieved. Depending on market conditions and the macro economic environment, investment objectives may become more difficult to achieve.
  • IBOR: The transition of the financial markets away from the use of interbank offered rates (IBORs) to alternative reference rates may impact the valuation of certain holdings and disrupt liquidity in certain instruments. This may impact the investment performance of the fund.
  • Derivatives risk: Derivatives may be used to manage the portfolio efficiently. The fund may also materially invest in derivatives including using short selling and leverage techniques with the aim of making a return. A derivative may not perform as expected, may create losses greater than the cost of the derivative and may result in losses to the fund.
Fund Name SRI Style SDR Labelling Product Region Asset Type Launch Date Last Amended

Schroder Digital Infrastructure Fund

Sustainability Tilt Unlabelled with sustainable characteristics OEIC Global Equity 18/02/2011 Jan 2024

Objectives

The Fund aims to provide capital growth by investing in equity and equity related securities of companies worldwide which help to advance the development of the global digital infrastructure and which the Investment Manager deems to be sustainable investments.

The Fund is actively managed and invests at least 80% of its assets in a concentrated range of equity and equity related securities of companies worldwide (including emerging markets and less developed markets), which the Investment Manager deems to be sustainable investments, which are investments that contribute towards more environmentally resilient, socially inclusive and / or innovative digital infrastructure.

Kindly refer to the Fund’s Key Investor Information Document (KIID) for the full investment policy.

 

Fund Size: £15.15m

(as at: 31/12/2024)

Total Screened Themed SRI Assets: £58000.00m

(as at: 31/12/2022)

Total Responsible Ownership Assets: £737573.00m

(as at: 31/12/2022)

Total Assets Under Management: £737573.00m

(as at: 31/12/2022)

ISIN: GB00B50MLC91, GB00B53VQ629

Contact Us: sami.arouche@schroders.com

Sustainable, Responsible &/or ESG Overview

Digital infrastructure plays a key role in promoting economic competitiveness, social inclusion and reducing energy consumption. The strategic importance of these assets is understood by governments, businesses and individuals.

 

Every industry is digitizing and are totally reliant on digital infrastructure. Secular trends such as, the growth in data transfer speeds, increase of connected devices and the build out of the ‘Internet of Things’ all lead to an attractive long term investment opportunity.

 

In developed markets the opportunity is focused on the upgrading of digital infrastructure. In emerging markets the opportunity is the build out of infrastructure in underserved countries to ensure they do not fall behind economically and socially.

 

With ESG at the core of its investment process, the fund is uniquely positioned to aid the development of digital connectivity in emerging and developed markets, in turn helping to achieve UN SDG 9, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

Primary fund last amended: Jan 2024

Information received directly from Fund Manager

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Fund Filters

Sustainability - General
Sustainability policy

Funds that have policies that consider (environmental and social) sustainability issues. Strategies vary but are likely to consider environmental issues like climate change, carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, resource management, environmental impacts; and social issues like equal opportunities, human rights, labour standards, diversity and adherence to internationally recognised codes. See fund information.

Sustainability focus

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Sustainability theme or focus

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Encourage more sustainable practices through stewardship

A core element of these funds aim to encourage higher sustainability standards across business practices through responsible ownership / stewardship / engagement / voting activity

UN Global Compact linked exclusion policy

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) focus

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Green / Sustainable property strategy

Fund has a strategy that focuses on sustainability issues in the property sector - they may eg use GRESB / BREEAM scores to inform investment decisions.

Environmental - General
Limits exposure to carbon intensive industries

Funds that limit or 'reduce' their exposure to carbon intensive industries (ie sectors which are major contributors to climate change. Funds vary - some funds may be 'underweight' in this area which means they may have some investment in highly carbon intensive areas. Funds of this kind may choose companies they consider to be 'best in sector' and encourage ever higher standards. Strategies vary. See fund information for further details.

