Responsible Investing with Insight | Responsible Horizons

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Learn more about our euro impact bond strategy Learn more about our euro impact bond strategy

Insight’s Responsible Horizons strategies are specifically designed for investors seeking responsible investment outcomes.

A leader in responsible investment and fixed income

2006

Founding signatory to PRI¹

Insight’s ranking among UK investment consultants for Fixed Income Overall Quality²

183

Investment professionals in Insight’s Fixed Income Group³

strategies in the Responsible Horizons range³

Insight seeks to help our clients achieve their desired outcomes and to reflect their priorities. This lies at the heart of our approach to responsible investment.

We assess and identify, and take responsibility for managing, factors we deem to be financially material (including, but not limited to, sustainability and governance factors) whilst also reflecting client sustainability preferences. Financially material sustainability risks can be ‘direct’ in that they are identifiable, can be more straightforward to quantify, and typically occur over the nearer term, such as pollution fines or product safety issues. They can also be ‘indirect’ and may have multiple pathways to financial relevance; quantification is more complex as they typically stem from broader issues that impact the whole economy over the long term. Examples are extreme heat and water scarcity.

To read more, please visit our responsible investment microsite.

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Responsible Horizons strategy criteria

The Responsible Horizons strategy range aims to help investors achieve two key goals: an investment portfolio that aligns with both future financial targets and sustainability goals. Click on each number to learn more:

The Responsible Horizons Euro Corporate Bond, Responsible Horizons UK Corporate Bond, Responsible Horizons Multi-Sector Credit and Responsible Horizons Buy and Maintain Bond strategies now embed a net-zero by 2050 target.

These changes include:

a minimum allocation to companies that are at least committed to achieving a net-zero target, with this minimum allocation increasing over time; and
a carbon intensity level below a set amount (either a specified level or a benchmark, depending on the strategy), which will decline over time.

Investors in a specific strategy should consult the relevant documents for details of these changes.

READ: RESPONSIBLE HORIZONS - MAKE INVESTMENTS COUNT

Insight's approach to impact bonds
In-depth data and analysis
Proactive engagement on ESG issues

Insight seeks to assess impact bonds – such as green bonds – to ensure they meet our requirements. In 2024, Insight rated 536 unique impact bonds – with c.15% rated red, meaning they were excluded from our Responsible Horizons strategies.

Prime: the ESG ratings supporting Responsible Horizons

Prime corporate ESG ratings: These cover over 3,100³ investment grade, high yield and emerging market issuers.
Prime climate risk ratings: These cover c. 9,500³ companies, and rate issuers by both their physical and transition risks with regard to climate change.
Prime net zero ratings for corporates: These cover over 13,400 issuers³, each categorised as achieving, aligned, aligning, committed or not committed.
Prime net zero ratings for sovereigns: These cover 70³ developed and emerging market issuers covering over 85% of global emissions and over 90% of global GDP, each categorised as achieving, aligned, aligning, committed or not committed.

More information on the Prime ratings is available here.

We believe exclusions alone are not necessarily enough to pursue the best possible outcomes for investors, and this drives us to focus on engagement with issuers, which may occur through direct dialogue, group meetings, collaborative initiatives and via our counterparties.

Three reasons for engagement with issuers

To manage and understand ESG risks
To hold issuers to account
To achieve positive change

READ: RESPONSIBLE HORIZONS - MAKE INVESTMENTS COUNT

Responsible strategies

European sustainable corporate bond strategy


Fabien Collado, Senior Portfolio Manager	Lutz Engberding, Portfolio Manager	Robert Sawbridge, Head of Responsible Investment

"For investors pursuing a responsible approach to the euro corporate bond market, our strategy has been in place since 2017."

FABIEN COLLADO, ESG PORTFOLIO MANAGER

In our experience, many investors are seeking exposure to the euro corporate bond market through an approach that seeks to outperform a mainstream index, but in a responsible way.

The Responsible Horizons Euro Corporate Bond Fund seeks to profit from opportunities in bond and derivative markets, and will only invest where minimum standards for ESG factors are met. It also seeks to make a positive impact by favouring issuers with superior sustainability profiles.

This strategy is managed to align with Article 8 under the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).

