While positive impact is Triodos IM’s primary goal, we also want to further develop and diversify the market for impact bonds and to reinforce the importance of adequate impact reporting on the basis of transparency, traceability and assurance.

Triodos IM has been actively investing in impact bonds through Triodos Multi Impact Fund since 2015 and through Triodos Sustainable Bond Fund since this year. Daily tradable, Triodos Multi Impact Fund targets an allocation of 30% in impact bonds. Triodos Sustainable Bond Fund’s allocation is slightly less, but is actively growing. Both funds only buy bonds denominated in euros to avoid currency risks and the bonds must be of investment-grade issuers.

Market developments

Since the first green bond was issued in 2007, the market has grown rapidly to roughly USD 162 billion of new issuance in 2017[1]. With market sentiment shifting away from a sole focus on making money regardless of side effects, investor appetite for green bonds and social impact bonds is strong. Issues are almost always oversubscribed, with buyers wanting more than they are allocated. This means that secondary trading in the first days after the issuance can be very attractive.

The impact bond market moves in sync with non-impact bonds, so the benefit of impact bonds really is the social and/or environmental change they enable. “These days there are very few investors that don’t have an impact bond strategy. I don’t know of any financial organisation that’s not focusing on why they invest in certain industries or companies”, says William de Vries, Fund Manager of Triodos Sustainable Bond Fund. “The EU is also poised to develop new guidelines that are likely to make it a mainstream market. The whole finance world is changing and focusing on impact bonds. They’re here to stay”, says Raymond Hiltrop, Fund Manager of Triodos Multi Impact Fund.

By far the majority of issued green bonds are still those related to environmental outcomes such as reduced CO2 emissions. “We would really like to see more flavours come to the market, more social impact bonds”, says Rosl Veltmeijer, Portfolio Manager at Triodos IM, “but the fact is that measuring reporting of social outcomes is very difficult – it’s a barrier to the development of the impact bond market.” Filippo Tognacci, Analyst at Triodos IM, is optimistic and believes that “more social impact bonds will come to market - it’s not a matter of when, but, rather, a matter of there being viable mechanisms to measure the outcomes”.

How Triodos IM differentiates itself

What sets us apart from other investors is that we apply the same baseline to everything we invest in. For traditional bonds that provide funds to support ongoing operations, our methodology involves assessing the sustainability performance of the issuing company. For impact bonds, we also assess the sustainability of the specific project the bond is intended to fund. We don’t just buy certified green bonds; we carefully assess the project for its positive impact and its alignment with one of our seven transition themes. “In addition, the issuing company needs to meet our minimum standards. If they don’t, it’s a showstopper for us”, says Tognacci.

Green bond issuers must deliver on their promised impact and regularly report on it. Triodos IM actively looks for issuers that guarantee a specific standard of reporting, and strongly encourages companies to prioritise actual outcomes, not just expected ones. “We believe that high levels of accountability can drive future business decisions and better sustainable strategy”, says Tognacci. “Issuers welcome and highly value our feedback. We help keep them true to their word simply because we’re paying attention to the quality of their data.”

“Although we are not as big as other players in the market, we are considered a thought leader in this space. Other investors recognise our sophisticated investment framework and issuing companies do their best to have us on their order books. Issuers reach out to us. They see our interest as a seal of approval and know if we’re interested others will be too”, says Veltmeijer.

Investment preferences

Triodos IM invests in both primary and secondary issues but prefers the first for two main reasons. “Firstly, because primaries often offer a higher return through an issue-premium when compared to bonds purchased on the secondary market”, explains de Vries. “The second reason is that, by investing in primaries, we support and help to further develop the green bond market.”

Another important aspect touches upon the principle of additionality. “We would prefer to finance projects that really mean a shift towards sustainability in the strategy and/or business practices of the issuing company, explains De Vries, “for example, a company that wants to replace its lease-car fleet with electric vehicles. This is what we call ‘real additionality’, but it does not occur that often - so we are also happy to finance projects of already sustainable issuers that aim to do even better.  Ultimately, however, all green bonds we invest in, whether primary or secondary, ‘really’ additional or not, must fit one of our seven transition themes and thus materially contribute to sustainability.”

Buy and hold strategy

Triodos IM buys impact bonds with an issue size of EUR 400-500 million and holds them for anywhere from three to seven years. It means, on average, a change in the portfolio of only about 20% a year compared to a typical bond fund of 50% a year. Our asset allocation of 30% also means that the funds can provide a desired balance between liquidity and long-term commitment. “We don’t want to trade every day, but we have to take into account that within an active bond portfolio you might want to sell a bond, for example due to a large-scale controversy that conflicts with our sustainable investment standards”, says Hiltrop.

People invest because they want to create impact, but they also want financial return. It’s very important says de Vries: “We do take into account the interest rate environment in our investment decisions. At some point you might conclude that the downside for the longer duration bond is bigger because there is just not that much upside anymore. So, when you select a bond you might want to select a bond with a shorter duration because they are safer. It also depends on where you think the market interest rates are heading but that’s like looking into a crystal ball – we don’t like doing that.”