Environmental damage and pollution policy

Funds that have written policies explaining the approach they take when companies damage the environment or are significant polluters. Funds of this kind may work with companies to encourage higher standards, or exclude companies - sometimes dependent on the situation. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.

Favours cleaner, greener companies

Funds that aim to invest in companies with strong or market leading environmental policies and practices. Strategies vary - in particular the balance between 'financial' aspects and environmental benefits. Some may invest substantially in solutions or 'positive impact' companies - others may invest in more conventional companies providing certain environmental criteria are met. See fund information for further detail.

Nature & Biodiversity
Illegal deforestation exclusion policy

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Avoids genetically modified seeds/crop production

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Climate Change & Energy
Coal, oil & / or gas majors excluded

Funds that avoid investing in major coal, oil and/or gas (extraction) companies. Funds vary: some may exclude all companies that extract oil. Others may have exposure to oil extraction via more diversified energy companies. See fund literature to confirm details.

Fracking and tar sands excluded

Funds that avoid companies involved in fracking and tar sands - which are widely regarded as controversial methods of oil and gas extraction. Strategies vary. See fund information for further information.

Arctic drilling exclusion

Funds that avoid companies that are involved in extracting oil from the Arctic regions. See fund literature for further details.

Fossil fuel reserves exclusion

Funds that avoid investing in companies with coal, oil and gas reserves. See fund information for further details.

Encourage transition to low carbon through stewardship activity

A core element of these funds will aim to encourage the transition to lower carbon activities through responsible ownership / stewardship / engagement / voting activity

Nuclear exclusion policy

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Fossil fuel exploration exclusion - direct involvement

The fund manager excludes companies with direct involvement in fossil fuel exploration (eg coal, oil and gas companies)

Paris aligned fund strategy

This fund has a strategy that aims ensure its holdings will gradually reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in line with targets set at COP21 in Paris. The ultimate aim is to achieve ‘net zero emissions by 2050’ and a ‘maximum global temperature increase of +1.5 to +2 degrees above preindustrial levels’. Strategies and opinions vary. Read fund information.

Social / Employment
Labour standards policy

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Fast fashion exclusion

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Diversity, equality & inclusion Policy (fund level)

Find individual funds that have a written diversity policy – where the fund manager will aim to select companies with a carefully considered, sound approach to diversity. This should ideally cover a range of issues including gender, ethnicity, disability, beliefs, sexual orientation, etc.

Mining exclusion

All mining companies excluded

Ethical Values Led Exclusions
Tobacco and related product manufacturers excluded

Companies are excluded if they are involved in any aspect of the production chain for tobacco products, including cigarettes, vaping, e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco and cigars.

Armaments manufacturers avoided

Find funds that avoid companies that manufacture products intended specifically for military use. Fund strategies vary - particularly with regard to non-strategic military products. See fund literature for fund specific details.

Civilian firearms production exclusion

Find funds with a written civilian firearms exclusion policy - meaning that they will not invest in companies that make (or perhaps also sell) handguns made for non-military users.

Alcohol production excluded

Find funds that avoid investment in companies involved in the production of alcohol. Strategies vary; some funds allow a small proportion of profits to come from this area. See fund literature for further information.

Gambling avoidance policy

Find funds that avoid companies with significant involvement in the gambling industry. Some funds may allow a small proportion of profits to come from this area. See fund policy for further details.

Human Rights
Human rights policy

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Child labour exclusion

Find funds that have policies in place to ensure they do not invest in companies that employ children.

Oppressive regimes (not free or democratic) exclusion policy

Find funds with policies that exclude companies or other assets where regimes are not democratic, or where people may be oppressed. May use eg. Freedom House research. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.

Modern slavery exclusion policy

The fund has a policy which excludes assets with involvement in Modern Slavery

Meeting Peoples' Basic Needs
Green infrastructure focus

Fund focuses on (ie directs a significant proportion of its investment towards) green infrastructure, eg the clean energy supply chain. See fund details.

Banking & Financials
Banking exclusion

Will not invest in any banks.

