Sustainability has become an important criterion for many providers of investment products. But no insurance company goes as far as Zurich with the Zurich Carbon Neutral World Equity Fund. On the one hand, this focuses on companies whose technologies make a positive contribution to the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. On the other hand, it also compensates for the remaining CO2 emissions caused by the companies in which the fund invests.
The investment objective of the passively managed Zurich Carbon Neutral World Equity Fund is to replicate the performance of the MSCI World Climate Paris Aligned Index. This index focuses on climate protection and is geared towards the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. Due to the weighting of the index, 80 percent less CO₂ emissions are released in comparison with the well-known MSCI World Index.
The remaining 20 per cent up to climate neutrality are offset using emission reduction certificates: With these certificates, investors provide direct support to the Rimba Raya Project, an ecologically sustainable rainforest project on Borneo to rebuild the ecosystem.
Private customers can invest in the Zurich Carbon Neutral World Equity Fund in pillar 3a or in a vested benefits account via the selected investment strategy. In life insurance, too, investments are made in the Zurich Carbon Neutral World Equity Fund for selected products.
With the purchased CO₂ certificates, investors support the Rimba Raya Project, an ecologically sustainable rainforest project on Borneo to rebuild the ecosystem.
Fabio Oliveira, Senior ESG Officer Zurich Invest AG ZIAG
