MutualFundWire.com: SAM is Ready for U.S. Debut
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Monday, September 17, 2007

SAM is Ready for U.S. Debut


SAM is paying a visit to the U.S. tonight. At an official launch event scheduled for tonight, SAM (Sustainable Asset Management)--in conjunction with Robeco Asset Management--is set to announce the availability of its investment strategies within the U.S. The strategies are expected to be available by the end of the year.


SAM (Sustainable Asset Management), world leader in sustainability investing since 1995, today announced that it will make its investment strategies available to US investors. Zurich-based SAM, with US$11.8 billion in assets under management and index licenses, last year joined forces with global asset manager Robeco Group. SAM expects its Sustainable Water, Sustainable Climate and Global Sustainability strategies to be available to US institutional and retail investors by year-end.

Reto Ringger, founder and CEO, SAM, makes the following comments at the company’s official US launch event this evening, “I am pleased that with the help of our partners at Robeco, SAM is now ready to bring its sustainability investment strategies to US investors. Growing concerns about the long-term impacts of climate change, the need for alternative energy, the scarcity of natural resources such as water are among the many examples of sustainability issues that have captured the attention of institutional and private investors worldwide. Sustainability strategies have generally performed above benchmarks and the market is developing at a fast pace. SAM is very well positioned to lead the market growth.”

Mr. Ringger notes that SAM’s role in the development of sustainability investing based on systematic, proprietary research has provided a twelve-year track record of strong, consistent shareholder returns. Sustainability investing has emerged as a new asset allocation alternative for institutional and retail investors seeking excellent returns and a meaningful way to invest in the future.

Bill Kelly, CEO, Robeco Investment Management, comments, “Having achieved prominence in international markets, we are confident that SAM’s strategies will become an integral part of the portfolios of institutional and retail investors here in the US. There is increasing global awareness from the highest levels of government and academia of the need to protect the world’s remaining natural resources. Sustainability answers that call and sustainability investing can provide substantial return on investment to investors who participate in these strategies.”

SAM, recognized worldwide as the pioneer in sustainability investing, believes that companies at the forefront of developing and implementing innovative technologies and solutions in terms of sustainability offer attractive investment opportunities. SAM’s core offering includes innovative theme investment strategies such as water and climate change, geared to sophisticated institutional and retail investors.

Dow Jones Sustainability World Indexes Reconstituted

In 1999, together with Dow Jones Indexes, SAM launched the family of Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) to track the performance of companies that are industry leaders in terms of sustainability. For that purpose, SAM analyses over 1,000 companies, annually. Earlier this month, the company announced the results of its 2007 review for the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes. At the opening of the of the equity markets on September 24th, 2007, 42 new global sustainability leaders will be included and 33 current companies will drop out of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. These decisions follow SAM’s exhaustive annual review of the individual status of the world’s corporate sustainability leaders. Sustainability criteria include corporate governance, risk management, branding, climate change, supply chain standards and labor practices. Further information can be accessed at: http://www.sustainability-indexes.com/.

Detailed information on products and strategies available to US investors will be offered later in the fall through Robeco Investment Management and SAM’s subsidiary Sustainable Asset Management USA, Inc.

About Robeco Investment Management

Robeco Investment Management, Inc. is the U.S. asset management arm of global fund manager Robeco Group, headquartered in the Netherlands, with assets under management exceeding $200 billion, globally (as of June 30, 2007). The Robeco Investment Management platform is comprised of three divisions: Robeco Boston Partners, Robeco Sage and Robeco Weiss, Peck & Greer. Products include U.S. equity, U.S. fixed income, fund of hedge funds and alternatives. Additionally, the firm offers global and international equity, including emerging markets, and fixed income products of its European affiliates, including SAM.

About SAM (Sustainable Asset Management)

SAM (Sustainable Asset Management) was founded in 1995 as an independent asset management company for sustainability investments and has grown to become one of the world’s leading institutions in this field. SAM is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland and has a presence in Europe, Australia and North America. SAM’s clients include banks, insurance companies, pension funds, family offices and private investors.

SAM has a comprehensive portfolio of theme-based products in the areas of water, climate, new energy sources, new materials and healthy living. In addition, it offers large institutional investors a broad array of client-oriented, mandate-based services, including optimized, active and restriction-free strategies.

SAM seeks and identifies leading companies on the basis of company-specific sustainability criteria. Integrating those future-oriented factors into the company valuation and investment process represents the foundation of SAM’s investment philosophy. SAM’s expertise is based on its proprietary, independent research technique and an active, international network of sustainability experts. SAM maintains the world’s largest sustainability database.

Together with Dow Jones Indexes and STOXX, SAM publishes and licenses the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes to track the performance of companies that are industry leaders in terms of sustainability. For that purpose, SAM analyses over 1,000 companies, annually.

As of August 31, 2007, SAM’s assets under management and advice totalled US$11.8 billion (EUR 8.7 billion) of which US$6.1 billion (EUR 4.5 billion) were attributable to assets under management and the remaining US$5.7 billion (EUR 4.2 billion) to assets under index licenses.


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