Financial institutions exclusion

Exclude all companies in the banking, insurance, finance and related sectors.

Predatory lending exclusion

Fund excludes financial services companies with widely criticised, aggressive lending practices where interest rates are typically very high, includes ‘doorstep lending’)

Exclude banks with significant fossil fuel investments

Will avoid banks that have a large part of their loan book (or other assets) invested in fossil fuels companies - particular coal, oil and gas.

Governance & Management
Avoids companies with poor governance

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UN sanctions exclusion

Exclude companies that are subject to United Nations sanctions. See eg https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/content/un-sc-consolidated-list

Anti-bribery and corruption policy

Find funds that have policies explaining how managers will respond to assets / companies that do not comply with relevant anti-bribery and anti-corruption standards or laws. Strategies vary; options include stewardship/ engagement and divestment - or a combination. See fund literature for further information.

Digital / cyber security policy

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Encourage board diversity e.g. gender

Fund managers encourage the companies they invest in to have more diverse board structures (e.g. more women on boards)

Encourage higher ESG standards through stewardship activity

A core element of these funds will aim to encourage higher ESG standards through responsible ownership / stewardship / engagement /voting activity

Fund Governance
ESG integration strategy

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Asset Size
Invests in small, mid and large cap companies / assets

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Invest in supranationals

International entities or bodies with agreed remits that are broadly similar to those that may otherwise be undertaken by individual governments eg the UN

Impact Methodologies
Aims to generate positive impacts (or 'outcomes')

Funds that aim to help or support the delivery of positive social or environmental impacts (or societal/real world outcomes) by investing in companies they regard as beneficial to people and / or the planet. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.

Positive social impact theme

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Invests in sustainability / ESG disruptors

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Aim to deliver positive impacts through engagement

Fund aims to deliver positive environmental and or social impacts (real world benefits) through its engagement with investee assets

How The Fund Works
Positive selection bias

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Data led strategy

Find funds that make stock selection (and ongoing fund management) decisions based on ESG data or company ratings (normally supplied by third parties) rather than focusing on what individual companies do, how they operate or their plans for the future

Significant harm exclusion

Aims to avoid companies that do significant harm. This originates from the EU’s sustainable finance ‘DNSH’ (do no significant harm) work, which is not necessarily used by UK investors.

Focus on ESG risk mitigation

A major focus of these funds is the careful management of environmental, social and governance (ESG) related risks - typically by avoiding or being underweight in companies seen as posing major risks in these areas (i.e. not necessarily by using themes, exclusions etc).

Unscreened Assets & Cash
All assets (except cash) meet published sustainability criteria

All assets held in the fund - except cash - meet the sustainability criteria published in fund documentation.

Intended Clients & Product Options
Intended for investors interested in sustainability

Finds funds designed to meet the needs of individual investors with an interest in sustainability issues.

Intended for clients who want to have a positive impact

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Available via an ISA (OEIC only)

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Labels & Accreditations
SFDR Article 9 fund / product (EU)

Finds funds classified under Article 9 of the EU’s SFDR (Sustainable Finance Disclosure Requirements). Article 9 of the SFDR applies to financial products that have sustainable investment 'objectives' - including emissions reduction objectives. (These may currently be referred to as 'impact' funds or aiming to deliver clear, specific positive outcomes.) These rules do not currently apply in the UK so fund managers may leave this field blank.

Fund Management Company Information

About The Business
Specialist positive impact fund management company

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Responsible ownership / stewardship policy or strategy (AFM company wide)

Finds fund management companies that have a published company wide stewardship, engagement and / or responsible ownership policy or strategy that covers all investments. Stewardship typically involves encouraging higher ESG standards through voting and dialogue.

ESG / SRI engagement (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that actively encourage higher 'environmental, social and governance' and/or 'sustainable and responsible investment' practices across investee companies - typically where the aim is to encourage positive change that is aligned with the best interests of investors. Strategies vary. See additional information and options.

