According to Germany's sustainable investment industry association, the Forum Nachhaltige Geldanlagen (FNG), sustainable, responsible, ethical, societal and ecological investments and investment processes that include the impact of environmental factors, societal responsibility and good corporate governance in their financial analysis are referred to as sustainable investments.

In contrast to the three conventional investment criteria – profitability, liquidity and security – sustainability forms a further aspect of sustainable investments.

avesco is convinced that, given limited resources, no alternative exists to sustainable business management. In some industries, such as food, fair textiles etc, some suppliers have already come quite a long way.

In other sectors such as finance, however, the topic is not yet as evident. This is what avesco and some other pioneers in the financial industry aim to change. For the future of all of us, it is crucial that international money flows are invested in sustainable business models. Let us make a start together.

This frequently-posed question cannot be answered unequivocally. Depending on the investment, products also exist in the broad spectrum of types of investment that actually generate slightly lower returns. However, investors in these areas deliberately wish to set different priorities, are convinced that their portfolios do not support child labour or fossil fuels, for instance, and ideally aim to generate societal benefits in addition to a financial return.

avesco's impact investing strategies reflect our belief that generating financial returns as well as creating societal and environmental benefits are not only compatible but also mutually supportive aims. Integrating societal and environmental performance indicators into the decision-making process helps reduce risks, and provides further opportunities for investors to align their resources with their values. The success of the Sustainable Hidden Champions Equity Fund with its above-average performance shows that sustainability also pays off financially.

The objective of the Sustainable Hidden Champions Equity Fund is to generate long-term asset growth by investing in small and medium-sized enterprises (small and mid caps) with a sustainable business model. The fund invests exclusively in European equities of listed companies, particularly from the Germany, Austria and Switzerland region, which have a rating of at least C on the basis of the avesco sustainability rating and are predominantly regarded as market leaders in their niche – so-called hidden champions. The weighting of the securities is predominantly systematic, taking into account the parameters of volatility and trading volume. Investments can also be realised in IPOs in order to make a contribution to the direct financing of sustainable business models and innovations offering great potential for value appreciation.

Investing in equity funds entails not only opportunities to realise gains but also the risk of loss. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The value of investment units and any income they generate are not guaranteed. A unit's value may fall as well as rise, as a consequence of which investors may be unable to recover the amount they have originally invested. Before making an investment decision, investors should take note of the risk description in the prospectus and the key investor information. Investment advice tailored to investors' personal circumstances can also be obtained from a financial adviser. This website is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or other financial instruments or investment advice.

Performance of the Sustainable Hidden Champions Equity Fund (I) since full investment from 1 April 2015 to 31 May 2019:

The equity fund authorised for public sale has been in Class I (minimum investment EUR 100 thousand) with WKN A12BKF and ISIN DE000A12BKF6 since 5 January 2015. On 18 March 2016 Class R followed with a minimum investment of EUR 25 with WKN A1J9FJ, DE000A1J9FJ5.

The Sustainable Hidden Champions Equity Fund had around EUR 9.6 million invested at the end of May. avesco manages a special fund of the insurance company Die Bayerische with a volume of around EUR 54 million applying the same investment strategy.

Key figures compared to the benchmark CDAX since full investment from 1 April 2015 to 31 May 2019:

Past performance is not a guarantee of future income. The gross value performance (BVI method) takes into account all costs incurred at fund level (e.g. the management fee). Additional costs may be incurred at customer level (e.g. custody account fees, commissions and other fees). For example, with an investment sum of EUR 100,000 and a five-year investment period, additional costs of around 0.4% are incurred for purchase and portfolio management.

Source of all data, unless otherwise stated: avesco Financial Services AG. The valid sales documents contain detailed information on the individual risks associated with the investment, and form the basis for the purchase of units in this fund. In this publication you will find only information that constitutes product-related information and not investment recommendations orientated to a client's personal circumstances, in particular not in the form of individual investment advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. All data contained in this publication are provided by external data providers. We would like to point out that errors may occur during data recording and transmission for which no liability can be accepted. The up-to-date status of the various fund data depends on the data delivery of the respective capital management company and can consequently differ from the date on which this results page is consulted.

FNG Seal

The Sustainable Hidden Champions Equity Fund has been awarded two FNG stars for its sustainability approach.

The seal of the Forum für nachhaltige Geldanlagen (FNG) is regarded as the quality standard for sustainable investment funds in the German-speaking market. The award recognises a stringent and transparent sustainability approach whose credible application is verified by independent audit. The SHC Fund ranked particularly well in the areas of "institutional credibility", "product standards" and "transformation & impact".

Eurosif Transparency Logo

The Sustainable Hidden Champions Equity Fund carries the Eurosif Transparency Logo.

The European Transparency Logo for Sustainability Funds indicates that avesco undertakes to provide correct, appropriate and timely information in order to enable interested parties, particularly clients, to understand the respective fund's sustainable investment approaches and methods.

Detailed information on the European SRI Transparency Code can be found at www.eurosif.org. Information on the sustainable investment policy and its implementation in the Sustainable Hidden Equity Fund can be found at: www.avesco.de. The European SRI Transparency Code is managed by Eurosif, an independent organisation.

The European SRI Transparency Logo reflects the fund manager's engagement as described above. It is not to be understood as an endorsement of a particular company, organisation or individual.