The division, known as Mirova, and its products will be aimed at all types of investors from professional to non-professional and institutional to private banks and IFAs.
"We are convinced we need to think about asset management differently in order to better take into account the risks and opportunities of a changing world," said Philippe Zaouati, deputy CEO of Natixis Asset Management, who is in charge of the Mirova investment division.
The firm believes combining value creation with sustainable development issues is an economic necessity for a number of reasons: The current imbalance between growth and debt; the de-correlation with the real economy; the depletion of natural resources; and climate change issues.
All of these issues highlight that the current economic development is no longer sustainable, Natixis said.
The company has combined all of its 36 responsible investment personnel in Mirova, which will have an offering organised into four pillars:
- Listed shares management – investing in global companies that provide innovative solutions in 8 major sustainable development themes.
- Infrastructure financing – financing responsible projects with strong yield potential.
- Investment with a social and environmental impact, or impact investing – investing in projects and non-listed companies with a strong social and environmental impact.
- Voting and engagement – supporting investors and company managers in their decisions as responsible shareholders.
Natixis said Mirova would be the second-largest European manager of open-ended SRI funds and social business funds, with €4bn in SRI equity. Total funds under management for the whole group is €286.5m.
"The creation of the Mirova investment division is more than a simple affirmation of Natixis Asset Management’s 25-years of engagement in responsible investment – it reflects our strong ambitions to strengthen our position as an innovative player and become an international leader in this field," Pascal Voisin, chief executive officer of Natixis concluded.