Vote all* shares at AGMs / EGMs (AFM company wide)

Find fund managers that vote all* the shares they own at Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings. A commitment to voting shares is a key indicator of 'responsible share ownership' demonstrating their support for or disagreement with management policy. (*situations can legitimately, occasionally occur where voting proves impossible, but in principle all shares should be voted.)

Responsible ownership / ESG a key differentiator (AFM company wide)

Find fund managers that consider responsible ownership and ESG to be a key differentiator for their business.

Sustainable property strategy (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that take sustainability criteria into account when selecting and/or managing all of their property / real estate investments.

Senior management KPIs include environmental goals (AFM company wide)

The leadership team of this asset manager have performance targets linked to environmental goals.

SDG aligned aims / objectives (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that aim to align all their investments (across all funds) to help meet the aims of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Responsible ownership policy for non SRI funds (AFM company wide)

Find funds run by fund managers that apply Responsible ownership or 'Stewardship' policies to all or most of their investment assets. This means active involvement (e.g. voting, dialogue) with the companies they invest in across funds (not normally limited to ethical or SRI options.) Read fund literature for further information.

Integrates ESG factors into all / most (AFM) fund research

Find fund management companies that consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues when deciding whether or not to invest in a company for all / almost all of their funds and other assets. This is increasingly seen as part of sound risk management.

In-house diversity improvement programme (AFM company wide)

Finds organisations / fund managers that have an in-house (company wide) diversity improvement programme - meaning that they are working to ensure that within their own businesses they employ people from diverse backgrounds - often typically focused on ethnicity and/or sex.

Diversity, equality & inclusion engagement policy (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that encourage the companies they invest in to have strong diversity, race, gender and other equality policies across all assets held, not simply screened or themed SRI/ESG funds. (ie Asset Management company wide).

Invests in newly listed companies (AFM company wide)

This asset management company invests in companies which have recently listed on a stock exchange (which is important as it can help grow new businesses).

Invests in new sustainability linked bond issuances (AFM company wide)

Asset management company has investments in bonds designed to meet sustainability requirements - however these assets may not be 'ringfenced' for this purpose. See fund manager website for details.

Offer structured intermediary training on sustainable investment

Fund management entity offers unstructured intermediary training on sustainable investment (ie for financial advisers and wealth managers)

Offer unstructured intermediary sustainable investment training

Fund management entity offers unstructured intermediary training on sustainable investment (ie for financial advisers and wealth managers)

Collaborations & Affiliations
PRI signatory

Find fund management companies that have signed up to the UN backed 'Principles of Responsible Investment'.

UKSIF member

Find fund management companies that are members of UKSIF - the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance association

UN Principles of Responsible Banking framework signatory-co wide

This asset manager has signed up to the UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) program which aims to encourage more responsible banking practices – focused on environmental and social issues.

Investment Association (IA) member

Fund management entity is a member of the Investment Association https://www.theia.org/

Resources
In-house responsible ownership / voting expertise

Find fund management companies that employ people to steer and support fund managers in voting shares at company AGM's and EGMs in ways that are consistent with encouraging higher ESG/sustainability standards.

Employ specialist ESG / SRI / sustainability researchers

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Use specialist ESG / SRI / sustainability research companies

Find fund management companies that makes use of expert external research companies. This can help deliver specialist expertise and means resources are pooled with other investors.

Accreditations
PRI A+ rated (AFM company wide)

Finds organisations / fund managers that have an A+ PRI rating - meaning they are highly rated according to the 'Principles of Responsible Investment'

UK Stewardship Code signatory (AFM company wide)

Find fund managers that are signatories to the FRC UK Stewardship Code, which sets out a framework for constructive investor / investee relations where fund managers are encouraged to behave like responsible, typically longer term 'company owners'.

Engagement Approach
Regularly lead collaborative ESG initiatives (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that regularly initiate or run industry wide (collaborative) investor projects aimed at raising environmental, social and governance standards amongst investee companies.

Encourage responsible corporate taxation (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that are working with the companies they invest in to encourage more responsible corporate taxation.

