Disclaimer
This page is intended for US prospects, clients and investors only and includes information about the capabilities, staffing and history of RIAM US and its participating affiliates, which may include information on strategies not yet available in the US. SEC regulations are applicable only to clients, prospects and investors of RIAM US. Robeco BV, Robeco HK and Robeco SH are considered a “participating affiliate” of RIAM US and some of their employees are “associated persons” of RIAM US as per relevant SEC no-action guidance. Employees identified as associated persons of RIAM US perform activities directly or indirectly related to the investment advisory services provided by RIAM US. In those situations, these individuals are deemed to be acting on behalf of IUAM, a US SEC registered investment adviser.
By clicking I Agree, I confirm that I have read and understood the above.
Sustainable Investing
Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions
Scope 1,2 and 3 emissions are greenhouse gas emissions that cause carbon footprints. As their name suggests, they are measured in three ways, according to how they were created:
Scope 1 emissions are those that are directly generated by the company, such as an airline emitting exhaust fumes.
Scope 2 emissions are those that are created by the generation of the electricity or heat needed by the company to sell its main products or provide its main services.
Scope 3 emissions are those caused by the entire value chain, including the end-user of the product over its life cycle, and are much more difficult to measure.
The use of scopes is important, as it allows investors to identify the true causes of emissions and suggest means of reducing them through engagement. An electricity utility would have relatively low Scope 1 emissions caused by its infrastructure or grid, but high Scope 2 emissions if its power came from the burning of fossil fuels rather than renewable sources.
Returns that benefit the world we live in
A carmaker is an anomaly, since it would have relatively low Scope 1 and 2 emissions for making the car, but the user of the vehicle would burn petrol to run the car over many years, causing very high Scope 3 emissions.
While Scope 1 and 2 data are relatively easy to acquire, it can be very difficult to measure Scope 3 data; in the example of the car user, one could not know how many kilometers it would be driven. More forward-looking metrics are necessary to truly measure carbon footprints, both in terms of companies’ products and services, and their entire value chains.
