Investing in a positive and sustainable way

Understand your needs

Societe Generale Private Banking offers you the opportunity to give more meaning to your assets by investing in solutions that go beyond the usual financial criteria to include the social dimension. This is assessed on the three pillars of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG).

Together we develop an appropriate investment strategy that suits you, analysing in detail all your investment needs such as your risk tolerance, performance objectives and sustainability investment preferences.

Our experts will be able to help you decipher the themes that most affect you, such as the biosphere, social and economic issues.

Discretionary

How to access extra-financial information to select securities correctly? How is my portfolio aligned with an approach to progress on ESG issues? How can I be sure to invest only in securities that promote a sustainable economy that respects people and the environment? Beyond financial issues, there are many questions for the responsible investor.

If you have neither the time nor the knowledge on these issues, you may choose to entrust the management of your assets to a financial market expert who also has knowledge of socially responsible investment (SRI). He or she will introduce you to Societe Generale Private Banking's responsible management approach.

Advisory

We provide you with the expertise you need to make the best investment decisions, while allowing you to maintain control of your portfolio.

Our open-architecture model gives you access to sustainable investment across all asset classes as well as the best sustainable investment solutions.

This way, you remain in control of your decisions while benefiting from our advice on responsible management, which we adapt to your needs and your investor profile. An investment expert with access to extra-financial information guides you in the implementation of your strategy, then accompanies you on an ongoing basis and suggests potential adjustments to your portfolio(*).

(*) These products include a donation to partner associations fighting against cancer, poor housing, unhappy childhood or supporting the disabled.

Why us ?

SRI discretionary management: a robust approach

By choosing to entrust us with the responsible management of your portfolio, we will exclude for you those companies whose activities we consider incompatible with a sustainable future.

In addition to the traditional financial analysis inherent in asset management, you will benefit from extra-financial analysis aimed at selecting the shares or securities of issuers that "perform best" in terms of environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria.

Our SRI investment process is the same as the one applied in our SRI funds that have obtained the French state label or the Luxflag label in Luxembourg. We are a signatory of the UN PRI (United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment) as an asset manager.

ESG advisory

You will have turnkey solutions rigorously selected by our external fund selection platform to invest responsibly.

You will have access to the expertise and innovations of the Societe Generale Private Banking teams, whether in positive and sustainable structured products or SRI ETFs (Exchange Trade Fund)(*) issued by Lyxor, Societe Generale's asset management subsidiary.

(*) An ETF is a financial instrument listed on the stock exchange that allows the real time reproduction of the evolution of a stock exchange index.

Step by step

#1

Analysis of your level of knowledge and experience in responsible financial investments and your risk tolerance.

#2

Analysis of your objectives, of your expectations in terms of performance and of the interaction modalities you desire, as well as of your preferences in terms of sustainable development. We will seek to refine our understanding of your approach: what are your preferred themes? How much of your assets should include ESG considerations? Which management approach do you wish to favour between exclusions, multi-sectoral or thematic selection?

In this respect, we have developed the "My Sustainable Future" tool, a self-assessment test of your knowledge and preferences in terms of sustainability. Click here to access the questionnaire.

#3

Choice of your management solution.

Did you know ?

A very dynamic market…

In Europe, the increase in assets incorporating ESG factors was 60% between 2016 and 2018, representing more than 4,000 billion euros in assets under management(*).

… that will become the dominant market in coming years.

In 2015 the United Nations proposed seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Societe Generale Private Banking gathered these seventeen objectives under three dimensions: biosphere, society and responsible economy (see picture here).

(*) See the 2018 eurosif study: www.eurosif.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/European-SRI-2018-Study-LR.pdf

Questions/Answers

Are ESG investments less profitable or riskier than more standard financial products ?

Many academic studies^* have shown that SRI offers similar returns to other investments. The inclusion of extra-financial risk factors often reduces volatility. However, as the saying goes, past performance is no guarantee of future performance. By investing in ESG-compliant companies, you contribute to long-term sustainability.

(*) Source: www.lelabelisr.fr and notably the reports on ESG AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE (Article by Gunnar Friede, Timo Busch & Alexander Bassen (2015)), Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment. FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF SRI (Revelli-Viviani article (2014)) – Business Ethics: A European Review

Does the inclusion of ESG criteria increase fund management costs ?

ESG investment requires specific skills and expertise. However, this should not increase costs.

What’s the difference between ethical investment and ESG ?

Actually, the first stage of ESG filtering is based on ethics. It consists in excluding companies doing business in sectors incompatible with the investor’s values (e.g. tobacco, weapons). There also exists a more global SRI approach called “best in class”, where only the issuers with the highest ESG ratings are selected, whatever their economic sector.

What is the difference between SRI and ESG ?