Engaging on climate change issues

Fund manager has stewardship /responsible ownership strategy that is focused on addressing climate change with investee assets.

Engaging with fossil fuel companies on climate change

Asset manager has a stewardship /responsible ownership strategy that involves working with fossil fuel companies on climate change related issues. See fund manager website for details.

Engaging to reduce plastics pollution / waste

Asset manager has stewardship /responsible ownership strategy with involves encouraging investee asset to reduce plastic waste and pollution.

Engaging to encourage responsible mining practices

Asset manager has a stewardship / responsible ownership policy that means they are working to encourage more responsible mining practices - where environmental and social issues are properly dealt with by the companies they invest in.

Engaging on biodiversity / nature issues

The asset manager has a responsible ownership / stewardship strategy that focuses on biodiversity and nature issues relating to the assets they invest the aim of which will be to reduce harm and or deliver improvement. Strategies vary. https://tnfd.global

Engaging to encourage a Just Transition

Asset manager has a responsible ownership / stewardship strategy which means they are working to encourage the shift to more sustainable business practices in ways that respect and are sensitive to social issues and the impact change has on people effected by the changes that are taking place. https://www.transitionpathwayinitiative.org/ https://transitiontaskforce.net/

Engaging on human rights issues

Asset manager has responsible ownership / stewardship strategy in place which aims to address human rights issues in investee companies (and potentially their suppliers) with the aim of raising standards

Engaging on labour / employment issues

Asset manager has responsible ownership / stewardship strategy in place that aims to improve labour standards for the benefit of employees in investee companies (and potentially their suppliers)

Engaging on diversity, equality and / or inclusion issues

Asset management company has a stewardship strategy in place which involves working to raise diversity, equality and inclusion standards across investee assets

Engaging on governance issues

Fund managers have stewardship strategies in place that focus on improving governance standards across investee assets

Engaging on mental health issues

Asset manager has stewardship strategy in place which involves discussing mental health issues with investee companies - with the aim of raising standards

Engaging on responsible supply chain issues

Has a stewardship / responsible ownership strategy that encourages responsible supply chain - ie the managers will discuss environmental, social and governance issues with investee companies with the aim of raising standards

Company Wide Exclusions
Controversial weapons avoidance policy (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies (not funds) that avoid investment in 'controversial weapons' across all of their funds and other investment vehicles.

Review(ing) carbon / fossil fuel exposure for all funds (AFM company wide)

Find funds / fund managers that are reviewing, or have reviewed, their exposure to carbon intensive industries including (but not only) mining, oil and gas companies. (Typically with reference to climate change.)

Coal exclusion policy (group wide coal mining exclusion policy)

This asset manager excludes direct investment in the coal mining industry. Managers ability to do this may depend on the geographic regions in which they invest.

Climate & Net Zero Transition
Net Zero commitment (AFM company wide)

Fund management organisations that have pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to ‘net zero’. Strategies vary - this area is changing rapidly.

Voting policy includes net zero targets (AFM company wide)

Fund manager AGM / EGM voting strategy has processes in place that mean they will normally be expected to vote in a way that will encourage the transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Publish 'CEO owned' Climate Risk policy (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that have published a Climate Risk policy or statement that is signed / owned by their Chief Executive.

Net Zero - have set a Net Zero target date (AFM company wide)

This asset management company has set a date by which they plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas / CO2e emissions.

Encourage carbon / greenhouse gas reduction (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that are working with the companies they invest in to encourage reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbon transition plan published (AFM company wide)

Finds organisations / fund managers that have a company wide carbon transition plan - meaning that they have plotted a path to how they will move away from activities that produce or use carbon based energy sources (that emit greenhouse gases) towards clean, alternative, renewable energy sources.

‘Forward Looking Climate Metrics’ published / ITR (AFM company wide)

Finds organisations / fund managers that have published ‘forward looking climate metrics’ e.g. 'implied temperature rise' data that are a total of the asset management company's share (% owned) of all the investee company emissions of the assets they manage, as well as their own direct and other indirect emissions.

