Tradition and future

An intact equilibrium in our environment is essential for life. For each and every one of us, this means an obligation to treat resources as sustainably as possible by using no more than can be reproduced or regenerated. The conviction to act in a sustainable manner is firmly entrenched amongst the shareholders of the BVT Group: BVT founder Harald von Scharfenberg recognised the potential of green energy at an early stage – after all, his predecessors had already been using regenerative energy in the form of water power by the end of the 19th century. Likewise, Dr Werner Bauer, Managing Partner of derigo, who operates a proprietary hydroelectric plant. BVT has been active in the energy and infrastructure segment since 1988, and was the first investment manager in Germany to launch a mutual fund which invests in wind power plants. Consequently, for more than 30 years, BVT has amassed extensive know-how in these asset classes and provided numerous opportunities for investment which strike a balance between ecology and economy. The most recent example is the Concentio energy & infrastructure concept introduced in 2019, which integrates the expertise consolidated in the BVT Group in a fund structure that has proven itself over many years, and which meets the requirements of investors for whom responsible investing has become more and more of a focus.

BVT’s many years of dedication to developing regenerative and sustainable energy projects was consistently advanced in 2019 when BVT subsidiary derigo took the decision to sign the international PRI initiative. As an investment management company, it therefore accepts and undertakes to account for the ESG criteria at corporate level and in the investment process, and thus to invest responsibly and sustainably across all asset classes. ESG (“E” for environmental, “S” for social and “E” for governance) covers the three sustainability-based areas of responsibility of a company. ESG criteria therefore serve as guidelines for assessing risks (and opportunities) in the three areas of responsibility. In addition to the ESG investment approach, in 2016 the United Nations defined the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) applicable to all nations, which specify actual (global) objectives for sustainable investment – taking ESG criteria into account.