It’s the same. Socially responsible investments (SRI) take ESG criteria into account. France has created two labels for funds: the SRI Label based on the United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI)^* and the TEEC label (Transition Energétique et Ecologique pour le Climat, or Energy and Ecological Transition for the Climate). However, funds tend to be called “SRI funds” in both cases.

(*) UN PRI definition of SRI: Responsible investment is an approach to managing assets that sees investors include environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in their decisions about what to invest in, so as to better manage risks and generate sustainable long-term returns. https://www.unpri.org/an-introduction-to-responsible-investment/what-is-responsible-investment/4780.article

How does ESG support sustainable development ?

First, there is a direct impact, as asset managers don’t limit their involvement to selection. They also encourage issuers to improve their ESG practices and, when possible, they vote at shareholder meetings (they can even oppose resolutions that do not meet their ESG requirements).

Second, there is a more indirect impact. The issuers the least ESG compliant will now struggle to raise money on financial markets.

Important information

The content provided on this page is for informational purposes only and is not contractually binding. The materials contained herein are not intended to provide investment advice or any other investment service and do not constitute a personal recommendation, advice, or an offer from Societe Generale Private Banking to purchase, sell or subscribe to investment services and/or financial products and/or investments in the aforementioned asset class. Some of the products, services and solutions described can carry various risks and involve the potential loss of the entire invested amount, if not theoretically unlimited loss. As such, they are reserved for a certain category of investors and/or adapted solely for informed investors who are eligible for such products, services and solutions. The information set out above shall not be considered legal, tax or accounting advice.

The wealth management and financial solutions, offers, products, services and activities mentioned on this page depend on each client’s personal situation, the legislation applying to them, and their tax residence. Consequently, the offer presented may not be eligible for implementation, adaptation or approval at all of the Societe Generale Private Banking entities and must comply with Societe Generale Group's Tax Code of Conduct. Furthermore, access to some of these products, services and solutions is subject to specific conditions, notably in respect of eligibility.

Please contact your private banking adviser to check that these offers meet your needs and are suited to your investor profile (knowledge, experience in investment, financial situation, including ability to withstand losses, and investment objectives, including risk tolerance).

Societe Generale Private Banking shall under no circumstances be held liable for any decision taken by a reader on the basis of this information. Before Societe Generale Private Banking can provide a potential investor with an investment service and/or a subscription to financial products, the investor must first be made aware of, understand and sign the related informative and contractual documentation, notably in respect of the associated risks (prospectus, Key Investor Information Document, Term Sheet, etc.). The potential investor must not base his/her investment decision and/or give investment instructions solely on the basis of this document.

All Societe Generale Private Banking entities reserve the right not to update or amend this document and shall accept no liability in this regard. The present document has the sole aim of informing investors, who will make their investment decisions without overly relying on this publication. The Societe Generale Private Banking entities shall under no circumstances be held liable for the accuracy, relevance or exhaustiveness of this information. The Societe Generale Private Banking entities give no explicit or implicit guarantees as to the accuracy or exhaustiveness of this information or of the profitability or performance of any asset class, country or market.

This document is not intended as a list or summary of all the terms and conditions pertaining to financial products, nor to identify all or some of the risks that may be involved in the acquisition and/or sale of a financial product/investment in any of the aforementioned asset classes.

The historical data and the information and opinions herein have been obtained from, or are based upon, external sources that Societe Generale Private Banking entities believe to be reliable but have not been independently verified. The Societe Generale Private Banking entities shall under no circumstances be liable for the accuracy, relevance or exhaustiveness of this information. Information provided on past performance, even repeated performances, is in no way a guarantee of future performance and may not be repeated. The value of an investment is not guaranteed and the value of investments may fluctuate. These forecasts about future performances are based on assumptions which may not be realised and do not therefore provide any assurance or guarantee with regard to the expected results of the investments in the aforementioned asset classes.

Generally speaking, Societe Generale Group companies may be market makers, conduct transactions involving the securities referred to on this page, and may provide banking services to companies whose asset classes are mentioned on this page, as well as the subsidiaries thereof. Societe Generale Group companies may, from time to time, conduct transactions, generate profits, hold securities or act as adviser, broker or banker in relation to these securities, or derivatives thereof, or in connection with the asset classes mentioned in this document. Societe Generale Group companies may, from time to time, acquire or liquidate positions on the securities, or the underlying assets (including derivatives), mentioned on this page or, where applicable, any other assets. Consequently, this may affect any returns for a potential investor either directly or indirectly. Societe Generale Group companies have no obligation to disclose this page or take it into account in providing advice or conducting transactions with a client or on behalf of a client. The administrative structure of the Societe Generale Group includes all safeguards needed to identify, control and manage conflicts of interest. To this end, Societe Generale Private Banking entities have implemented a conflict of interest management policy to prevent such conflicts of interest. For further details, Societe Generale Private Banking clients may refer to the conflict of interest management policy given to them by the Societe Generale Private Banking entity of which they are clients.