Carbon offsetting - offset carbon as part of our net zero plan (AFM company wide)

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Transparency
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Dialshifter statement

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Sustainable, Responsible &/or ESG Policy:

Stage 1: ESG

The first component of the process is based on ESG, utilising the Schroders proprietary tool, CONTEXT™ system. CONTEXT™ is a tool that considers the sustainability of a company’s business model having regard to certain measures and uses both third party data and our own estimates and assumptions and is not an industry standard measure. As a large proportion of ESG inputs into CONTEXT™ are taken from 3rd party sources, the process relies heavily on external data which adjusts capital allocation, removing any perceived bias from the process.

 

Given ESG is the bedrock of the process, companies with bottom quartile ESG scores, of the 350 companies in the universe, are excluded. The better the CONTEXT™ score, the more capital can be potentially attributed to a company.

Investable range is then reduced by quantum of risk associated with ESG score.

 

As active investors, engagements with our holdings play a key role in our investment decision making. We engage with our holdings on all ESG factors. The philosophy of the team is that there is always room for improvement and no clear finish line and each company’s progress is monitored by the Global Listed Real Asset analysts and the Sustainable Investment team. In the event that we do not see improvement in these areas, the company would get a higher risk score which will result in a reduction of exposure to the company or we will divest from the company entirely.   

Process:

With regards to investment decision making, the fund utilises a unique and bespoke process .

As mentioned above, the process complies with the  three critical tenets of ESG integration: third-party data; exclusion of companies based on poor ESG scores; continuous engagement.

 

Stage 1: ESG

The first component of the process is based on an ESG score for each company, utilising the Schroders CONTEXT™ system. The better the ESG score, the more capital can be allocated to a company. The maximum potential investment in any holding by the fund is 8%, this quantum is then reduced depending on the company’s ESG score derived from CONTEXT™. A company with a high ESG score will have a maximum investible range close to 8% and a company with a low ESG score will have a maximum investible range much lower. The investment process has a bias of allocating larger amounts of capital to companies with higher ESG scores.

 

The ESG inputs in CONTEXT™ are taken from 3rd party sources and our own estimates and assumptions. As a proportion of ESG inputs into CONTEXT™ are taken from 3rd party sources, any perceived bias from the process is removed. Each company is ascribed an ESG score, companies with bottom quartile ESG scores of the 350 companies in the universe, are excluded.

 

Stage 2: Valuation

The second component of the process is to value the company to see what quantum of capital should be allocated to a specific company. 

 

We use both traditional and non traditional forms of valuation. Traditional forms of valuation includes DCF and FFO multiples. Non-traditional valuation includes geo-spatial insights. The non-traditional insight provides an informational edge, particularly important with Digital Infrastructure where location can provide an asset with clear competitive advantages. An example of this could be a data-centre close to a power source, a large population and underground fibre cables.

 

Upside (or downside) to the current price is then calculated by building proprietary valuation models. Depending on upside (or downside) to current price, a company will be placed into deciles relative to the rest of the investment universe: the stocks with the most upside will sit in the top decile. These stocks will have capital allocated to them at the extreme/ maximum of their investable range (as calculated with the ESG score in phase I).  Those companies placed in the second decile (second most attractively priced grouping) will have slightly less capital allocated.  This process continues for the third, fourth, fifth etc. deciles. 

 

Once a risk score is provided and a valuation decile apportioned to that risk score, the rankings can be sorted to provide the managers with trading signals.

 

Whilst the investment process is very quant driven, the fund managers are looking for strong buy and sell signals rather than following each recommendation to a precise basis point of investment.

 

Process Conclusion

The process uses a transparent, quant driven, two stage investment process to identify the most sustainable Digital Infrastructure companies cities with the strongest operating platforms in those markets.

