Sustainability Related Disclosures

Environmental or social characteristics of the fund

The fund has two aims:

• to provide a higher total return (the combination of capital growth and income) than the global high yield market while applying ESG Criteria; and
• to achieve a higher ESG rating than the global high yield market. 

How the fund meets its environmental and social characteristics

The fund applies ESG Integration. ESG integration is the systematic inclusion of ESG factors in investment analysis and investment decisions.

The fund is categorised as Planet+ / ESG+.

• Planet+: in addition to applying ESG integration, the fund has a minimum set of norms-based, values-based and sector-based exclusions. 
• ESG+: the fund applies a Positive ESG Tilt whereby the portfolio is tilted towards companies or issuers with better ESG characteristics as a result of excluding companies or issuers with poorer ESG characteristics.

The fund invests in securities that meet the ESG Criteria.

The benchmark of the fund is the ICE BofA Merrill Lynch Global High Yield Index USD Hedged. It is a comparator against which the fund’s performance can be measured. The benchmark is not an ESG benchmark and is not consistent with the ESG Criteria.

Additional information

Further information on the ESG methodology, including data sources, screening criteria and the relevant sustainability indicators of the fund can be found in the ESG Criteria.

A description of ESG and responsible investment terms used is available in the fund’s Prospectus.