Investing

As an investor, a.s.r. shows its social responsibility. We believe it is important to play a meaningful role in making society more sustainable. For example, a.s.r. seeks to effect this by a.s.r. vermogensbeheer applying ethical and sustainability criteria in its investment policy and through a.s.r. real estate’s responsible management of its real estate portfolio.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. (“a.s.r. asset management”) manages the investments of a.s.r., for a.s.r. Leven en Pensioenen, but also the premiums for other insurance policies. All investments are screened on social and environmental aspects and governance criteria, based on the a.s.r. Policy on Responsible Investments. Countries and companies that do not comply are excluded. Indeed, we make extra investments in countries and companies that contribute to a more sustainable society. These include countries and companies committed to the energy transition and to combating the risks of climate change. Health care and education are also important themes for us.

This is why a.s.r. asset management does not invest in tobacco or the gambling industry. In addition, we do not invest in companies that derive a large part of their turnover from nuclear energy, oil shale or coal. We require companies to comply with international agreements on human and labour rights and the environment. When investing in government bonds, a.s.r. asset management excludes countries that score poorly on corruption, democratic freedoms and the environment.

a.s.r. asset management applies criteria for the equal treatment of men and women, living wage, trade union freedom and the exclusion of child labour. We engage in constructive dialogue with the companies in which we invest. In this way, we believe we can create more value, both financially and socially.
Weapons
- Our view on investing in weapons
- Website of a.s.r. asset management
Besides investing in companies and countries, ASR Real Estate B.V. (“a.s.r. real estate”) has been investing in real estate for more than 125 years, managing investments in retail, residential property, offices, agricultural land and country estates for institutional investors. We select, manage and develop real estate on the basis of a long-term vision and with a focus on quality and sustainability. In the rural real estate portfolio, a.s.r. real estate aims to make the properties in the portfolio more sustainable (energy-wise and ecologically). For residential and commercial properties, we do this as much as possible at a natural moment (major maintenance) and when it is financially viable. In addition, green solutions such as LED lighting, high-efficiency boilers, water-saving sanitary facilities and sedum roofs are applied as much as possible in the portfolios.

More information can be found on the website a.s.r. real estate.
In 2018, the European Commission introduced an action plan for sustainable finance: the Sustainable Finance Action Plan. It wants to encourage the financial sector to invest more in activities that are sustainable and have a longer-term focus.

One of the European regulations resulting from the action plan is the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR). It aims to improve the provision of information on sustainable investments within the financial sector. We want to be as transparent as possible about the sustainability impact of our investment decisions and the sustainability characteristics of investment products offered by a.s.r.

In addition to our SRI policy, we now do this for our investments through a.s.r. vermogensbeheer by means of a Principal adverse impacts statement (PAI). In this document we describe the main adverse effects of our investment policy on sustainability. We also produce quarterly reports in which we describe the actions we take in the field of sustainability.

More information about the Sustainable Finance Action Plan

More information on our pension products (in Dutch):

Do you have a complaint about a.s.r. as an investor?

Do you have a complaint about a.s.r.’s investment policy or investment approach and would you like to address it to us? If you fill in our complaint form we will deal with your complaint.