Öhman makes a step change in its efforts to provide climate-friendly investment opportunities for clients: the Swedish fund manager is now the first in the world to offer an option for fully climate neutral equity investments through its 'Klimatneutral' product line.
Asset manager Öhman has for several years helped its customers make climate-smart investment decisions. But the option to compensate for investment climate impact makes Öhman truly unique, as no other financial player in the world offers its customers this possibility.
“We as investment managers are constantly pushed by our customers to develop climate-friendly investment alternatives," says Johan Malm, CEO of Öhman. “We are now thrilled to be able to say that we are the only operator in the world to offer our customers the possibility to offset carbon from fund investments. Offsetting for financial services should become the norm, similar to offsetting impacts from travel or energy use."
Those who invest in Öhman's sustainable equity funds 'Global Sustainable Brands', 'Öhman Global Hållbar' and 'Öhman Sverige Hållbar' can offset greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the investments.
Despite its sustainable approach, an investment in a sustainability fund still affects the climate. To neutralise these effect, an investor at Öhman can now reduce these remaining emissions by financing projects that reduce carbon emissions in developing countries.
Thanks to Öhman's long-standing partnership with South Pole Group, the money invested in neutralising any investment emissions is channelled to a carbon offsetting project that focuses on replacing old, inefficient cooking stoves in Mali with new efficient alternatives. The new cooking stoves reduce fuel consumption but also benefit the local families by permanently reducing their fuel spending, introducing new employment opportunities, and by improving indoor and outdoor air quality.
“By putting a price on the remaining greenhouse gas emissions of each fund and its respective holdings, portfolio managers and their clients can better understand the magnitude of the climate impact of their investment," says Maximilian Horster, Partner, Financial Industry, South Pole Group. “This disciplines them to bring emissions further down over time."