Passion for Swiss equities

Sustainability

ESG Policy

zCapital is firmly committed to responsible investing and actively promotes environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues. ESG issues are key drivers of a company's long-term prospects. Therefore, zCapital believes that taking sustainability issues into account leads to more comprehensive analysis and better investment decisions. Based on this conviction, ESG analysis has been an integral part of zCapital's investment process since its inception.

zCapital ESG Policy (German)

Sustainability approach

ESG Integration

zCapital considers environmental, social and governance issues in its investments.
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Exclusions

Exclusions mean that companies with certain activities or behaviours are excluded.
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Engagement

zCapital is in dialogue with the companies in the investment universe.
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Voting

zCapital always registers the shares and exercises the voting rights consistently.
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ESG Integration

ESG integration is the combination of traditional financial analysis with the analysis of the sustainability of a company. zCapital carries out the sustainability assessment itself. The company has one of the largest research teams for the analysis of Swiss equities and many years of experience. The aim is to identify sustainability risks and opportunities at an early stage. Risks should be avoided where possible, reduced and managed as far as possible.

The integration of ESG analysis takes place at the stock level and aims to identify risks and opportunities at an early stage. zCapital has developed its own ESG monitor for this purpose, which considers data from Inrate, ISS, MSCI, RepRisk and Glassdoor, among others. In addition, zCapital collects its own data.

Compared to the zCapital Swiss Small & Mid Cap Fund or the zCapital Swiss Dividend Fund, the zCapital Swiss ESG Fund has a stronger focus on ESG issues in its portfolio construction.

Exclusions

Exclusions mean that companies with certain activities or behaviours are excluded from the investment universe. The aim of this approach is to reflect fundamental values regarding sustainability in the investment products.

Controversial weapons: zCapital uses the exclusion list of the Swiss Association for Responsible Investment (SVVK), which mainly excludes manufacturers of controversial weapons.

Coal:To curb global warming and achieve the Paris climate targets, a structural change away from coal-fired electricity must take place in the energy sector. zCapital wants to support this change. Therefore, companies which generate more than 10% (5% in the zCapital Swiss ESG Fund) of their turnover from coal mining or the generation of electricity from coal are excluded.

The zCapital Swiss ESG Fund makes more comprehensive exclusions than the other zCapital Funds.

Engagement

In terms of engagement, zCapital aims to engage with companies and raise shareholder concerns. Through concrete recommendations and exertion of influence, corporate strategy is to be scrutinised, relevant ESG aspects addressed and companies motivated to act sustainably.

zCapital maintains a constructive dialogue with the companies in the investment universe. The contact person is usually at the top management level. If necessary, members of the board of directors are also contacted, written enquiries are made, the opportunity to speak at the general meeting is used or requests for items to be included on the agenda are submitted.

Through participation in investor conferences and meetings with management, zCapital has more than 600 contacts with companies in the investment universe every year.

Voting

zCapital exercises voting rights systematically. Voting decisions are subject to the internal guidelines set out in its directive on the exercise of voting and participation rights in Swiss public companies. Voting recommendations from Inrate and ISS, corporate governance analyses from ISS and Inrate, and analyses by internal investment specialists are available as information tools. On this basis, votes are exercised according to the longer-term interests of the public company and the shareholders. In addition to financial aspects, ESG criteria are also considered and specifically promoted with the voting behaviour.

Physical attendance at general meetings is normally waived. The independent proxy is appointed to represent the voting rights.

Sustainability report

zCapital publishes a detailed sustainability report on all three zCapital investment funds every six months. In addition to key figures on environmental, social and governance aspects, this report also includes an overview of engagement activities and voting behaviour.

Sustainability report of the zCapital investment funds (German)

Climate Strategy

zCapital recognises that without countermeasures, climate change will have dramatic consequences for the environment, society and the economy. Therefore, zCapital has signed the Net Zero Asset Management Initiative, committing to reduce CO2 emissions in its portfolios to net zero by 2050 at the latest.

zCapital recognises that it is not enough to shift client money into assets with lower CO2 emissions. The world does not need decarbonisation of portfolios, but decarbonisation of the real economy. That is why zCapital's climate strategy focuses on transparency, the active exercise of shareholder rights and the promotion of investments that enable the transition to a low-carbon and climate-smart economy.

Memberships

UN PRI

zCapital is a signatory of the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI). The global investor initiative works to improve understanding of the impact of investment activities on environmental, social and governance issues.

SSF

zCapital is a member of Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF). The SSF is an interest group organised as an association that works to promote sustainable investment in Switzerland. The association strengthens Switzerland's positioning as a leading voice and player in the field of sustainable finance.

Net Zero Asset Manager Initiative

zCapital has signed the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative. In doing so, zCapital has committed to supporting the goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or earlier. This target is in line with global efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

Support TCFD

zCapital is a supporter of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD). The TCFD publishes recommendations on how companies can better analyse, assess and make transparent climate change-related risks to their business.

TCFD Report 2023 (German)