Nordic Ecolabeling (The Nordic Swan Ecolabel) visited Fondita as part of the renewal process of the ecolabel

Last week ESG Specialist Daniel Hammarstedt from Nordic Ecolabelling paid us a visit to perform an audit and discuss our labelled fund, Fondita Sustainable Europe, regarding the 2^nd generation of their criteria.

In the beginning of the year, as part of the renewal process, we provided necessary material in order to show full compliance with the new Nordic Swan Ecolabel criteria. The last step towards their approval was an onsite visit. Our fund, Fondita Sustainable Europe, was able to meet the requirements again and renew the certification which we are very happy to announce. The purpose of the onsite visit is to discuss certain parts of the requirements in detail, getting to know the company better and an opportunity to provide additional information if required.

We at Fondita are advocates of external certifications which require a third party verified or audited process. Attaining external certification allows comparability between certification holders and ensures that the fund fulfills certain criteria which is being verified, which is not always the case for funds which do not hold external certifications. “The audit visit is an important key in the certification process. For Nordic Ecolabelling, it helps us get a deeper understanding of the industries we are working with, while it also pushes our licensees to be more transparent and diligent in their work”, Daniel comments. This in turn provides a more transparent and comparable investment universe towards the investors.

External certification also supports a mutual and beneficial discussion between the certification provider and the certification receiver. Nordic Ecolabelling is interested in hearing what we think about the updated requirements to the certification while we are interested in knowing how we can improve our work towards the current and incoming standards. “While the main purpose is to ensure the licensee’s full compliance with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel criteria, the audit visits are also a great forum for exchanging ideas” Daniel elaborates. This results in valuable discussions which help us to stay on the forefront of responsible investing and the expectations of investors.

Marcus Björkstén, Portfolio Manager
Erik Wikström, ESG Specialist