Ethos was created in 1997 by Swiss Pension Funds. From inception, its founding members wanted its activities to be guided by a Charter. On the occasion of its 10th anniversary, Ethos decided to adjust its Charter to take into account the fast changes observed in the field of socially responsible investment (SRI) in recent years.
The new Charter (German - French) clearly recalls that sustainable development is an essential prerequisite to ensure economic and social prosperity. In this framework, investors have a shareholder responsibility based on three pillars:
- Integrating environmental, social and governance criteria into asset management.
- Exercising shareholder voting rights.
- Engaging in active dialogue with company management.
With this new Charter, Ethos confirms that, after 10 years, the Foundation has maintained its initial ambition to:
- Provide institutional investors with the necessary tools to invest with an approach integrating the concept of sustainable development.
- Signal to companies that, beyond financial results, their long-term success requires taking into account their social and environmental responsibility
The new Charter will be officially presented in Bern on 21 September 2007 on the occasion of the first Ethos Day, a workshop devoted this year to the “Dialogue between companies, investors and civil society”. Key figures from business circles, investors and civil society will speak on the subject, in particular Peter Brabeck-Letmathe (Nestlé), Simonetta Sommaruga (Foundation for consumer protection), Matt Christensen (European Sustainable and Responsible Investment Forum, Paris), Etienne Jornod (Galenica) and Professor Christoph Stückelberger (Basel University). Panel discussions with the participants will be moderated by Béatrice Jéquier and Kurt Aeschbacher (Swiss Television).
