We think it is important for you to know how your investments are making a difference. We wanted to share a company highlight within one of the mutual funds we use for our clients.
Umicore is a premier example of the environmentally and socially focused companies we aim to invest in. Based in Belgium, Umicore is a global materials technology and recycling group. Their core product and service is providing the battery materials for electric cars, and having the capability to recycle these components indefinitely. As the electrification of transport grows worldwide, Umicore’s offering becomes mission critical to the world’s climate goals. They were recently ranked 7th in the 2019 top 100 of the world’s most sustainable companies published by Corporate Knights, a research division focused on sustainable performance rankings.
Their commitment to sustainability is not just by serving the burgeoning electric car market. Umicore goes above and beyond by looking at responsibility from a systems level. They are engaged in sustainability wherever their company footprint touches ground, from sourcing of materials to how they impact the communities they operate in.
Some of their efforts are highlighted below:
Material Sourcing - Developed the very first Sustainable Procurement Framework for Cobalt, and a policy for responsible global supply chain of minerals from conflict affected and high risk areas.
Community Engagement - Utilize a localized approach whereby all office or operation sites (mainly Europe and Asia) are required to identify their respective stakeholders and establish suitable ways of engaging with them.
Impact Partnerships - Have worked with UNICEF since 2011 to support school projects in India and Madagascar. Founding member of Entrepreneurs pour Entrepreneurs, helping promote business leaders in the developing world.
Human Capital – Voluntarily renewed the sustainable development agreement with the international union IndustriALL. This assures implementation of fair policies on human rights, equal opportunities, labor conditions and ethical conduct.
We are excited to share the work of companies like Umicore with our clients. They are a fantastic example of a company working on solutions that our economy and our world need for a sustainable future.
If you would like to dive deeper into these topics, send us a note to join our Insider Series for an in-depth quarterly SRI update.
Blue Summit does not directly invest in Umicore. They are a holding within the Pax Global Environmental Markets Fund as of this writing. Some, but not all clients, are invested in this fund.