This strategy incorporates net-zero related characteristics, including a minimum allocation to companies that are at least committed to achieving a net-zero target, which will increase over time; and a carbon intensity level below the benchmark, with a maximum level which will decline over time.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR EURO CORPORATE BOND STRATEGY

Sustainable multi-sector credit strategy


Adam Whiteley, Head of Global Credit	Shaun Casey, Senior Portfolio Manager	Damien Hill, Senior Portfolio Manager

"Our multi-sector credit strategy aims to offer investors a responsible approach to a wide range of credit assets in a single strategy."

ADAM WHITELEY, HEAD OF GLOBAL CREDIT

The range of assets available across credit markets, such as high yield debt and asset-backed securities, can make it challenging to apply a consistent responsible approach within one strategy that invests across these markets, given variances in approaches and available data.

The Responsible Horizons Multi-Sector Credit strategy seeks to generate a total return by investing primarily in a broad range of debt and debt-related securities while taking ESG factors into account.

This strategy is managed to align with Article 8 under the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).

This strategy incorporates net-zero related characteristics, including a minimum allocation to companies that are at least committed to achieving a net-zero target, which will increase over time; and a carbon intensity level below a reference benchmark, with a maximum level which will decline over time.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR MULTI-SECTOR CREDIT STRATEGY

UK sustainable corporate bond strategy

Damien Hill, Senior Portfolio Manager

"For investors pursuing a responsible approach to the UK corporate bond market, we believe this strategy can deliver for investors on the dual fronts of sustainability and performance."

DAMIEN HILL, SENIOR PORTFOLIO MANAGER

The Responsible Horizons UK Corporate Bond strategy seeks to generate a return through a combination of income and capital returns, while taking ESG factors into account.

It also seeks to make a positive impact by favouring issuers with superior sustainability profiles. We will look to either remove or engage with companies held in the portfolio if their Prime ESG rating deteriorates to the extent they could be excluded from the strategy’s investment universe.

Responsible buy and maintain bond strategy

Adam Mossakowski, Head of Strategic Credit

"Our strategy aims to offer investors a cost-efficient way to gain exposure to credit as well as incorporating clear sustainable investment criteria, and it takes ESG factors into account when making investment decisions”

ADAM MOSSAKOWSKI, HEAD OF STRATEGIC CREDIT

The strategy builds on the success of Insight’s existing buy and maintain bond strategy, which has long taken ESG factors into account. Whilst comparable in market profile and investment approach, the Responsible Horizons Buy and Maintain Bond strategy formalises a number of ESG and sustainability characteristics and embeds a 2050 net zero target. The strategy therefore caters for investors seeking a portfolio that follows Insight’s buy and maintain approach, with additional sustainability objectives.

Access the Responsible Horizons Buy and Maintain Fund - Article 10 SFDR Disclosure here.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE RESPONSIBLE HORIZONS BUY AND MAINTAIN BOND FUND

Impact strategies

Pure impact bond/impact issuer strategy


Fabien Collado, Senior Portfolio Manager	Lutz Engberding, Portfolio Manager

"This strategy aims to enable investors to make an impact in a transparent way, by exploiting both use-of-proceeds impact bonds and positive impact issuers."

FABIEN COLLADO, ESG PORTFOLIO MANAGER

Investors are increasingly seeking a positive environmental or social impact with their assets, but it can be difficult to know how or to know the difference your investment makes.

The Responsible Horizons Euro Impact Bond strategy aims to be an important building block for investors who want to achieve a positive environmental and social impact alongside financial returns.

This strategy is managed to align with Article 9 under the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR EURO IMPACT BOND STRATEGY

Emerging markets impact bond/impact issuer/improving issuer strategy


Fabien Collado, Senior Portfolio Manager	Rodica Glavan, Portfolio Manager

The strategy provides investors an opportunity to make a meaningful impact. Emerging markets are home to 85% of the world’s population⁵, cover 77% of the world’s land mass⁶ and over 70% of the energy supply is reliant on fossil fuels⁷. Bondholders are the principal provider of public capital to emerging market corporate issuers, given over 60% of them have no publicly listed equity. That places bondholders in a unique position to partner with issuers over the long term to make an impact.

This strategy is managed to align with Article 9 under the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR EMERGING MARKET DEBT IMPACT STRATEGY