DWS strengthens and maintains A+ rating in annual PRI assessment

DWS continues to be recognized for its sustainability efforts, receiving an A+ rating for Strategy & Governance in the annual Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) assessment for the third year in a row. The A+ rating – which is the highest awarded – puts DWS above the median score for all PRI signatories, as well as participating investment managers.

The PRI conducts the assessment every year to measure and understand the progress made by its signatories to implement and improve their responsible investment practices. This includes the incorporation and integration of ESG criteria, as well as Active Ownership, an area in which DWS continued to excel and improve its module score to A+ from an A rating in 2019. In addition, DWS saw a further improvement in the Securitized Fixed Income module, reporting an A score, up from B last year and E in 2018 – and above the B score median for investment managers.

Stefan Kreuzkamp, CIO of DWS, said: “We are delighted to maintain our A+ rating for another year. This result demonstrates DWS’s strong commitment to supporting the PRI and to embedding sustainability into everything we do. We are particularly proud to be recognized for our Active Ownership efforts, which we are continually enhancing to ensure that we fulfil our fiduciary and corporate responsibility to our clients”.

Looking ahead, we will continue to advance on our path towards sustainability. In this respect, we have made significant progress so far in 2020 despite the disruption of COVID-19. We strengthened our stewardship practices with the introduction of Smart Integration – a pioneering approach to stricter ESG integration across our investment platform – and we appointed Desiree Fixler as our Group Sustainability Officer, a role that has been newly created to ensure that we implement an ESG strategy that is consistent across all regions, and fully aligns with our duties both as a fiduciary and as a corporate.

The results and further information of the PRI assessment can be viewed on the ESG section of our website.

For further information please contact:

Claus Gruber
+49 69 910 14382
claus.gruber@dws.com

Tanpreet Charlet
+44 (0) 207 541 8509
tanpreet.charlet@dws.com

About DWS Group
DWS Group (DWS) is one of the world's leading asset managers with EUR 745bn of assets under management (as of 30 June 2020). Building on more than 60 years of experience and a reputation for excellence in Germany and across Europe, DWS has come to be recognized by clients globally as a trusted source for integrated investment solutions, stability and innovation across a full spectrum of investment disciplines.

We offer individuals and institutions access to our strong investment capabilities across all major asset classes and solutions aligned to growth trends. Our diverse expertise in Active, Passive and Alternatives asset management – as well as our deep environmental, social and governance focus – complement each other when creating targeted solutions for our clients. Our expertise and on-the-ground-knowledge of our economists, research analysts and investment professionals are brought together in one consistent global CIO View, which guides our investment approach strategically.

DWS wants to innovate and shape the future of investing: with approximately 3,500 employees in offices all over the world, we are local while being one global team. We are investors – entrusted to build the best foundation for our clients’ future.

font

CIO View