UBS

At UBS, corporate responsibility has long been high on the agenda; in considering and implementing its corporate responsibility efforts UBS takes account of rising expectations of shareholders, clients and employees.

Based on its environmental policy and ISO 14001 certification UBS offers a wide range of SRI products to both private and institutional investors and has developed strong expertise in incorporating environmental and social aspects into its research and advisory activities.

UBS Global Asset Management established a unit "Socially Responsible Investments" in 1996. In Switzerland, UBS Global Asset Management uses an approach that actively selects the best performers in each industry on environmental and social criteria. The SRI equity product offering includes a Global fund, a European fund and a Global Innovators fund. The latter mainly investing in small companies with products in the areas of renewable energy and energy efficiency, mobility, water management, food and healthcare. The SRI funds use both UBS's SRI and mainstream research platforms to construct a portfolio of leading SRI stocks. In the UK, Global Asset Management seeks to influence corporate responsibility and corporate governance performance of the companies it invests in.

UBS Global Wealth Management & Business Banking In 2006, senior executive management launched a strategy to fully integrate SRI into the UBS Client Experience framework providing easy access to SRI Investment Solutions. UBS's open architecture also allows clients to invest in SRI products from third-party providers. In 2007 UBS created an SRI Competence-Center in WM Research and launched new thematic products in the area of Climate Change, Water and Demographics. The Climate Change certificate gives investors access to innovative companies that develop solutions to fight climate change. The investment areas are energy production (renewable ­energy and cleaner energy) and energy efficiency (in buildings, in transport and in industrial processes and products).

The UBS Investment Bank has a well-established SRI sell-side research team that produces original research on areas of increasing or diminishing risk and hosts conferences on timely topics. It also organizes collaborative research by analysts about emerging SRI themes, and writes about and advises on quantifying the effects on share prices of companies with exposure to such issues. A SRI page is available to UBS's institutional clients on UBS's Research Web. In 2006, the Investment Bank launched the world's first emissions index – the UBS World Emissions Index. Index-linked products offered by the Investment Bank allow clients to participate in the indices' performance.

More info