  • Stage 1 excludes companies with bottom quartile ESG scores based on the score ascribed by in-house proprietary database CONTEXT™.
  • Stage 2 values each company and systematically highlights the correct weight of a company in the portfolio.

 

Resources, Affiliations & Corporate Strategies:

Fund level resources:

The principal resource to establish the ESG credentials of any company is the in house proprietary database known as CONTEXT™ (we outline below a summary of the database)

  • CONTEXT™ provides a systematic framework for analysing a company’s relationship with its stakeholders and the sustainability of its business model, allowing us to identify market wide trends and insights. It is designed to support our investors’ understanding of the sustainability of companies’ business models and profitability, and provides structured, logical and wide-ranging data to support our analysts’ views. This consistent structure makes information sharing easier and allows us to identify market wide trends and insights. The database incorporates both internal and external data sources. 

The team also have access to a suite of Schroders developed internal research-based and quantitative ESG investment tools which provide a framework for our investors to incorporate ESG factors into their analysis. We have outlined the flagship tools below:

 

  • SustainEx™ scientifically combines measures of both the harm companies can do and the good they can bring to arrive at an aggregate measure of each firm’s social and environmental impact, allowing investors to target their ESG investments effectively. It quantifies the extent to which companies are in credit or deficit with the societies to which they belong, and the risks they face if the costs they externalise are pushed into companies’ own costs.

 

  • Our Country Sustainability Dashboard aims to provide a lens through which to analyse the sustainability of sovereign GDP growth. By assessing the ESG risks and opportunities that have historically driven growth, as well as those that may be influential in the future, it aims to provide investors with a long-term view of countries’ GDP growth as well as an indication as to whether the market is pricing in country sustainability factors across various asset classes.

 

The Real Asset team is supported by the Sustainable Investment team. This team has been embedded as part of our overall investment process. The Sustainable Investment team is further details below when explaining our firm level resources.

 

The two teams combine to speak to management teams about specific issues such as remuneration, board diversification, sustainability policies etc.

 

Firm level resources:

Our Sustainable Investment Team

Sustainability is fundamental to our investment principles at Schroders and we have an experienced and well-resourced Sustainable Investment team, who are embedded within our Investment function. As at March 2023, the team comprises over 50+ dedicated ESG professionals with over 400 years’ combined investment experience. We are a global team, spread across four regional hubs in London, Paris, Singapore and New York, aiming to ensure that sustainability is embedded through our global investment teams and client functions.

 

The team is led by Andrew Howard, Global Head of Sustainable Investment who is also a member of our Group Management Committee.  As team head, he oversees our approach to ESG integration, active ownership, our sustainability research and tools, and our reporting and product strategy.

 

Our Sustainable Investment team sits alongside investment teams rather than operating in a silo, which facilitates regular dialogue with our analysts and portfolio managers. It is organised into three pillars: 1) Sustainable Investment Management, incorporating integration, thematic research and models and data, 2) Active Ownership, encompassing engagement and voting and 3) Product, which entails our client, product and solutions activities. We also have regional sustainability specialists in Europe, Asia and North America, who work closely with our regional investment desks and clients globally. We outline their key responsibilities and areas of focus below.

 

  • Sustainable investment management

Our Integration team works with our investment teams to integrate our proprietary ESG tools and research into their investment processes. They are also responsible for the annual review and integration accreditation of all our investment desks.

 

Our Research team is responsible for conducting research into our key thematic areas and working in collaboration with investors to help them understand how these themes impact their portfolios.

Our Models and Data team is responsible for the maintenance and evolution of our suite of proprietary tools. They are also responsible for ESG data, ensuring we harness sustainability data effectively from both conventional and unconventional sources.

 

  • Active ownership

Our Engagement team partners with investors to have dialogue with the companies in which we invest, seeking to understand how prepared they are for a changing world and pushing them towards more sustainable practices. The team track the progress of these engagements and hold companies to account.

Our Corporate Governance team is responsible for voting in line with our Voting Policy and Principles.

