Triodos Investment Management is a 100% subsidiary of Triodos Bank, one of the world’s leading sustainable banks. Since 1980, the bank has pioneered a groundbreaking, commercially successful approach to money that values people, the environment and culture, as well as profit. Triodos Investment Management is a globally recognised leader in impact investing, managing direct investments ranging from sustainable energy infrastructure to microfinance institutions.
Triodos Investment Management currently manages 19 funds (totalling EUR 2.4 billion) investing in both Europe and emerging markets with a range of risk-return profiles and financial instruments. Individuals and institutions can invest in Triodos funds selected from themes including climate and energy, inclusive finance, sustainable trade, food and agriculture, arts and culture, sustainable real estate and listed companies with above average environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance.
The Triodos online, interactive 2015 Impact Report highlighting investments made into inclusive finance can be foundhere. An overview of the report can be found here.
In our approach on impact measurement and reporting we include both quantitative indicators and qualitative assessments – these complement each other, thereby providing a grounded view on performance and impact. We believe that data alone cannot tell the full story and the dialogue is a crucial part of our analysis, monitoring and reporting system. It is also not a static process; our Sustainability Management System is continually being refined to keep it in line with new sector developments and the further enhancement of our sustainability philosophy. As part of this approach we use the IRIS metrics in our Emerging Markets activities, for our inclusive finance portfolio as well as our trade finance portfolio. - Inclusive finance - A number of the Financial Services IRIS metrics are embedded in our in-house developed Sustainability Management System that analyses, monitors and reports on the social and environmental performance of the financial institutions in our inclusive finance portfolio. This system helps us to analyse and assess how these institutions have embedded their mission and social aims in the organization, the extent to which they targets sustainable, responsible financing and the way they plan to continue to links their activities to this mission in the next few years. This analysis is included and discussed in every investment proposal and taken into account for each investment decision. - Trade finance - We also use a number of the Agriculture IRIS metrics to document and monitor the results of our sustainable trade fund in terms of realising its mission – to improve the lives of farmers and to stimulate sustainable agriculture as an alternative to conventional, chemical-intensive agriculture. In view of this mission we choose metrics that capture the number and demographics of farmers who have sold their harvest to organisations receiving trade finance from the fund, as well as other metrics that track the volume of exports by these farmers and the percentage of female farmers. Also of great importance to the fund are metrics that increase its understanding of the price premiums obtained by farmers as a result of selling their goods to the fund’s portfolio organisations.