Engaging with the companies, we invest in is a key element of our work with active ownership. In 2021, we ramped up our active ownership efforts and were in dialogue with 79% more investee companies than in 2020 – and the number of dialogues on climate and environmental issues increased by more than 80%.
This is one of the key achievements from the past year as highlighted in Our Responsible Investment Journey report, which dives into our work with responsible investments in the past year.
“We have an ambition to influence the companies we invest in to constantly improve on sustainability. Companies need to minimise their negative impact on society, but they also need to incorporate sustainability factors into their core business to be an attractive investment,” says Mads Steinmüller, Interim Head of Active Ownership in Danske Bank.
• 1,420 dialogues with 938 companies on 104 sustainability topics
• The increase is partly due to a stronger infrastructure that allows us to track and report on active ownership activities
• Environmental and climate issues accounted for 44% of the topics, 23% centred on social issues like diversity and inclusion or employee conditions, while issues related to governance accounted for 33%
• CO2 emissions, energy efficiency & transition as well as the circular economy were the most often discussed topics in relation to the environment and climate.
In 2021, Danske Bank have established a dedicated department to support with Active Ownership processes and infrastructure.
“Themes like climate, diversity, the circular economy and governance have become even more important in relation to our investments. We have therefore had to increase our dialogues to better understand how companies are exposed to these themes, the risks associated and how they are handled, and in what way the companies impact society,” says Malin Walterson, ESG Analyst in Danske Bank Asset Management. She continues:
“For us, this is not about having as many dialogues as possible, but rather engaging in dialogue with relevant companies and making a difference.”
Our Responsible Investment Journey
Aside from our work with active ownership, the new Responsible Investment Journey report demonstrates the great spectrum of topics within our sustainability work with the words of our experts: From how we concretely incorporate sustainability considerations into our investments to our screening and restriction policies and our reporting. You can find the report here.This publication has been prepared as marketing communication and does not constitute investment advice. Note that historical return and forecasts on future developments are not a reliable indicator of future return, which may be negative. Always consult with professional advisors on legal, tax, financial and other matters that may be relevant to assessing the suitability and appropriateness of an investment.