 

  • Product

Our Product team is responsible for all the externally-facing aspects of our sustainability strategy. This includes our suite of products and solutions, client engagement and our engagement with regulators and industry bodies. We also have regional specialists who help our clients around the globe to achieve their sustainability objectives.

 

For us, sustainability is a core part of our firm-wide strategy and is fundamental to our ultimate objective which is to achieve better outcomes for our clients. The Sustainable Investment team work in partnership with many teams around Schroders including our investment teams, Investment Insights Unit, Product Governance and client teams. We also have a number of dedicated sustainable equity and credit analysts who are embedded within our investment desks, along with 50+ Sustainability champions across investment globally.

 

Source: Schroders, as at 31 March 2023,

 

What is more, Schroders is a member, participant or signatory to a number of reputable industry organisations in which we share know-how and collaborate on various industry initiatives. Please find a sample list below. A full list is available on our website: 

https://www.schroders.com/en/sustainability/active-ownership/industry-involvement/ 

 

  • UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) - Achieving an A+ rating for six consecutive years
  • Financial Reporting Council (FRC)
  • CDP
  • Climate Action 100+
  • United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)
  • Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment
  • Investment Association Corporate Governance and Engagement Committee
  • Investment Association Sustainability and Responsible Investment Committee
  • Asian Corporate Governance Association (ACGA)
  • Investor Forum
  • European Sustainable Investment Forum (EuroSIF)
  • Institute of Business Ethics (IBE)
  • International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN)
  • Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (formerly the National Association of Pension Funds)
  • SWESIF 
  • Eumedion
  • Green Bond Principles (GBP)
  • GRESB
  • Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative
  • Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA).

For further details on our industry involvement, please refer to pages 44-47 of our 2022 annual sustainable investment report.

 

 

 

 

Dialshifter

Our organisation is helping to support the Paris Climate Agreement and the Race to Net Zero by…

  • Working in partnership with asset owner clients on decarbonisation goals, consistent with an ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner across all assets under management;
  • Setting an interim target for the proportion of assets to be managed in line with the attainment of net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner; and
  • Reviewing our interim target at least every five years, with a goal of ratcheting up the proportion of assets covered until 100% are included, as efforts to structurally decarbonise economies play out.

SDR Labelling:

Unlabelled with sustainable characteristics

Voting Record

Disclaimer

Marketing material for professional clients only. The following risks may affect fund performance:

Risk Considerations – Schroder Digital Infrastructure Fund

  • Real Estate and Property Risk: Real estate investments are subject to a variety of risk conditions such as economic conditions, changes in laws (e.g. environmental and zoning) and other influences on the market.
  • Sustainability Risk Factor: The fund applies sustainability criteria in its selection of investments. This investment focus may limit the fund's exposure to companies, industries or sectors and the fund may forego investment opportunities that do not align with its sustainability criteria. The fund may underperform other funds that do not seek to invest based on such criteria. As investors may differ in their views of what constitutes sustainability, the fund may invest in companies that do not reflect the values of any particular investor.
  • Currency risk: The fund may lose value as a result of movements in foreign exchange rates.
  • Liquidity risk: In difficult market conditions, the fund may not be able to sell a security for full value or at all. This could affect performance and could cause the fund to defer or suspend redemptions of its shares.
  • Operational risk: Operational processes, including those related to the safekeeping of assets, may fail. This may result in losses to the fund.
  • Performance risk: Investment objectives express an intended result but there is no guarantee that such a result will be achieved. Depending on market conditions and the macro economic environment, investment objectives may become more difficult to achieve.
  • IBOR: The transition of the financial markets away from the use of interbank offered rates (IBORs) to alternative reference rates may impact the valuation of certain holdings and disrupt liquidity in certain instruments. This may impact the investment performance of the fund.
  • Derivatives risk: Derivatives may be used to manage the portfolio efficiently. The fund may also materially invest in derivatives including using short selling and leverage techniques with the aim of making a return. A derivative may not perform as expected, may create losses greater than the cost of the derivative and may result in losses to the fund.