WHEB is a specialist investor focused on the opportunities created by the global transition to more sustainable, resource efficient economies.
WHEB's missions statement is "To advance sustainability and create prosperity through positive impact investments."
Long-term demographic, environmental and resource challenges are reshaping the global economy. While these challenges pose threats in many areas, they also create significant opportunities. These opportunities form the focus of WHEB's thematic investment approach.
Resource scarcity, ageing populations, urbanisation and rising living standards are shaping the global economy. It is WHEB's conviction that these trends will persist for many decades. WHEB invests in companies that provide solutions to the challenges posed by these trends. It organises these investments into five environmental and four social investment themes:
Environmental: Resource Efficiency; Water Management; Environmental Services; Sustainable Transport; Cleaner Energy
Social: Safety; Health; Well-being; Education
Each investment directly supports the achievement of one or more of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The positive impact comes through the products and services that these companies sell on the market. In total, the strategy directly supports seven of the SDGs.
KSPIs are a measure of how the business is performing on delivering its main social or environmental purpose. Read more
The following table shows that WHEB’s investment strategy at the end of 2017 was associated with a positive impact over the year equivalent to:
| Impact area | impact measurement |
|---|---|
| Carbon Dioxide emissions avoided | 201,000 tonnes |
| Renewable energy generated | 133,000 MWh |
| Waste recovered or recycled | 18,000 tonnes |
| Water cleaned and distributed for reuse | 1 billion litres |
| Waste water treated | 3 billion litres |
| Water use avoided | 350m litres |
| Individuals receiving healthcare treatment | 11,000 people |
| Healthcare costs saved | £33m |
WHEB has an impact website where it is possible to use an online impact calculator to see the impact of an individual investing in WHEB's investment strategy.
Data table source: WHEB Impact Report Jan 2017 - Dec 2017
WHEB engages with businesses, regulators and other actors to understand the market environment and to exert its influence. In 2017 it engaged with 68% of the companies held in the portfolio (41 companies) on 111 separate issues. Additional detail on these engagements is available on the WHEB impact website.
WHEB also records information on how successful it believes it has been with its engagement. Each engagement is categorised as either ‘successful’, ‘partially successful’ or ‘unsuccessful’. In 2017, WHEB believes that 23% of its engagements were successful, 46% were partially successful and 31% were unsuccessful.
WHEB is committed to transparency in relation to activity associated with the Fund. In support of this WHEB has pledged to:
WHEB has committed itself to the Eurosif Transparency code, only two other UK investment companies have done so.
WHEB's independent Investment Advisory Committee provides a layer of independent oversight of the Fund. The Committee challenges WHEB on its adherence to their mandate, process and investment philosophy, and the minutes of this meeting are published on WHEB’s website. This process is absent from much of the investment industry.
In addition WHEB is committed to reporting on the positive impact associated with the Fund's investments through the publication of an annual impact report and through providing access to an impact website.
CEPIs and CSPIs are environmental performance indicators that are common to all businesses, no matter what their main business activity is. Read more
As the Fund is purely a vehicle for managing investments the CEPIs and CSPIs are not individually shown. WHEB's strict business screening ensures that the organisations that are selected for investment clearly outperform others within their sectors on sustainability, and that comply with strict minimum standards.
Companies are screened against a wide range of criteria. And, both during and after the selection process, the research team engages with them, encouraging them to improve their business practices.
You can browse, compare and invest in a range of products on Ethex platform from bank accounts and ISAs to equity investments and charity bonds that offer a social/environmental as well as a financial return. All you need to do is get started...
